Ibaraki Prefecture

"JP-08" redirects here. For the synthesizer, see Roland Jupiter-8.
For the city, see Ibaraki, Osaka.
Ibaraki Prefecture

茨城県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese 茨城県
 • Rōmaji Ibaraki-ken
Flag of Ibaraki Prefecture
Flag
Official logo of Ibaraki Prefecture
Symbol
Location of Ibaraki Prefecture
Country  Japan
Region Kantō
Island Honshu
Capital Mito
Subdivisions Districts: 7, Municipalities: 44
Government
 • Governor Kazuhiko Ōigawa
Area
 • Total 6,097.19 km2 (2,354.14 sq mi)
Area rank 24th
Population
 (June 1, 2019)
 • Total 2,871,199
 • Rank 11th
 • Density 470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code JP-08
Website www.pref.ibaraki.jp
Symbols
Bird Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Flower Rose (Rosa)
Tree Ume tree (Prunus mume)

Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu.[1] Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,097.19 km2 (2,354.14 sq mi). Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture to the northwest, Saitama Prefecture to the southwest, and Chiba Prefecture to the south.

Mito is the capital and largest city of Ibaraki Prefecture, with other major cities including Hitachi, Hitachinaka, and Tsukuba.[2] Ibaraki Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the northeast of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Ibaraki Prefecture features Lake Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan, and Mount Tsukuba, one of the most famous mountains in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture is home to Kairaku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is an important center for the martial art of Aikido.

History

See also: Historic Sites of Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province. In 1871, the name of the province became Ibaraki.

In 1928, Nisshō Inoue, the founder of the far-right militant organization Ketsumeidan (血盟団, League of Blood), relocated to Ōarai, Ibaraki, where he established Risshō Gokokudō (立正護国堂, Righteous National Defense Temple), which served as a youth training center advocating a militarist revolution in Japan.

Geography

Map of Ibaraki Prefecture
     City      Town
Mito
Tsukuba

Ibaraki Prefecture is the northeastern part of the Kantō region, stretching between Tochigi Prefecture and the Pacific Ocean and bounded on the north and south by Fukushima Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. It also has a border on the southwest with Saitama Prefecture. The northernmost part of the prefecture is mountainous, but most of the prefecture is a flat plain with many lakes.

As of 1 April 2012, 15% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park and nine Prefectural Natural Parks.[3]

Cities

See also: List of cities in Ibaraki Prefecture by population

Thirty-two (32) cities are located in Ibaraki Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Ibaraki Prefecture

Economy

Ibaraki's industries include energy production, particularly nuclear energy, as well as chemical and precision machining industries. Hitachi is a world wide company as well as a city name where the company was founded.

Ibaraki is an agricultural prefecture, producing food crops that are used throughout the country. As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 25% of Japan's bell peppers and Chinese cabbage.[4]

Demographics

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1890 1,025,497 —    
1903 1,200,475 +1.22%
1913 1,328,329 +1.02%
1920 1,350,400 +0.24%
1925 1,409,092 +0.85%
1930 1,487,097 +1.08%
1935 1,548,991 +0.82%
1940 1,620,000 +0.90%
1945 1,944,344 +3.72%
1950 2,039,418 +0.96%
1955 2,064,037 +0.24%
1960 2,047,024 −0.17%
1965 2,056,154 +0.09%
1970 2,143,551 +0.84%
1975 2,342,198 +1.79%
1980 2,558,007 +1.78%
1985 2,725,005 +1.27%
1990 2,845,382 +0.87%
1995 2,955,530 +0.76%
2000 2,985,676 +0.20%
2005 2,975,167 −0.07%
2010 2,969,770 −0.04%
2015 2,917,857 −0.35%
source:[5]

Ibaraki's population is decreasing more rapidly than any other prefecture.[6]

Culture

Tsuchiura
Kashima
Paddy field at Mt. Tsukuba foot
Lotus field and Joban Line
Sweet potato field

Ibaraki is known for nattō, or fermented soybeans, in Mito, watermelons in Kyōwa (recently merged into Chikusei), and chestnuts in the Nishiibaraki region.

Ibaraki is famous for the martial art of Aikido founded by Ueshiba Morihei, also known as Osensei. Ueshiba spent the latter part of his life in the town of Iwama, now part of Kasama, and the Aiki Shrine and dojo he created still remain.[7]

There are castle ruins in many cities, including Mito, Kasama, and Yūki.

Kasama is famous for Shinto, art culture and pottery.[citation needed]

The capital Mito is home to Kairakuen, one of Japan's three most celebrated gardens, and famous for its over 3,000 Japanese plum trees of over 100 varieties.

Education

University

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Ibaraki.

Prefectural Kashima Soccer Stadium

Football (soccer)

Volleyball

Rugby

  • Kashima Rugby Football Club RFC

Baseball

Wrestling

  • Hitachi Pro Wrestling (Regional group)

Basketball

Tourism

Transportation and access

Aerial view of Ibaraki Airport

Railways

Cable cars

Roads

Ports

  • Kashima Port

Airports


Pronunciation

The prefecture is often alternatively pronounced "Ibaragi" by those who speak the regional dialect known as Ibaraki-ben. However, the standard pronunciation is "Ibaraki". According to the author of "Not Ibaragi, Ibaraki",[8] this is most likely due to a mishearing of the softening of the "k" sound in Ibaraki dialect.

See also

Copyright