Yamaguchi Prefecture

Yamaguchi Prefecture was created by the merger of the provinces of Suō and Nagato.[3] During the rise of the samurai class during the Heian and Kamakura Periods (794–1333), the Ouchi family of Suō Province and the Koto family of Nagato Province gained influence as powerful warrior clans. In the Muromachi period (1336—1573), Ouchi Hiroyo, the 24th ruler of the Ouchi family conquered both areas of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Ouchi clan imitated the city planning of Kyoto. They gained great wealth through cultural imports from the continent and trade with Korea and Ming Dynasty China. As a result, Yamaguchi came to be known as the "Kyoto of the West," and Ouchi culture flourished. Sue Harutaka defeated the 31st ruler of the Ouchi clan. The Sue clan was then defeated by Mōri Motonari, and the Mōri family gained control of the Chūgoku region. Yamaguchi was ruled as part of the Mōri clan domain during the Sengoku period. Mōri Terumoto was then defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. He was forced to give up all his land except for the Suō and Nagato areas (current-day Yamaguchi Prefecture), where he built his castle in Hagi. Mōri sought to strengthen the economic base of the region and increase local production with his Three Whites campaign (salt, rice, and paper).

After Commodore Matthew Perry's opening of Japan, clans from Nagato (also called Chōshū) played a key role in the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the establishment of the new imperial government. Four years after the Edo Shogunate was overthrown and the Meiji government formed in 1868, the present Yamaguchi Prefecture was established. The Meiji government brought in many new systems and modern policies, and promoted the introduction of modern industry, though the prefecture was still centered on agriculture during this period. In the Taishō period, from 1912 to 1926, shipbuilding, chemical, machinery, and metal working plants were built in Yamaguchi's harbors in the Seto Inland Sea area. During the post-World War II Shōwa Period, Yamaguchi developed into one of the most industrialized prefectures in the country due to the establishment of petrochemical complexes.[4]

Map of Yamaguchi Prefecture
     City      Town

As of April 1, 2012, 7% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Setonaikai National Park; Akiyoshidai, Kita-Nagato Kaigan, and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and Chōmonkyō, Iwakiyama, Rakanzan, and Toyota Prefectural Natural Parks.[5]

Cities

See also: List of cities in Yamaguchi Prefecture by population

Shimonoseki and Kanmon Strait

Iwakuni

Shunan

Hagi

Hofu

Thirteen cities are located in Yamaguchi Prefecture:

• Hagi
• Hikari
• Hōfu
• Iwakuni
• Kudamatsu
• Mine
• Nagato
• San'yō-Onoda
• Shimonoseki
• Shūnan
• Ube
• Yamaguchi (capital)
• Yanai

For the purposes of development analysis, Yamaguchi is construed to be part of Northern Kyushu. Although Yamaguchi is not part of the island of Kyushu, it has become a functional satellite of the Kanmon Straits metropolitan area.[6]

Per Japanese census data,[7] and,[8] Yamaguchi prefecture has had negative population growth from 1955-1973 and 1985-onwards

The most popular place for tourism is Shimonoseki, for example Karato Fish Market. There is a large fireworks festival in summer.

Another attraction is the Kintai Bridge in the town of Iwakuni. This five-arched wooden structure is considered a symbol of Western Honshū. The area on the banks of the Nishiki river close to the bridge is considered among the best places in Japan for Hanami, when groups of family and friends gather in early April to view cherry blossoms.

Hagi City is in the north of Yamaguchi. It is a very traditional city. The usual color of Japanese post boxes is red, but in Hagi they are painted green or brown. The Hagi Museum is modeled after a traditional samurai residence. The exhibits are detailed and realistic, and are changed every year. The permanent collection is data about Hagi's history and collections about Takasugi Shinsaku. Hagi also contains a reverberatory furnace which has been designated a World Heritage Site.[9]

Kawara soba (hot tile noodles) is a popular food in Yamaguchi. It was developed during the Seinan Rebellion that broke out in 1877. Soldiers cooked wild grass and meat on hot tiles. Now it is a local dish of Yamaguchi people. They fry green tea noodles on a hot tile, and arrange thin fried egg, stewed beef, green onions and grilled liver on top.

Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park, which includes Japan's longest cave, the Akiyoshido (秋芳洞), is another popular destination.

• 
  Akiyoshi Plateau
• 
  Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni

• Kintaikyo Festival in Iwakuni - held on April 29
• Nishiki River Water Festival in Iwakuni - held in August
• Iwakuni Festival in August
• Yokomichi Festival, Kintai Bridge November 19
• Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival in August
• Yamaguchi Gion Festival on July 20 to 27
• Yamaguchi Tanabata Lantern Festival on August 6 to 7
• Hagi Era Festival in April
• Hagi Festival on August 2 to 3
• Shimonoseki Strait Festival on May 2 to 4
• Shimonoseki Firework Festival in August

• Tree: Red pine tree (Pinus densiflora)
• Flower: Bitter summer mandarin blossom (Citrus natsudaidai)
• Bird: Hooded crane (Grus monacha)
• Fish: Tetraodontidae (Takifugu rubripes)
• Beast: Sika deer (Cervus nippon nippon)
• Mascot: Choruru

• Shintaro Abe, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and General Secretary of the LDP
• Prime Minister Shinzō Abe represented first Yamaguchi's 1st then 4th district in the House of Representatives; his father represented Yamaguchi as well.
• Itō Hirobumi, a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four-time Prime Minister of Japan (the 1st, 5th, 7th and 10th), genrō, and Resident-General of Korea
• Shojiro Iida, a Japanese general during World War II who led the invasions of Thailand and Burma
• Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, born in Ube in 1946[10]
• Kasumi Ishikawa, silver medalist in Women's Team Table Tennis at the London 2012 Olympics, is from Yamaguchi City in Yamaguchi prefecture.
• Kaiketsu Masateru, sumo wrestler, who reached the second highest rank of ōzeki on two separate occasions and was chairman of the Japan Sumo Association 2010-2012
• Soyu Matsuoka Roshi, an important, early pioneer of Soto Zen Buddhism in the United States
• Karyu, guitarist of the band D'espairsRay is from Yamaguchi. The band had a "homecoming" live there in 2007 and 2009
• Sayumi Michishige, a Japanese idol who is one of the sixth-generation members of Japanese idol group Morning Musume was born in Yamaguchi.
• Shinji Mikami, Video Game designer; the God-father of the survival Horror genre of video games.
• Yasunori Mitsuda, composer
• Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, a Japanese character designer, manga artist, and one of the founding members of the Gainax anime studio[11]
• Shaura, singer
• Kido Takayoshi, one of the two main architects of the Meiji Restoration
• Atsushi Tamura of the comic duo London Boots Ichi-go Ni-go is from Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi.
• Raizo Tanaka, a Japanese rear admiral during World War II
• Teruzane Utada music producer, manager and father of Utada Hikaru is from Yamaguchi Prefecture, as mentioned on the latter's blog.
• Harukichi Yamaguchi, founder of the Yamaguchi-gumi, born near Kobe but his entire family hailed from Yamaguchi
• Tadashi Yanai, a Japanese businessman, founder and president of Fast Retailing, of which Uniqlo is a subsidiary[12]
• Kairi Sane, professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and former World Wonder Ring Stardom employee.
• Hideaki Anno, anime director famous for creating Neon Genesis Evangelion. His live-action film Shiki-Jitsu features scenes set in his hometown of Ube.

Yamaguchi Prefecture has alliance with the following five districts.[13][14]

• Bình Dương Province, Vietnam (since 2014)
• Shandong Province, China (since 1982)
• South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea (since 1987)
• Pamplona, Navarre, Spain (since 1980)
• Krasnodar Krai, Russia (since 2017)

Since the Meiji Restoration in which lower-rank nobility from Chōshū played a major role, many politicians from Yamaguchi have held important positions in national politics. In the post-war era, the most prominent political family from Yamaguchi is the Kishi-Abe/Satō prime ministerial dynasty, and Yamaguchi is leaning solidly towards the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yamaguchi prefecture.

• Official Yamaguchi Prefecture homepage