Ehime Prefecture


Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2. Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tokushima Prefecture to the east, and Kōchi Prefecture to the southeast. Ehime Prefecture also borders Hiroshima Prefecture for on Hyōtanjima.
Matsuyama is the capital and largest city of Ehime Prefecture and the largest city on Shikoku, with other major cities including Imabari, Niihama, and Saijō.
Notable past Ehime residents include three Nobel Prize winners: Kenzaburo Oe, Shuji Nakamura, and Syukuro Manabe.
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History

Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime Prefecture was known as Iyo Province. Since before the Heian period, the area was dominated by fishermen and sailors who played an important role in defending Japan against pirates and Mongolian invasions.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa shōgun gave the area to his allies, including Katō Yoshiaki who built Matsuyama Castle, forming the basis for the modern city of Matsuyama.
The name Ehime comes from the kuniumi part of the Kojiki where Iyo Province is mythologically named Ehime, "lovely princess".
In 2012, a research group from the University of Tokyo and Ehime University said they had discovered rare earth deposits in Matsuyama.

Geography

Located in the northwestern part of Shikoku, Ehime faces the Seto Inland Sea to the north and is bordered by Kagawa and Tokushima in the east and Kōchi in the south.
The prefecture includes both high mountains in the inland region and a long coastline, with many islands in the Seto Inland Sea. The westernmost arm of Ehime, the Sadamisaki Peninsula, is the narrowest peninsula in Japan.
As of 31 March 2020, 7 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Ashizuri-Uwakai and Setonaikai National Parks; Ishizuchi Quasi-National Park; and Hijikawa, Kinshako, Okudōgo Tamagawa, Sadamisaki Hantō-Uwakai, Saragamine Renpō, Sasayama, and Shikoku Karst Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

[Image:Views from Matsuyama Castle (Iyo) in 2010-9-6 No,3.JPG|thumb|right|Matsuyama]
[Image:Uwajima City view.JPG|thumb|right|Uwajima][Image:Ehime Prefectural Government Office 20241205 001.jpg|right|thumb|The Ehime Prefectural Capitol Building]
Eleven cities are located in Ehime Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns in each district:

Mergers

Former districts:

Economy

The coastal areas around Imabari and Saijō host a number of industries, including dockyards of Japan's largest shipbuilder, Imabari Shipbuilding. Chemical industries, oil refining, paper and cotton textile products also are a feature of the prefecture. Rural areas mostly engage in agricultural and fishing industries, and are particularly known for citrus fruits such as mikan, iyokan and cultured pearls.
Ikata Nuclear Power Plant produces a large portion of Shikoku Electric Power.

Education

Universities and colleges

National

Prefectural

Private

Senior high schools

Prefectural

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Ehime.
Association football:
Baseball:
Basketball:

Culture

The oldest extant hot spring in Japan, Dōgo Onsen, is located in Matsuyama. It has been used for over two thousand years.
These are television shows and movies set in Ehime Prefecture.Tokyo Love Story is a story with characters are from Ehime Prefecture. Therefore, a lot of shooting was done in Ehime. Baishinji Station is famous for being filmed.Shodō Girls was made based on the true story of a high school student in Shikokuchūō. A member of the calligraphy club began doing Performance calligraphy at shopping malls and events to liven up the local region. After that, the Shodō Performance Koshien was held in 2008.Botchan is a novel written by Natsume Sōseki. It was based on his experience in Matsuyama. Movies, dramas, and manga are published based on the novel. Botchan Ressha and Botchan Stadium are associated with this.Saka no Ue no Kumo is written by Ryōtarō Shiba. The main characters are Akiyama Yoshifuru, Akiyama Saneyuki and Masaoka Shiki, all of whom are from Ehime prefecture. It was broadcast on NHK as a TV drama.
  • Koi wa Go・Hichi・Go！ is set in Haiku Koshien, which is actually performed. The shooting was done at a high school, university, and library in Ehime. The haiku of this movie was supervised by Itsuki Natsui, haiku poet from Ehime.Destruction Babies is set in Ehime. This movie was made based on the true story that the director head from a person he met when he visited Matsuyama. The director won an award at the Locarno Festival in 2016, and the film was selected as semi-grand prix at the Three Continents Festival in 2016.My-HiME is set in Ehime.
There are major festivals in Ehime Prefecture.

Hot springs

These are several hot springs in Ehime Prefecture.
  • Dōgo Onsen appears in the Nihon Shoki. This Hot Spring has three public baths: the main building, Tsubaki no Yu, and Asuka no Yu.
  • Sora to Mori is a combined warm bath facility. There are hot springs, restaurants, and body care.
  • Nibukawa Onsen is a hot spring located in Imabari. The source originates from the crevices of the Inugawa Valley in this hot spring town.

Language

Iyo dialect is a Japanese dialect spoken in Ehime Prefecture. Nanyo is influenced by the Kyushu dialect, and Chuyo and Toyo are influenced by the Kinki dialect.

Museums

Transport

[Image:Kurushimakaikyo Ohashi bridge from Mt.Kirosan.jpg|thumb|right|Kurushima Strait Bridge on the Shimanami Kaidō]

Railway

Road

Expressway

National highways

*

Ports

  • Kawanoe Port
  • Niihama Port - Ferry route to Osaka
  • Toyo Port - Ferry route to Osaka
  • Imabari Port - Ferry route to Innoshima, Hakata Island, and international container hub port
  • Matsuyama Port - Ferry route to Kitakyushu, Yanai, Hiroshima, Kure, and international container hub port
  • Yawatahama Port - Ferry route to Beppu, Usuki
  • Misaki Port - Ferry route to Oita
  • Uwajima Port

Airport

Notable people

International relations

Ehime Prefecture is making use of its long tradition of involvement with people overseas through international exchanges in areas such as the economy, culture, sports and education.