Ishikawa Prefecture


Ishikawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 and has a geographic area of 4,191 km2. Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the east, Gifu Prefecture to the southeast, and Fukui Prefecture to the south.
Kanazawa is the capital and largest city of Ishikawa Prefecture, with other major cities including Hakusan, Komatsu, and Kaga. Ishikawa is located on the Sea of Japan coast and features most of the Noto Peninsula which forms Toyama Bay, one of the largest bays in Japan. Ishikawa Prefecture is part of the historic Hokuriku region and formerly an important populated center that contained some of the wealthiest han of the Japanese feudal era. Ishikawa Prefecture is home to Kanazawa Castle, Kenroku-en one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Nyotaimori, and Kutani ware.
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History

Ishikawa was formed in 1872 from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province, with the seat of the government being located in Mikawa. The political center of Ishikawa was moved to Kanazawa in 1873.

The Kioizaka Incident

The newly formed Ishikawa Prefecture came to be regarded with caution by the national government following the in 1878, in which 6 2=士族, dissatisfied by the Meiji government's "maladministration, suppression of civil rights, and misuse of government property", assassinated Japanese statesman Ōkubo Toshimichi. Concerned about the possibility of a Hokuriku bloc forming in support of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, and thus wanting to weaken the influence of the former Kaga lords, the national government made the decision to divide the prefecture. This took place in two stages, beginning in 1881, when Fukui Prefecture was formed, and ending in 1883 with the formation of Toyama Prefecture.

2024 earthquake

On 1 January 2024, a Noto earthquake|7.5 magnitude earthquake] struck Ishikawa Prefecture, specifically the Noto Peninsula. In Ishikawa, a total of 508 people were killed and 2 people are currently reported missing as a result of the earthquake. Overall it is estimated that 1,200 people were injured across different prefectures.
In September 2024, severe rainfall in the prefecture led to deadly floods and landslides, causing at least six deaths and widespread damage. Thousands were evacuated as rivers overflowed, while recovery from a prior earthquake complicated relief efforts. Emergency warnings remain in place.

Geography

Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast. The northern part of the prefecture consists of the narrow Noto Peninsula, while the southern part is wider and consists mostly of mountains with the prefecture's chief city, Kanazawa, located in the coastal plain. The prefecture also has some islands, including Notojima, Mitsukejima, Hegurajima.
, 13% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Hakusan National Park; Echizen-Kaga Kaigan and Noto Hantō Quasi-national parks; and five prefectural natural parks.

Municipalities

The cities of Ishikawa are:
Towns are grouped into five districts, which are geographical and not governmental:

Economy

Ishikawa's industry is dominated by the textile industry, particularly artificial fabrics, and the machine industry, particularly construction machinery.

Demographics

Ishikawa Prefecture has an area of 4,190.94 km2 and, as of 2011, it has a population of 1,166,643 persons.
DataUnitStatistics
Areakm24,186.09
PopulationPersons1,166,643
Population densityPersons per km2278.72
Number of householdsHouseholds441,980
Income per personThousand yen2,707
Power consumedKwh per household6,446
Number of doctorsPhysicians per
100,000 people		249

List of governors of Ishikawa Prefecture

Culture

The area is noted for arts and crafts and other cultural traditions:
  • The art of Noh was introduced to the area during the rule of the fifth Maeda lord Tsunanori and was refined into the style of Kaga hosho.
  • The tea ceremony was introduced in 1666 when Maeda Toshitsune invited Senbiki Soshitsu of Urasenke to Kanazawa.
  • Kutani ware is a bright colored glaze like Chinese porcelain.
  • Ohi teaware is a pottery with a style unique to Kanazawa.
  • Nyotaimori or naked sushi is said to have originated in Ishikawa Prefecture.
  • Kaga silk is made with complicated silk print technique with an intentional rough look.
  • Kanazawa lacquerware is high quality lacquerware traditionally decorated with gold dust.
  • Kanazawa gold leaf is produced with a technique of beating gold into wafer-thin sheets.Kaga mizuhiki is ribbon-like decoration made from glued Japanese paper.
  • Kaga inlay crafts are made with a combination of thin flat and thread metal inlays.
  • Gojinjo Daiko is a Japanese drum, a Wajima city cultural heritage as well as an Ishikawa Prefecture intangible cultural heritage.
  • Abare Festival is reputed the most 'fierce' festivals of Noto, Ishikawa.
  • Japan Tent, an international exchange event.

Tourism

[Image:Kenrokuen in winter 01.jpg|thumb|right|Winter in Kenrokuen]
The most popular destination in Ishikawa is Kanazawa. Tourists can get to Ishikawa by plane via either the Komatsu or Noto airports. Popular sites include:

Prefectural symbols

Fritillaria camschatcensis

Notable people

Universities

Ishikawa has a number of universities:

Transport

Rail

Road

Expressways and toll roads

National highways

Ports

  • Kanazawa Port
  • Nanao Port

Airports

Regional policies

Politics

The current governor of Ishikawa is Hiroshi Hase who was first elected in 2022. He defeated six time incumbent Masanori Tanimoto. Prior to his defeat, Tanimoto was one of two governors who were in their sixth term nationwide, the other being Masaru Hashimoto of Ibaraki. Hase is only the fifth governor of Ishikawa since 1947 when prefectural governors became elected offices, as Tanimoto had held the governorship for twenty eight years, first coming to office in 1994, succeeding Yōichi Nakanishi, who had served from 1963 until his death in 1994.
The has 43 members and is elected in unified local elections in 15 SNTV electoral districts – six single-member, five two-member, one three-member, two four-member districts and the Kanazawa City district that elects 16 members. As of February 26, 2014, the LDP prefectural assembly caucus has 25 members and no other group has more than four members.
In the National Diet, Ishikawa is represented by three directly elected members of the House of Representatives and two of the House of Councillors. Additional members from the prefecture may be elected in the proportional representation segments of both houses: the Hokuriku-Shin'etsu proportional representation block in the lower house, the proportional election to the upper house is nationwide. After the Diet elections of 2010, 2012 and 2013, the five directly elected members from Ishikawa districts are all Liberal Democrats, namely: