| Ishikawa Prefecture | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese transcription(s) | |||
| • Japanese | 石川県 | ||
| • Rōmaji | Ishikawa-ken | ||
|
|||
 |
|||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Chūbu, Hokuriku | ||
| Island | Honshū | ||
| Capital | Kanazawa | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Masanori Tanimoto | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 4,185.22 km2 (1,615.92 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 35th | ||
| Population (February 1, 2011) | |||
| • Total | 1,168,929 | ||
| • Rank | 34th | ||
| • Density | 279.30/km2 (723.4/sq mi) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | JP-17 | ||
| Districts | 5 | ||
| Municipalities | 19 | ||
| Flower | Black lily (Fritillaria camtschatcensis) | ||
| Tree | Hiba (Thujopsis dolabrata) | ||
| Bird | Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) | ||
| Website | http://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/foreign/en/ | ||
Ishikawa Prefecture (石川県 Ishikawa-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island.[1] The capital is Kanazawa.[2]
|
Contents
|
History
Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.[3]
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.
Cities
Eleven cities are located in Ishikawa Prefecture:
Towns and villages
Towns and villages in each district:
Mergers
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 4,185 km² and as of April 1, 2011 it has a population of 1,166,643 persons.
| Data | Unit | Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Area | km² | 4,185 |
| Population | Persons | 1,166,643 |
| Population density | Persons per km² | 278.72 |
| Number of households | Households | 441,980 |
| Income per person | Thousand yen | 2,707 |
| Power consumed | Kwh per household | 6,446 |
| Number of doctors | Physicians per
100,000 people |
249 |
Culture
The area is noted for arts and crafts and other cultural traditions:
- Nō 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 porcelain (Kutani yaki) is a bright colored glaze like Chinese porcelain.
- Ohi teaware (Ōhi yaki) is a pottery with a style unique to Kanazawa.
- Kaga silk (Kaga yūzen) is made with complicated silk print technique with an intentional rough look (wabi-sabi).
- Kanazawa lacquerware (Kanazawa shikki) is high quality lacquerware traditionally decorated with gold dust.
- Kanazawa gold leaf (Kanazawa haku) is produced with a technique of beating gold into wafer-thin sheets.
- Kaga mizuhiki is ribbon-like decoration made from glued Japanese paper (washi).
- Kaga inlay crafts (Kaga zōgan) are made with a combination of thin flat and thread metal inlays.
Tourism
The most popular destination in Ishikawa is Kanazawa. Tourists can get to Ishikawa by plane via Komatsu.
- Shibayama Lagoon
- Mount Haku
- Kaga hot-springs district
- Kenroku-en
- Higashi-chaya district in Kanazawa
- Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
- Chirihama Driveway
- Wajima Morning Market
- 1000 Rice Fields
Prefectural symbols
- Fritillaria camschatcensis(Symbol flower)
- Thujopsis dolabrata (Symbol tree)
- Golden Eagle(Symbol bird)
Miscellaneous topics
- Hideki Matsui, a current player for the New York Yankees, was born and raised in Neagari Town (now Nomi City), Ishikawa. He gained fame as a baseball player while attending high school in Kanazawa.
- Daisuke Nakata, a trampolinist who has competed in the Olympics in the past, is from Ishikawa.
- Takeshi Kaga, an actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef produced by Fuji TV, is from Ishikawa.
Universities
Ishikawa hosts a number of well-known universities.
- Hokuriku University—a small liberal arts university with a School of Pharmacy and a School of Future Learning that gives instruction in Business, Economics, and Foreign Language (Chinese and English).
- Kanazawa University
- Ishikawa Prefectural University
- Kanazawa Institute of Technology
- Kanazawa Medical University
- Kanazawa Gakuin University
- Kinjo Junior College
- Ishikawa Prefectural Nursing University
- Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
- Kanazawa Seiryo University
- Kanazawa College of Art
Transport
Railroad
- JR West
- Noto Railway Nanao Line
- Hokuriku Railway (Hokutetsu)
- Ishikawa Line
- Asanokawa Line
Road
Expressway and Toll Road
- Hokuriku Expressway
- Noetsu (Noto-Etsuchu) Expressway
- Noto Toll Road
- Hakusan Super Forest Road
National Highway
- Route 8
- Route 157 (Kanazawa-Hakusan-Katsuyama-Motosu-Gifu)
- Route 159
- Route 160
- Route 249
- Route 304
- Route 305
- Route 359
- Route 360 (Toyama-Hida-Shirakawa-Komatsu)
- Route 364
- Route 365
- Route 415
- Route 416
- Route 470 (Wajima-Himi-Takaoka-Oyabe-Tonami)
- Route 471
Port
- Kanazawa Port – International container hub port
- Nanao Port
Airport
Regional policies
Notes
- ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Chūbu" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 126 at Google Books.
- ^ Nussbaum, "Kanazawa" in p. 467 at Google Books.
- ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in p. 780 at Google Books.
References
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ishikawa Prefecture |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
