![]() Akita Prefecture has seen some of the most severe population decline in Japan: it is one of four prefectures in Japan registering declines in population since 1955. This has led many young people to migrate to Tokyo and other large cities. Like much of the Tōhoku Region, Akita's economy remains dominated by traditional industries such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Overall the net gain of new residents was 4,981 people, or 1.5%. The graph shows how many people migrated to Akita City from other prefectures. Note: Data in the chart above was taken over the course of five years (2003-2008). These are the towns and villages in each district: Thirteen cities are located in Akita Prefecture: ![]() See also: List of cities in Akita Prefecture by population Like much of northern Japan, the prefecture has cold winters, particularly in areas farther from the sea.Īs of 31 March 2019, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture is designated as Natural Parks, namely the Towada-Hachimantai National Park Chōkai, Kurikoma, and Oga Quasi-National Parks and Akita Shirakami, Hachimori Iwadate, Kimimachizaka, Magi Mahiru, Moriyoshizan, Taiheizan, Tashirodake, and Tazawako Dakigaeri Prefectural Natural Parks. The Oga Peninsula is a prominent feature of the western edge, while the Ōu Mountains mark the eastern border and the higher Dewa Mountains run parallel through the center. The borders of Akita Prefecture roughly form a rectangle that is 169 kilometres (105 miles) from north to south and 86 kilometres (54 miles) from west to east. Located on the north-western side of Honshu, Akita Prefecture is adjacent to the Sea of Japan to the west and borders four other prefectures: Aomori in the north, Iwate in the east, Miyagi in the southeast, and Yamagata in the south. The famous Heian period waka poet, Ono no Komachi, is said to have been born in Yuzawa City, Ogachi Town, located in the southeast of the prefecture. In 1871, during the Meiji Restoration, Dewa Province was reshaped and the old daimyō domains were abolished and administratively reconstructed, resulting in the modern-day borders of Akita. Throughout this period, it was classified as part of Dewa Province. During the Tokugawa shogunate it was appropriated to the Satake clan, who ruled the region for 260 years and developed the agriculture and mining industries that are still predominant today. Governance of the region shifted hands several times. The region was used as a base of operations for the Japanese empire as it drove the native Ezo people from northern Honshū. In 733, a new military settlement (later renamed Akita Castle) was built in what is now the Takashimizu area of Akita, and more permanent roads and structures were developed. Abe, then governor of Koshi Province (the northwestern part of Honshū bordering the Sea of Japan), established a fort on the Mogami River, and thus began the Japanese settlement of the region. The first historical record of what is now Akita Prefecture dates to 658, when Abe no Hirafu conquered the native Ezo tribes at what are now the cities of Akita and Noshiro. Akita was a region of hunter-gatherers and principally nomadic tribes. Separated from the principal Japanese centres of commerce, politics, and population by several hundred kilometres and by the Ōu and Dewa mountain ranges to the east, Akita remained largely isolated from Japanese society until after the year 600. The region of Akita was created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu. See also: Historic Sites of Akita Prefecture
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