is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Kanagawa" in ; "Kantō" in . Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanagawa Prefecture borders Tokyo to the north, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northwest and Shizuoka Prefecture to the west.
Yokohama is the capital and largest city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second-largest city in Japan, with other major cities including Kawasaki, Sagamihara, and Fujisawa.Nussbaum, "Yokohama" in . Kanagawa Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast on Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay, separated by the Miura Peninsula, across from Chiba Prefecture on the Bōsō Peninsula. Kanagawa Prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with Yokohama and a number of its cities being major commercial hubs and southern suburbs of Tokyo. Kanagawa Prefecture was the political and economic center of Japan during the Kamakura period when Kamakura was the de facto capital and largest city of Japan as the seat of the Kamakura shogunate from 1185 to 1333. Kanagawa Prefecture is a popular tourist area in the Tokyo region, with Kamakura and Hakone being two popular side trip destinations.
History
The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period (around 400 BCE). About 3,000 years ago, Mount Hakone produced a volcanic explosion which resulted in Lake Ashi on the western area of the prefecture.
It is believed that the imperial dynasty ruled this area from the 5th century onwards. In the ancient era, its plains were sparsely inhabited.
In medieval Japan, Kanagawa was part of the provinces of Sagami and Musashi.Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in . Kamakura in central Sagami was the capital of Japan during the Kamakura period (1185–1333).
During the Edo period, the western part of Sagami Province was governed by the daimyō of Odawara Castle, while the eastern part was directly governed by the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo (modern-day Tokyo).
Commodore Matthew Perry landed in Kanagawa in 1853 and 1854 and signed the Convention of Kanagawa to force open Japanese ports to the United States. Yokohama, the largest deep-water port in Tokyo Bay, was opened to foreign traders in 1859 after several more years of foreign pressure, and eventually developed into the largest trading port in Japan. Nearby Yokosuka, closer to the mouth of Tokyo Bay, developed as a naval port and now serves as headquarters for the U.S. 7th Fleet and the fleet operations of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. After the Meiji period, a number of foreigners lived in Yokohama City, and visited Hakone. The Meiji government developed the first railways in Japan, from Shinbashi (in Tokyo) to Yokohama in 1872.
The epicenter of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake was deep beneath Izu Ōshima (island) in Sagami Bay. It devastated Tokyo, the port city of Yokohama, surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka, and caused widespread damage throughout the Kantō region.Hammer, Joshua (2006). . The sea receded as much as 400 metres from the shore at Manazuru Point, and then rushed back towards the shore in a great wall of water which swamped Mitsuishi-shima.Hammer, . At Kamakura, the total death toll from earthquake, tsunami, and fire exceeded 2,000 victims.Hammer, . At Odawara, ninety percent of the buildings collapsed immediately, and subsequent fires burned the rubble along with anything left standing.Hammer, .
Yokohama, Kawasaki, and other major cities were heavily damaged by the U.S. bombing in 1945. Total casualties amounted to more than several thousand. After the war, General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers for the Occupation of Japan, landed in Kanagawa, before moving to other areas. U.S. military bases still remain in Kanagawa, including Camp Zama (Army), Yokosuka Naval Base, Naval Air Facility Atsugi (Navy).
Geography
Kanagawa is a relatively small prefecture located at the southeastern corner of the Kantō Plain wedged between Tokyo on the north, the foothills of Mount Fuji on the northwest, and the Sagami Bay and Tokyo Bay on the south and east. The eastern side of the prefecture is relatively flat and heavily urbanized, including the large port cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki.
The southeastern area nearby the Miura Peninsula is less urbanized, with the ancient city of Kamakura drawing tourists to temples and shrines. The western part, bordered by Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture on the west, is more mountainous and includes resort areas like Odawara and Hakone. The area, stretching from west to east and from north to south, contains of land, accounting for 0.64% of the total land area of Japan.
, 23% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park; Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park; and Jinba Sagamiko, Manazuru Hantō, Okuyugawara, and Tanzawa-Ōyama Prefectural Natural Parks.
Topography Topographically, the prefecture consists of three distinct areas. The mountainous western region features the Tanzawa Mountain Range and the volcano Mount Hakone. The hilly eastern region is characterized by the Tama Hills and Miura Peninsula. The central region, which surrounds the Tama Hills and Miura Peninsula, consists of flat stream terraces and low lands around major rivers including the Sagami River, Sakai River, Tsurumi River, and Tama River.
The Tama River forms much of the boundary between Kanagawa and Tokyo. The Sagami River flows through the middle of the prefecture. In the western region, the Sakawa runs through a small lowland, the Sakawa Lowland, between Mount Hakone to the west and the Ōiso Hills to the east, and flows into Sagami Bay.
The Tanzawa Mountain Range, part of the Kantō Mountain Range, contains Mount Hiru (), the highest peak in the prefecture. Other mountains measure similar mid-range heights: Mount Hinokiboramaru (), Mount Tanzawa, (), Mount Ōmuro (), Mount Himetsugi (), and Mount Usu (). The mountain range is lower in height southward leading to Hadano Basin to the Ōiso Hills. At the eastern foothills of the mountain range lies the Isehara Plateau and across the Sagami River the Sagamino plateau.
Cities
Nineteen cities are located in Kanagawa Prefecture. NameArea (km2)PopulationMapRōmajiKanji Atsugi厚木市93.83223,960 Ayase綾瀬市22.2883,709 Chigasaki茅ヶ崎市35.71242,798 Ebina海老名市26.59141,276 Fujisawa藤沢市69.57439,728 Hadano秦野市103.76163,787 Hiratsuka平塚市67.88257,316 Isehara伊勢原市55.56101,415 Kamakura鎌倉市39.67172,929 Kawasaki川崎市143.011,538,262 Minamiashigara南足柄市77.1240,947 Miura三浦市32.0544,132 Odawara小田原市113.79185,027 Sagamihara相模原市328.91723,470 Yamato大和市27.09244,113 Yokohama (capital)横浜市437.383,769,595 Yokosuka横須賀市100.81373,797 Zama座間市17.58130,667 Zushi逗子市17.3458,087
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district: NameArea (km2)PopulationDistrictMapRōmajiKanji Aikawa愛川町34.2939,763Aikō District Hakone箱根町92.8210,837Ashigarashimo District Hayama葉山町17.0632,961Miura District Kaisei開成町6.5618,335Ashigarakami District Kiyokawa清川村71.292,858Aikō District Manazuru真鶴町7.027,061Ashigarashimo District Matsuda松田町37.7510,514Ashigarakami District Nakai中井町20.029,155Ashigarakami District Ninomiya二宮町9.0827,334Naka District Ōi大井町14.4117,146Ashigarakami District Ōiso大磯町17.1831,262Naka District Samukawa寒川町13.4248,679Kōza District Yamakita山北町224.709,878Ashigarakami District Yugawara湯河原町40.9923,267Ashigarashimo District
Mergers
Demographics
In 1945, Kanagawa was the 15th most populous prefecture in Japan, with a population of about 1.9 million. In the years after the war, the prefecture underwent rapid urbanization as a part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The population is estimated to be 9.1 million. Kanagawa became the second most populous prefecture in 2006.
Festivals and events
Chigasaki Hamaori Festival (July) Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival (July) Kamakura Festival (April) Odawara Hōjō Godai Festival (May) Tama River Firework event Yokohama Port Anniversary Festival (June) Yugawara Kifune Festival (July)
Transportation Kanagawa's transport network is heavily intertwined with that of Tokyo (see: Transportation in Greater Tokyo). Shin-Yokohama and Odawara stations on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen are located in the prefecture, providing high-speed rail service to Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and other major cities.
Railways East Japan Railway Company Tōkaidō Main Line Nambu Line Tsurumi Line Yokohama Line Negishi Line Yokosuka Line Sagami Line Chūō Main Line Central Japan Railway Company Tokaido Shinkansen Gotemba Line Keikyu Main Line Daishi Line Kurihama Line Zushi Line Odakyu Odawara Line Enoshima Line Tama Line Sagami Railway Main Line Izumino Line Shin-Yokohama Line Tokyu Tōyoko Line Den-en-toshi Line Ōimachi Line Meguro Line Minatomirai Line Keio Sagamihara Line Izuhakone Railway Daiyūzan Line Enoshima Electric Railway
Subways Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line Green Line
Monorail Shonan Monorail
People movers Kanazawa Seaside Line
Road Expressway Chūō Expressway Shuto Expressway Tōmei Expressway Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line
National highways Route 1 Route 15 Route 16 Route 20 Route 129 (Hiratsuka-Atsugi-Sagamihara) Route 132 Route 133 Route 134 Route 135 (Shimoda–Atami-Odawara) Route 138 Route 246 (Chiyoda, Tokyo-Kawasaki-Machida-Atsugi-Isehara-Gotenba–Numazu) Route 255 Route 357 (Chiba–Funabashi–Daiba of Tokyo-Yokohama-Yokosuka) Route 409 Route 412 Route 413 (Fujiyoshida–Lake Yamanaka-Sagamihara) Route 466 (Setagaya, Tokyo-Kawasaki-Yokohama) Route 467
Ports Misaki Port—Ferry Route to Kisarazu Port of Yokohama—International container hub port
Education The Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education manages and oversees individual municipal school districts. The board of education also directly operates most of the public high schools in the prefecture.
University facilities
Kawasaki Keio University—Shin Kawasaki Campus Meiji University—Ikuta Campus Senshu University—Ikuta Campus Japan Women's University Showa University of Music Den-en Chofu University—Aso Ward Nippon Medical School St. Marianna University, School of Medicine—Miyamae Japan Cinema School Tokyo City University—Aso Ward Yokohama Tokyo Institute of Technology—Suzukakedai Tokyo University of the Arts—Naka Ward Yokohama National University—Hodogaya Yokohama City University—Kanazawa Ward Kanagawa University—Kanagawa Ward Kanto Gakuin University—Kanazawa Ward Toin University of Yokohama—Aoba Ward Tsurumi University—Tsurumi Ward Yokohama College of Commerce—Tsurumi Ward Yokohama College of Pharmacy—Totsuka Ward Keio University—Hiyoshi Campus Tokyo City University—Tsuzuki Ward Meiji Gakuin University—Totsuka Ward Nippon Sport Science University—Aoba Ward Toyo Eiwa University—Midori Ward Kokugakuin University—Tama Plaza Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Sagamihara Aoyama Gakuin University Azabu University Kitasato University Sagami Women's University Obirin University Joshi University of Art and Design Teikyo University Yokosuka Kanagawa Dental College Kanagawa University of Human Services Hiratsuka Tokai University—Hiratsuka Campus Shoin University—Hiratsuka Campus Kanagawa University Isehara Tokai University—Isehara Campus Sanno University Odawara Kanto Gakuin University—Odawara Campus International University of Health and Welfare Chigasaki Bunkyo University—Chigasaki Campus Atsugi Shoin University Tokyo University of Agriculture—Atsugi Campus Kanagawa Institute of Technology Tokyo Polytechnic University—Atsugi Campus Hayama Graduate University for Advanced Studies
Sports
Facilities Football and athletics Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium (Mitsuzawa Stadium)—in Yokohama, only for football