is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Miyagi prefecture" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the northwest, Yamagata Prefecture to the west, and Fukushima Prefecture to the south.
Sendai is the capital and largest city of Miyagi Prefecture, and the largest city in the Tōhoku region, with other major cities including Ishinomaki, Ōsaki, and Tome.Nussbaum, "Sendai" in . Miyagi Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast and bounded to the west by the Ōu Mountains, the longest mountain range in Japan, with 24% of its total land area being designated as Natural Parks. Miyagi Prefecture is home to Matsushima Islands, a group of islands containing one of the Three Views of Japan, near the town of Matsushima.
History
Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu.Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent major tsunami hit Miyagi Prefecture, causing major damage to the area. The tsunami was estimated to be approximately high in Miyagi Prefecture.
On April 7, 2011, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi, Japan. Workers were then evacuated from the nearby troubled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant once again, as a tsunami warning was issued for the coastline. Residents were told to flee inland at that time.
In 2013, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako visited the prefecture to see the progress made since the tsunami.
Geography
Miyagi Prefecture is in the central part of Tōhoku, facing the Pacific Ocean, and contains Tōhoku's largest city, Sendai. There are high mountains on the west and along the northeast coast, but the central plain around Sendai is fairly large.
Matsushima is known as one of the three most scenic views of Japan, with a bay full of 260 small islands covered in pine groves.
Oshika Peninsula projects from the northern coastline of the prefecture.
As of 31 March 2019, 24% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Sanriku Fukkō National Park; Kurikoma and Zaō Quasi-National Parks; and Abukuma Keikoku, Asahiyama, Funagata Renpō, Futakuchi Kyōkoku, Kenjōsan Mangokuura, Kesennuma, Matsushima, and Zaō Kōgen Prefectural Natural Parks.
In addition, Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture that is particularly prone to earthquakes even in Japan, which is an earthquake-prone country. Large earthquakes occur frequently Miyagi offshore, and earthquakes also occur frequently inland. In the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that occurred Miyagi offshore, Miyagi Prefecture suffered the most damage nationwide.
Cities
Fourteen cities are located in Miyagi Prefecture: NameArea (km2)PopulationPopulation density (per km2)MapRōmajiKanji Higashimatsushima東松島市101.3639,098385.73 Ishinomaki石巻市554.55140,151252.73 Iwanuma岩沼市60.4544,068729.00 Kakuda角田市147.5327,976189.63 Kesennuma気仙沼市332.4461,147183.93 Kurihara栗原市804.9764,63780.30 Natori名取市98.1778,718801.85 Ōsaki大崎市796.76127,330159.81 Sendai (capital)仙台市786.31,096,7041394.77 Shiogama塩竈市17.3752,2033005.35 Shiroishi白石市286.4832,758114.35 Tagajō多賀城市19.6962,8273190.81 Tome登米市536.1276,037141.83 Tomiya富谷市49.1851,6511050.24
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district: NameArea (km2)PopulationPopulation density (per km2)DistrictTypeMapRōmajiKanji Kami加美町460.6721,94347.63Kami DistrictTown Kawasaki川崎町270.778,63731.90Shibata DistrictTown Marumori丸森町273.313,09247.90Igu DistrictTown Matsushima松島町53.5613,804257.73Miyagi DistrictTown Minamisanriku南三陸町163.412,51676.60Motoyoshi DistrictTown Misato美里町74.9524,565327.75Tōda DistrictTown Murata村田町78.3810,675136.20Shibata DistrictTown Ōgawara大河原町24.9923,618945.10Shibata DistrictTown Ōhira大衡村60.325,91898.11Kurokawa DistrictVillage Onagawa女川町65.356,31996.69Oshika DistrictTown Ōsato大郷町82.017,97297.31Kurokawa DistrictTown Rifu利府町44.8936,014802.27Miyagi DistrictTown Shibata柴田町54.0337,617696.22Shibata DistrictTown Shichigahama七ヶ浜町13.1918,4471398.56Miyagi DistrictTown Shichikashuku七ヶ宿町263.091,3235.03Katta DistrictTown Shikama色麻町109.286,72361.52Kami DistrictTown Taiwa大和町225.4928,436126.11Kurokawa DistrictTown Wakuya涌谷町82.1615,763191.86Tōda DistrictTown Watari亘理町73.633,459454.61Watari DistrictTown Yamamoto山元町64.5812,100187.36Watari DistrictTown Zaō蔵王町152.8311,79077.14Katta DistrictTown
Mergers
Economy Although Miyagi has a good deal of fishing and agriculture, producing a great deal of rice and livestock, it is dominated by the manufacturing industries around Sendai, particularly electronics, appliances, and food processing.
As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 4.7% of Japan's beasts, 23% of oysters, and 15.9% of sauries.Schreiber, Mark, "Japan's food crisis goes beyond recent panic buying ", Japan Times, 17 April 2011, p. 9.
In July 2011, the Japanese government decided to ban all shipments of beef cattle from northeast Miyagi Prefecture over fears of radioactive contamination. This has since been rescinded.
Demographics
According to Japanese census data, Miyagi prefecture experienced its greatest period of growth from 1940 to 1950 and continued to exhibit growth up until the 21st century. Nevertheless, like the majority of Japan, the population of Miyagi has begun to slowly decline. The prefectural capital of Sendai, however, has seen a moderate, but steady rise in population over the past twenty years.
Education
University Miyagi University Miyagi University of Education Miyagi Gakuin Women's University Sendai University Sendai Shirayuri Women's College Tohoku University Tohoku Gakuin University Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University Tohoku Institute of Technology Tohoku Fukushi University Tohoku Seikatsu Bunka College Tohoku Pharmaceutical University Shokei Gakuin University Ishinomaki Senshu University
Transportation
Rail JR East Tōhoku Shinkansen Tohoku Line Jōban Line Senseki Line Senzan Line Ishinomaki Line Rikuu East Line Kesennuma Line Ōfunato Line Sendai Municipal Subway Namboku Line Tōzai Line Abukuma Express Sendai Airport Line
Roads
Expressways and toll roads Tōhoku Expressway Yamagata Expressway Sanriku Expressway Sendai-Hokubu Road Sendai-Nanbu Road Sendai-Tōbu Road
National highways (Nihonbashi of Tokyo–Kasukabe–Utsunomiya–Koriyama–Sendai–Furukawa–Ichinoseki–Morioka–Towada–Aomori) (Nihonbashi of Tokyo–Mito–Iwaki–Soma–Sendai) (Sendai–Ishinomaki–Ofunato–Kamaishi–Kuji–Hachinohe–Towada) (Furukawa–Narugo–Shinjyo–Sakata) (Sendai–Yamagata)
Ports
Sendai Port – Ferry route to Tomakomai, Hokkaido and Nagoya, container hub port Ishinomaki Port – Ferry route to Mount Kinka and Tashiro Island. Matsushima Bay
Airports Sendai Airport
Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Miyagi Prefecture. Baseball Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Miyagi Baseball Stadium, Sendai) Tohoku Reia Football (soccer) Vegalta Sendai (Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai) Sony Sendai F.C. (Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai) Vegalta Sendai Ladies (Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Sendai) Basketball Sendai 89ERS (Sendai Gymnasium, Sendai) Volleyball Sendai Bellefille Futsal Voscuore Sendai Professional wrestling Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling
Also, the Sendai Hi-Land Raceway hosts motorsport road races.
Visitor attractions Sendai was the castle town of the daimyō Date Masamune. The remains of Sendai Castle stand on a hill above the city.
Miyagi Prefecture boasts one of Japan's three greatest sights. Matsushima, the pine-clad islands, dot the waters off the coast of the prefecture.
The following are also noted as attractions:
Aoba Castle Ichibanchō Akiu Hot Spring Iwai Point Kinkasan Islet Matsushima Bay
Naruko Hot Spring Rikuchu Coast Okama Crater Lake Zao Botanical Garden Zao Hot Spring
Famous festivals and events
Sendai New Year's traditional Sale on January 2 Shiroishi Kokeshi Exhibition, May 3–5 Aoba Festival, Suzume Odori traditional Japanese dance event in May Shiogama Port Festival in July Sendai Tanabata Festival, August 6–8 Sendai Pageant of Starlight in December
Popular culture Miyagi Prefecture is one of the main settings of the manga and anime series Haikyū!!. The most well-known fictional schools located there are Karasuno High School, Aoba Johsai High School, Date Tech High and Shiratorizawa Academy, as well as Sendai City Gymnasium. Another anime series Wake Up, Girls! is also set in Miyagi Prefecture. The fictional town of Morioh, featured in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable, and the reimagined Morioh Town in JoJolion, are inspired by locations in Miyagi Prefecture. Jujutsu Kaisen is also set in the Miyagi Prefecture, in the first episode of the adapted anime the camera pans across the sign "Miyagi Prefectural Sugisawa Third High School".
Notes
References Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128 Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691
External links
Miyagi Prefecture Official Website