is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Shimane Province" in ; "Chūgoku" at Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguchi Prefecture to the southwest, Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and Tottori Prefecture to the east.
Matsue is the capital and largest city of Shimane Prefecture, with other major cities including Izumo, Hamada, and Masuda.Nussbaum, "Matsue" at Shimane Prefecture contains the majority of the Lake Shinji-Nakaumi metropolitan area centered on Matsue, and with a population of approximately 600,000 is Japan's third-largest metropolitan area on the Sea of Japan coast after Niigata and Greater Kanazawa. Shimane Prefecture is bounded by the Sea of Japan coastline on the north, where two-thirds of the population live, and the Chūgoku Mountains on the south. Shimane Prefecture governs the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan which juridically includes the disputed Liancourt Rocks (竹島, Takeshima). Shimane Prefecture is home to Izumo-taisha, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, and the Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle.
History
Early history
The history of Shimane starts with Japanese mythology. The Shinto god Ōkuninushi was believed to live in Izumo, an old province in Shimane. Izumo Shrine, which is in the city of Izumo, honors the god. At that time, the current Shimane prefecture was divided into three parts: Iwami, Izumo, and Oki.Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at That lasted until the abolition of the han system took place in 1871. During the Nara period, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro wrote a poem on Shimane's nature when he was sent as the Royal governor.Shimane Prefecture introduction
Later on in the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the Kamakura shogunate forced emperors Go-Toba and Godaigo into exile in Oki. Emperor Go-Daigo later escaped from Oki and began rallying supporters against the shogunate, which proved successful.
Middle Ages
During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), Izumo and Oki were controlled by the Kyōgoku clan. However, after the Ōnin War, the Amago clan expanded power based in Gassantoda Castle and the Masuda clan dominated Iwami Province. The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was located between Amago territory and Masuda territory, and there were many battles between the clans for the silver. In 1566 Mōri Motonari conquered Izumo, Iwami, and Oki. In 1600, after over 30 years of Mori control, Horio Yoshiharu entered Izumo and Oki as the result of Battle of Sekigahara, which Mori lost. Following the change, Horio Yoshiharu decided to move to build Matsue Castle instead of Gassan-Toda, and soon after Yoshiharu's death the castle was completed. In 1638, the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu became the ruler because the Horio clan had no heir, and his family ruled until the abolition of the han system.
The Iwami area was split into three regions: the mining district, under the direct control of the Shogunate, the Hamada clan region, and the Tsuwano clan region. The Iwami Ginzan, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, produced silver and was one of the nation's largest silver mines by the early 17th century. The Hamada clan was on the shogunate's side in the Meiji Restoration, and the castle was burned down. The Tsuwano clan, despite then being ruled by the Matsudaira, was on the emperor's side in the restoration.History of Shimane Prefecture
Modern age In 1871, the abolition of the han system placed the old Shimane and Hamada Provinces in the current area of Shimane Prefecture. Later that year, Oki became part of Tottori. In 1876, Hamada Prefecture was merged into Shimane Prefecture. Also, Tottori Prefecture was added in the same year. However, five years later, in 1881, the current portion of Tottori Prefecture was separated and the current border was formed.
Geography Shimane Prefecture is situated on the Sea of Japan side of the Chūgoku region. Because of its mountainous landscape, rice farming is done mostly in the Izumo plain where the city of Izumo is located. Another major landform is the Shimane peninsula. The peninsula is located across the Sea of Japan from Izumo to Sakaiminato, which is located in Tottori prefecture. Also, the peninsula created two brackish lakes, Lake Shinji and Nakaumi. The island of Daikon is located in Nakaumi. Off the main island of Honshū, the island of Oki belongs to Shimane prefecture as well. The island itself is in the Daisen-Oki National Park. Shimane also claims the use of Liancourt Rocks, over which they are in dispute with South Korea.Liancourt Rocks
As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Daisen-Oki National Park; Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and eleven Prefectural Natural Parks.
Most major cities are located either on the seaside, or along a river.
Cities
Eight cities are located in Shimane Prefecture, the largest in population being Matsue, the capital, and the smallest being Gōtsu. The cities Masuda, Unnan, Yasugi, and Gōtsu had a slight population increase due to the mergers in the early 2000s. NameArea (km2)PopulationMapRōmajiKanji Gōtsu江津市268.5124,009 Hamada浜田市689.657,142 Izumo出雲市624.36172,039 Masuda益田市733.1646,892 Matsue (capital)松江市572.99202,008 Ōda大田市436.1134,354 Unnan雲南市553.438,281 Yasugi安来市420.9738,875
Towns and villages These are the towns and villages of each district. The number of towns and villages greatly decreased during the mergers. However, they hold about one-third of the prefecture's population. NameArea (km2)PopulationDistrictTypeMapRōmajiKanji Ama海士町33.52,293Oki DistrictTown Chibu知夫村13.7657Oki DistrictVillage Iinan飯南町242.844,908Iishi DistrictTown Kawamoto川本町106.393,331Ōchi DistrictTown Misato美郷町282.924,712Ōchi DistrictTown Nishinoshima西ノ島町55.982,923Oki DistrictTown Okinoshima隠岐の島町242.9714,422Oki DistrictTown Okuizumo奥出雲町368.0612,655Nita DistrictTown Ōnan邑南町419.2910,922Ōchi DistrictTown Tsuwano津和野町307.097,478Kanoashi DistrictTown Yoshika吉賀町336.296,231Kanoashi DistrictTown
Mergers
+ April 1976 January 2011 January 2012 Izumo Region Matsue City (Old System) Matsue City (New System) Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) Yatsuka District Kashima Town Shimane Town Mihonoseki Town Yakumo Village Tamayu Town Shinji Town Yatsuka Town Higashiizumo Town Yasugi City (Old System) Yasugi City (New System) Yasugi City Nogi District Hirose Town Hakuta Town Nita District Yokota Town Okuizumo Town Nita Town Izumo City (Old System) Izumo City (New System) Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) Hirata City Hikawa District Taisha Town Koryo Town Taki Town Sada Town Hikawa Town Ōhara District Daitō Town Unnan City Kamo Town Kisuki Town Iishi District Mitoya Town Kakeya Town Yoshida Village Tonbara Town Iinan Town Akagi Town Iwami Region Ōda City (Old System) Ōda City (New System) Ōda City Nima District Yunotsu Town Nima Town Gōtsu City (Old System) Gōtsu City (New System) Gōtsu City Ōchi District Sakurae Town Ōchi Town Misato Town Daiwa Village Iwami Town Ōnan Town Mizuho Town Hasumi Village Kawamoto Town Hamada City (Old System) Hamada City (New System) Hamada City Naka District Asahi Town Kanagi Town Misumi Town Yasaka Village Masuda City (Old System) Masuda City (New System) Masuda City Mino District Mito Town Hikimi Town Kanoashi District Tsuwano Town (Old System) Tsuwano Town (New System) Tsuwano Town Nichihara Town Muikaichi Town Yoshika Town Kakinoki Village Oki Region Oki District Saigō Town Okinoshima Town Fuse Village Goka Village Tsuma Village Nishinoshima Town Ama Town Chibu Village
Climate
Shimane prefecture has a sub-tropical climate. Winter is cloudy with a little snow, and summer is humid. The average annual temperature is . It rains almost every day in the rainy season, from June to mid-July. The highest average monthly temperature occurs in August with . The average annual precipitation is , higher than Tokyo's and Obihiro with .
+ Shimane Prefecture Yearly Averages by Region (Statistics Period: 1971 - 2000, Source: Japanese Meteorological Agency: Statistical Climate Information) Average Year (Month)OkiIzumo (Coastal)Izumo (Inland) OkinoshimaSaigo OkinoshimaSaigo Cape Ama MatsueKashima Matsue Hikawa Izumo OkuizumoYokota UnnanKakeya IinanAkana AverageTemperature(°C)Warmest Month 25.6(Aug) 25.8(Aug) 25.6(Aug) 26.3(Aug) 25.8(Aug) 24.0(Aug) 24.5(Aug) 23.4(Aug)Coldest Month 3.9(Feb) 4.5(Feb) 4.4(Feb) 4.2(Jan) 4.5(Feb) 0.7(Feb) 2.3(Feb) 0.4(Jan, Feb)Rainfall(mm)Heaviest Month 211.6(Sept) 227.0(July) 218.0(Sept) 240.5(July) 236.2(July) 234.2(July) 257.1(July) 282.2(July) Driest Month 110.4(Oct) 96.4(Feb) 104.7(April) 114.5(April) 96.3(Feb) 103.4(April) 120.7(April) 116.5(Oct) Average Year (Month)Iwami (Coastal)Iwami (Inland) Ōda Hamada Masuda Masuda CityTakatsu Kawamoto Ōnan Hamada CityYasaka Tsuwano Yoshika YoshikaMuikaichi AverageTemperature(°C)Warmest Month 26.5(Aug) 26.2(Aug) 26.8(Aug) 24.2(Aug) 23.9(Aug) 23.6(Aug) 25.7(Aug) 24.5(Aug)Coldest Month 4.9(Jan, Feb) 5.8(Feb) 5.4(Jan, Feb) 2.7(Jan) 0.8(Jan) 1.5(Jan) 3.0(Jan) 1.9(Jan)Rainfall(mm)Heaviest Month 246.3(July) 257.7(July) 223.9(June) 260.2(July) 260.6(July) 340.0(July) 285.6(July) 337.4(June)Driest Month 98.3(Feb) 90.9(Feb) 87.9(Feb) 112.5(Feb) 109.2(Nov) 130.4(April) 99.7(Dec) 76.8(Dec)
Transportation
Airports
Three airports serve Shimane. The Izumo Airport located in Izumo is the largest airport in the prefecture in terms of passengers and has regular flights to Haneda Airport, Osaka Airport, Fukuoka Airport, and Oki Airport. The Iwami Airport has two flights each day to Haneda and Osaka and 2 arrivals. Oki Airport has scheduled flights to Osaka and Izumo Airports.Flight schedule of Oki Airport
Izumo Airport Iwami Airport Oki Airport
Rail JR West and Ichibata Electric Railway serves the prefecture in terms of rail transportation. The Sanin Main Line goes through the prefecture on the Sea of Japan side into major cities such as Matsue and Izumo.Route map for JR West and stations are the major stops in the prefecture. The Kisuki line, which forks from Shinji Station on the Sanin Line, connects with the Geibi Line in Hiroshima Prefecture, cutting into the Chūgoku Mountains. Ichibata Electric Railway serve the Shimane peninsula from Dentetsu-Izumoshi Station and Izumo Taisha-mae Station to Matsue Shinjiko-Onsen Station.
JR West has three Limited Express trains to Shimane, which are Super Matsukaze, Super Oki, and Yakumo.JR West website on limited express trains Additionally, the overnight limited express Sunrise Izumo operates daily between Tokyo and Izumoshi.
West Japan Railway Company Kisuki Line Sanin Main Line Sankō Line Yamaguchi Line Ichibata Electric Railway Kita-Matsue Line Taisha Line
Roads
General roads Japan National Route 9 Izumo Bypass Gōtsu Road Japan National Route 54 Japan National Route 180 Japan National Route 184 Japan National Route 186 Japan National Route 187 Japan National Route 191 Japan National Route 261 Japan National Route 314 Japan National Route 375 Japan National Route 431 Japan National Route 432 Japan National Route 485 Japan National Route 488
Highways The four expressways in the prefecture connect major cities with other prefectures. The Matsue expressway connects Matsue with Unnan and Yonago in Tottori prefecture. Hamada Expressway forks from the Chūgoku Expressway at Kita-Hiroshima and stretches to Hamada.
Sanin Expressway Matsue Expressway Hamada Expressway Chūgoku Expressway
Ferries Oki Kisen
Gallery
Economy In Shimane, the largest employer is the retail industry, employing over 60,000 workers. The supermarket, Mishimaya, and the hardware store, Juntendo, are examples of companies based in Shimane. The manufacturing industry has the second highest number of employees with 49,000 workers.
Companies based in Shimane