Wakayama Prefecture

History

Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.

1953 flood disaster

Main article: 1953 Wakayama flood

On July 17–18, 1953, a torrential heavy rain occurred, followed by collapse of levees, river flooding and landslides in a wide area. Many bridges and houses were destroyed. According to an officially confirmed report by the Government of Japan, 1,015 people died, with 5,709 injured and 7,115 houses lost.

Geography

As of 31 March 2020, 13 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Setonaikai and Yoshino-Kumano National Parks; Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen and Kōya-Ryūjin Quasi-National Parks; and Enju Kaigan, Hatenashi Sanmyaku, Hikigawa, Jōgamori Hokodai, Kōyasanchō Ishimichi-Tamagawakyō, Kozagawa, Nishiarida, Oishi Kōgen, Ōtōsan, Ryūmonzan, Shiramisan-Wadagawakyō, and Shirasaki Kaigan Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Nine cities are in Wakayama Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Wakayama Prefecture

Demographics

Since 1996, population of Wakayama Prefecture has kept declining, and since 2010, it has been the only prefecture in Kansai region with population below 1,000,000. In 2017, Wakayama is ranked 40th by population in Japan with a population of 944,320. In the 2020 census, close to 32% of the population was over 65 years of age - the highest percentage in Japan and one of the highest for national subdivisions worldwide.

Politics

Governor Shūhei Kishimoto was elected on 27 November 2022.

Prefectural assembly

List of governors of Wakayama

State-appointed governors:

• Masaomi Tsuda (津田正臣): from 25 November 1871 to 25 January 1872
• Hidetomo Kitajima (北島秀朝): from 25 January 1872 to 13 October 1873
• Kunikiyo Kōyama (神山郡廉): from 13 October 1873 to 20 October 1873
• Kanae Matsumoto (松本鼎): from 20 October 1873 to 26 December 1889
• Tadaakira Ishii (石井忠亮): from 26 December 1889 to 9 April 1891
• Sadaaki Senda (千田貞暁): from 9 April 1891 to 15 January 1892
• Morikata Oki (沖守固): from 15 January 1892 to 7 April 1897
• Kan'ichi Kubota (久保田貫一): from 7 April 1897 to 8 October 1898
• Masaaki Nomura (野村政明): from 8 October 1898 to 7 April 1899
• Hisashi Ogura (小倉久): from 7 April 1899 to 25 October 1900
• Shin'ichirō Tsubaki (椿蓁一郎): from 25 October 1900 to 29 June 1903
• Ienori Kiyosu (清棲家教): from 29 June 1903 to 11 January 1907
• Takio Izawa (伊沢多喜男): from 11 January 1907 to 30 July 1909
• Chikaharu Kawakami (川上親晴): from 30 July 1909 to 4 September 1911
• Takeji Kawamura (川村竹治): from 4 September 1911 to 9 June 1914
• Kogorō Kanokogi (鹿子木小五郎): from June 1914 to 17 December 1917
• Tokikazu Ikematsu (池松時和): from 17 December 1917 to 3 February 1920
• Shinzō Obara (小原新三): from 3 February 1920 to 6 June 1923
• Yoshibumi Satake (佐竹義文): from 6 June 1923 to 24 June 1924
• Kyūichi Hasegawa (長谷川久一): from 24 June 1924 to 22 March 1927
• Tokutarō Shimizu (清水徳太郎): from 22 March 1927 to 17 May 1927
• Umekichi Miyawaki (宮脇梅吉): from 17 May 1927 to 17 November 1927
• Taeru Node (野手耐): from 17 November 1927 to 5 July 1929
• Senzō Tomobe (友部泉蔵): from 5 July 1929 to 26 August 1930
• Toshikatsu Kurahara (蔵原敏捷): from 26 August 1930 to 18 December 1931
• Toshiki Karasawa (唐沢俊樹): from 18 December 1931 to 28 July 1932
• Ryōsaku Shimizu (清水良策): from 28 July 1932 to 10 November 1934
• Nagakazu Fujioka (藤岡長和): from 10 November 1934 to 22 April 1936
• Tokiji Yoshinaga (吉永時次): from 22 April 1936 to 11 January 1939
• Shigeo Shimizu (清水重夫): from 11 January 1939 to 15 October 1940
• Jirō Imamatsu (今松治): from 15 October 1940 to 20 October 1941
• Seizō Hirose (広瀬永造): from 20 October 1941 to 1 August 1944
• Chiaki Kobayashi (小林千秋): from 1 August 1944 to 27 October 1945
• Uichirō Koike (小池卯一郎): from 27 October 1945 to 25 January 1946
• Masao Kanai (金井正夫): from 25 January 1946 to 8 July 1946
• Wakichi Kawakami (川上和吉): from 8 July 1946 to 28 February 1947
• Yoshimaro Takahashi (高橋良麿): from 28 February 1947 to 15 April 1947 Publicly elected governors:
• Shinji Ono (小野真次): from 19 April 1947 to 22 April 1967
• Masao Ohashi (大橋正雄): from 23 April 1967 to 4 October 1975
• Shiro Kariya (仮谷志良): from 23 November 1975 to 22 November 1995
• Isamu Nishiguchi (西口勇): from 23 November 1995 to 13 July 2000
• Yoshiki Kimura (木村良樹): from 3 September 2000 to 2 December 2006
• Yoshinobu Nisaka (仁坂吉伸): from 17 December 2006 to 16 December 2022
• Shūhei Kishimoto (岸本周平): from 17 December 2022 to 15 April 2025
• Izumi Miyazaki (宮崎泉): from 15 April 2025 to present

Culture

Mount Kōya in the Ito District is the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is home to one of the first Japanese style Buddhist temples in Japan and remains a pilgrimage site and an increasingly popular tourist destination as people flock to see its ancient temples set amidst the towering cedar trees at the top of the mountain. The Sacred sites and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountain Range extend for miles throughout the prefecture and together have been recognized as Japan's 11th UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Kumano Shrines are on the southern tip of the prefecture. Tomogashima (a cluster of four islands) is part of the prefecture.

Agriculture

Orange

Wakayama Prefecture ranks first in the production of oranges in Japan. Wakayama has its own brand of oranges, which is produced in Arida District and called 'Arida-Orange'. Arida District, where oranges have been produced for more than 400 years, yields about half of the orange crops in Wakayama today. Furthermore, the yield of Arida-Oranges accounts for about 10 percent of Japanese domestic production of oranges.

Chinese flowering plum (Ume)

According to the survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Wakayama stands first in the production of Chinese flowering plum, or ume in Japanese, in Japan. As of 2016, Wakayama made up about 70 percent of Japanese domestic production of ume.

International relations

Wakayama Prefecture has friendship and sister relationships with six places outside Japan:

• USA Florida, United States
• SPA Galicia, Spain
• FRA Pyrénées-Orientales, France
• PRC Shandong, People's Republic of China
• PRC Sichuan, People's Republic of China
• MEX Sinaloa, Mexico

Tourism

Wakayama Prefecture has hot springs such as Nanki-Shirahama Onsen, , and Yunomine Onsen.

File:Saikazaki Wakaura01bs4272.jpg|Saikazaki, Wakanoura File:Wakayama castle02s3200.jpg|Wakayama Castle File:121013 The museum of modern art, wakayama01s3.jpg|The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama File:KonponDaido.jpg|Konpon Daido (Mount Kōya) File:Chohoji03s3200.jpg|Chōhō-ji File:Onsen in Nachikatsuura, Japan.jpg|Nanki-Katsuura Onsen File:NachiNoTaki.jpg|Nachi Falls File:Daimonzaka28-640.jpg|Daimonzaka (Kumano Kodō)

Transportation

Rail

• JR Central
  • Kisei Line
• JR West
  • Hanwa Line
  • Kinokuni Line
  • Wakayama Line
• Kishu Railway
• Nankai
  • Kada Line
  • Koya Line
  • Nankai Line
• Wakayama Electric Railway

Road

Expressway

• Hanwa Expressway
• Keinawa Expressway
• Nachi Katsuura Road
• Yuasa Gobo Road

National highways

• Route 24
• Route 26
• Route 42
• Route 168 (Shingu-Gojo-Ikoma-Hirakata)
• Route 169 (Shingu-Kumano-Kawakami-Yoshino-Asuka-Kashihara-Nara)
• Route 311 (Kamitonda-Tanabe-Shingu-kumano-Owase)
• Route 370 (Kainan-Hashimoto-Gojo-Uda-Nara)
• Route 371 (Kawachinagano-Hashimoto-Koya-Kushimoto)
• Route 424

Ferry

• Wakayama-Tokushima

Airport

• Nanki Shirahama Airport

However, Kansai International Airport in neighbouring Osaka Prefecture is also used by air travellers from the prefecture which more domestic and international destinations.

Education

Universities

• Kinki University
• Koyasan University
• Wakayama Medical University
• Wakayama University

Notes

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128

References

1. "2020年度国民経済計算（2015年基準・2008SNA） : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府".
2. NHK Publishing. (24 May 2016)
3. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Wakayama prefecture" in {{Google books. p2QnPijAEmEC. ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 1026. p2QnPijAEmEC. p. 477
4. Nussbaum, "Wakayama" in {{Google books. p2QnPijAEmEC. p. 1025
5. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in {{Google books. p2QnPijAEmEC. p. 780
6. "南紀豪雨 昭和28年（1953年） ７月16日～７月25日".
7. "紀州大水害 ｜日本の災害について｜携帯メール連絡網のマ・メール".
8. NHK. "1953年 南紀豪雨｜災害｜NHKアーカイブス".
9. link. [[Ministry of the Environment (Japan). Ministry of the Environment]]. (31 March 2020)
10. 2020 population census of Japan. https://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/2020/summary.html
11. (28 November 2022). "Kishimoto Wins 1st Term as Governor of Japan's Wakayama Pref.". 時事通信ニュース.
12. (17 May 2023). "和歌山県議会会派名簿".
13. [https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/jp UNESCO.org]
14. [http://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/070300/syokuiku1/tisantisyo/syun/mikan.html 今月の旬] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-09-26 Wakayama Prefecture website, accessed May 31, 2017)
15. [http://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/000200/photomuseum/139.html 農林水産　特産品] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-06-22 Wakayama Prefecture website, accessed May 31, 2017)
16. [http://www.ja-arida.or.jp/orange/mikan06.php 有田みかんについて]　JA Arida website, accessed May 31, 2017
17. [http://www.maff.go.jp/j/tokei/kouhyou/sakumotu/sakkyou_kazyu/index.html 作況調査（果樹）：　農林水産省] The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website, accessed June 1, 2017
18. [http://www.pref.wakayama.lg.jp/prefg/022100/kokusaikouryu/yuko.html 友好・姉妹提携] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-06-11 Wakayama Prefecture website, retrieved May 16, 2008)