Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県; Shizuoka-ken) is located in the Chubu region on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.
History
The prefecture was previously divided into Totomi Province, Suruga Province and Izu Province. The most noted history of the prefecture is that it was once home to the first Tokugawa Shogun. The region was held by Tokugawa Ieyasu until he conquered the lands of the Hojo clan in the Kanto region and gave his lands to a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. After becoming shogun Tokugawa took the land back for his family.
Geography
Shizuoka Prefecture is an elongated region following the coast of the Pacific Ocean. In the west, the prefecture extends deep into the Japan Alps, while further east it becomes a narrower coast bounded on the north by Mount Fuji, until it comes to the Izu Peninsula, a popular resort area pointing south into the Pacific.
Cities
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district.
Mergers
(as of Jan 20, 2006)
- On April 1, 2004 the city of Shimizu merged into the city of Shizuoka. Former city of Shimizu is co-extensive to current Ward of Shimizu.
- On April 1, 2004 the towns of Omaezaki from Haibara District and Hamaoka from Ogasa District merged to form the city of Omaezaki.
- On April 1, 2004 the towns of Amagiyugashima, Toi, Nakaizu and Shuzenji from Tagata District merged to form the new city of Izu.
- On January 17, 2005 the towns of Kikugawa and Ogasa from Ogasa District merged to form the city of Kikugawa.
- On April 1, 2005 the towns of Ohito, Izunagaoka and Nirayama from Tagata District merged to form the new city of Izunokuni.
- On April 1, 2005 the village of Kamo from Kamo District merged into the town of Nishiizu.
- On April 1, 2005 the town of Asaba from Iwata District merged into the city of Fukuroi.
- On April 1, 2005 the towns of Daito and Osuka from Ogasa District merged into the city of Kakegawa. Ogasa District was dissolved with this merger.
- On April 1, 2005 the towns of Ryuyo, Fukude, Toyoda and the village of Toyooka from Iwata District merged into the city of Iwata.
- On April 1, 2005 the village of Heda from Tagata District merged into the city of Numazu.
- On May 5, 2005 the town of Kanaya from Haibara District merged into the city of Shimada.
- On July 1, 2005 the cities of Tenryu and Hamakita and the towns of Haruno (from Shuchi District), Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi (from Inasa District), Sakuma, Misakubo and Tatsuyama (from Iwata District), Maisaka and Yuto (from Hamana District) merged into the city of Hamatsu. Inasa District and Iwata District were both dissolved with this merger.
- On September 20, 2005 the towns of Nakakawane and Honkawane from Haibara District merged to form the new town of Kawanehon.
- On October 11, 2005 the towns of Sagara and Haibara from Haibara District merged to form the new city of Makinohara.
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shizuoka_Prefecture under GFDL
