| Iwate Prefecture |
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is located in the Tohoku Region on Honshū Island , Japan . The capital is Morioka . HISTORY Iwate was historically part of Mutsu Province . It was only brought into the empire around 800 . In the Jōmon period it was an area abundant in fishing and hunting. There were also Emishi settlements in the Kitakami Basin until the end of the eighth century when the Nara authorities penetrated deeply into Iwate, with Fort Shiwa, to the north of present day Morioka , constructed in 803. GEOGRAPHY Iwate faces the Pacific Ocean to the east, and borders Aomori Prefecture on the north, Akita Prefecture on the west, and Miyagi Prefecture on the south. The prefecture has mountains in the west, north and east, with the valley of the Kitakami River running from north to south through the center of the province and including the capital. The coast is very rugged, with little in between the mountains and the sea. Cities Thirteen cities are located in Iwate Prefecture: Towns and villages Towns and villages in each District : Mergers See Also: Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan
ECONOMY Iwate's industry is concentrated around Morioka and specializes in semconductor and communication manufacturing. DEMOGRAPHICS CULTURE Of the several theories about the origin of the name ‘Iwate’, the most well known tale, 'Oni no tegata,' is that associated with Mitsuishi Shrine in Morioka. (The Mitsuishi, literally ‘three rocks’, are said to have been thrown down into Morioka by an eruption of Mt Iwate.) According to the legend, there was once a devil who often tormented and harassed the local people. When the people prayed to the spirits of Mitsuishi for protection, the devil was immediately shackled to the rocks and made to promise never to trouble the people again. As a sign of this promise the devil left a handprint on one of the rocks, thus giving rise to the name Iwate, literally meaning ‘rock hand’. Even now after a rainfall it is said that the devil’s hand print can still be seen. Poet and author Kenji Miyazawa was born in Iwate and lived much of his life there. Bashō Bashō visited and wrote about Iwate in the journey described in Oku No Hosomichi . Hiraizumi in particular inspired him. TOURISM PREFECTURAL SYMBOLS REFERENCES
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