Hyōgo Prefecture

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This article is about the prefecture. For the ward in the city of Kobe, see Hyōgo-ku, Kobe.

Hyōgo Prefecture

兵庫県

Prefecture

Japanese transcription(s)

• Japanese 兵庫県

• Rōmaji Hyōgo-ken

Flag of Hyōgo Prefecture

Flag

Official logo of Hyōgo Prefecture

Symbol

Location of Hyōgo Prefecture

Coordinates: 34°41′26.94″N 135°10′59.08″ECoordinates: 34°41′26.94″N 135°10′59.08″E

Country Japan

Region Kansai

Island Honshu

Capital Kobe

Subdivisions Districts: 8, Municipalities: 41

Government

• Governor Motohiko Saitō (from August 2021)

Area

• Total 8,400.94 km2 (3,243.62 sq mi)

Area rank 12th

Population (1 June 2019)

• Total 5,469,762

• Rank 7th

• Density 650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)

ISO 3166 code JP-28

Website web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp/fl/english/

Symbols

Bird Oriental white stork (Ciconia boyciana)

Flower Nojigiku (Chrysanthemum japonense)

Tree Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)

Himeji Castle in Himeji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県, Hyōgo-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu.
[1] Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 (as of 1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of
8,400 square kilometres (3,200 sq mi). Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka
Prefecture to the southeast, and Okayama Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture to the west.

Kōbe is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and the seventh-largest city in Japan, with other
major cities including Himeji, Nishinomiya, and Amagasaki.[2] Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches
from the Sea of Japan to the Seto Inland Sea, where Awaji Island and a small archipelago of islands
belonging to the prefecture are located. Hyōgo Prefecture is a major economic center, transportation
hub, and tourist destination in western Japan, with 20% of the prefecture's land area designated as
Natural Parks. Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area, the second-most-
populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive
regions by GDP.

Contents

1 History
2 Geography

2.1 Current municipalities

2.2 Islands

2.3 National parks

2.4 Mergers

2.5 Future mergers

3 Economy

4 Culture

4.1 National Treasures of Japan

4.2 Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

4.3 Museums

5 Education

5.1 Universities

5.1.1 Amagasaki

5.1.2 Takarazuka

5.1.3 Sanda

5.1.4 Nishinomiya

5.1.5 Ashiya

5.1.6 Kobe

5.1.7 Kato

5.1.8 Akashi

5.1.9 Kakogawa

5.1.10 Himeji

5.1.11 Akō

5.2 High schools

6 Sports

7 Tourism

8 Festival and events

9 Transportation

9.1 Rail

9.2 People movers

9.3 Road

9.3.1 Expressways

9.3.2 National highways

9.4 Ports

9.5 Airport

10 Notable people

11 Sister regions

12 See also

13 Citations

14 General references

15 External links

History

Map of Hyogo Prefecture with former provincial boundaries and current prefectural offices.

1.□Kobe city (divided between Harima and Settsu)

2.■Settsu (Hanshin South office)

3.■Settsu (Hanshin North office)

4.■Harima East office

5.■Harima North office

6.■Harima Central office

7.■Harima West office

9.■Tanba office

8.■Tajima office

10.■Awaji office

Areas beyond Harima West belonged to Mimasaka (north) and Bizen (south)

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of
Tanba and Settsu.[3]

In 1180, near the end of the Heian period, Emperor Antoku, Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court
moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months.

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in the city of Himeji.

Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995,
which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as Takarazuka and neighboring Osaka
Prefecture, killing nearly 6,500 people. In 2020 Hyōgo became one of the worst affected prefectures for
the COVID-19 virus in Western Japan.

Geography

Kobe

Takarazuka

Sumoto
Tatsuno

Shiso

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a.

1890 1,551,367 —

1903 1,833,957 +1.30%

1913 2,143,791 +1.57%

1920 2,301,799 +1.02%

1925 2,454,679 +1.29%

1930 2,646,301 +1.51%

1935 2,923,249 +2.01%

1940 3,221,232 +1.96%

1945 2,821,892 −2.61%

1950 3,309,935 +3.24%

1955 3,620,947 +1.81%

1960 3,906,487 +1.53%

1965 4,309,944 +1.99%

1970 4,667,928 +1.61%

1975 4,992,140 +1.35%

1980 5,144,892 +0.60%

1985 5,278,050 +0.51%

1990 5,405,040 +0.48%

1995 5,401,877 −0.01%

2000 5,550,574 +0.54%

2005 5,590,601 +0.14%

2010 5,588,133 −0.01%

2015 5,536,989 −0.18%

source:[4]

Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan, to the south, the Seto Inland Sea. On
Awaji Island, Hyōgo borders the Pacific Ocean coastline in the Kii Channel. The northern portion is
sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, and the central highlands are only populated by tiny
villages. Most of Hyōgo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto
metropolitan area. Awaji is an island that separates the Inland Sea and Osaka Bay, lying between
Honshu and Shikoku.

Summertime weather throughout Hyōgo is hot and humid. As for winter conditions in Hyōgo, the north
of Hyōgo tends to receive abundant snow, whilst the south receives only the occasional flurry.

Hyōgo borders on Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture.

As of 31 March 2008, 20% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks,
namely the Sanin Kaigan and Setonaikai National Parks; Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National
Park; and Asago Gunzan, Harima Chūbu Kyūryō, Inagawa Keikoku, Izushi-Itoi, Kasagatayama-Sengamine,
Kiyomizu-Tōjōko-Tachikui, Onzui-Chikusa, Seiban Kyūryō, Seppiko-Mineyama, Tajima Sangaku, and Taki
Renzan Prefectural Natural Parks.[5]

Current municipalities

Hyōgo Prefecture is located in Hyogo PrefectureAioi 相生市

Aioi

相生市

Akashi 明石市

Akashi

明石市

Akō 赤穂市
Akō

赤穂市

Amagasaki 尼崎市

Amagasaki

尼崎市

Asago 朝来市

Asago

朝来市

Ashiya 芦屋市

Ashiya

芦屋市

Awaji 淡路市

Awaji

淡路市

Himeji 姫路市

Himeji

姫路市

Itami 伊丹市

Itami

伊丹市

Kakogawa 加古川市

Kakogawa

加古川市

Kasai 加西市

Kasai

加西市
Katō 加東市

Katō

加東市

Kawanishi 川西市

Kawanishi

川西市

Kobe (capital)神戸市

Kobe (capital)

神戸市

Miki 三木市

Miki

三木市

Minamiawaji 南あわじ市

Minamiawaji

南あわじ市

Nishinomiya 西宮市

Nishinomiya

西宮市

Nishiwaki 西脇市

Nishiwaki

西脇市

Ono 小野市

Ono

小野市

Sanda 三田市

Sanda
三田市

Shisō 宍粟市

Shisō

宍粟市

Sumoto 洲本市

Sumoto

洲本市

Takarazuka 宝塚市

Takarazuka

宝塚市

Takasago 高砂市

Takasago

高砂市

Tamba-Sasayama 丹波篠山市

Tamba-Sasayama

丹波篠山市

Tanba 丹波市

Tanba

丹波市

Tatsuno たつの市

Tatsuno

たつの市

Toyooka 豊岡市

Toyooka

豊岡市

Yabu 養父市
Yabu

養父市

Fukusaki 福崎町

Fukusaki

福崎町

Harima 播磨町

Harima

播磨町

Ichikawa 市川町

Ichikawa

市川町

Inagawa 猪名川町

Inagawa

猪名川町

Inami 稲美町

Inami

稲美町

Kami 香美町

Kami

香美町

Kamigōri 上郡町

Kamigōri

上郡町

Kamikawa 神河町

Kamikawa

神河町
Sayō 佐用町

Sayō

佐用町

Shin'onsen 新温泉町

Shin'onsen

新温泉町

Taishi 太子町

Taishi

太子町

Taka 多可町

Taka

多可町

Municipalities in Hyōgo Prefecture Government Ordinance Designated City City Town

Islands

Awaji Island

Ieshima Islands

Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture:

Rokkō Island

Port Island

National parks

Sanin Kaigan National Park

Setonaikai National Park

Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park

Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park (Mt. Hyonosen view from Yabu)

Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Quasi-National Park (Torokawataira in Kami)

Sanin Kaigan National Park (Takeno Beach in Toyooka)

Sanin Kaigan National Park (Tajima-mihonoura of Sanin Coast in Shinonsen)

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Hyōgo Prefecture

Future mergers

The city of Akō and the only town in Akō District (Kamigōri), were scheduled to merge and the city
would still retain the name Akō. Akō District would be defunct if the merger was successful.[6] However,
the merger hasn't taken place.

Economy

As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy of
Hyogo Prefecture.[7] Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and
medical, Kobe Port being one of the largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's
fastest supercomputers,[8] and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear
weapons (a nuclear-free zone) since the year 1975.
Hyōgo is a part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. There are two research institutes of Riken, natural
sciences research institute in Japan, in Kobe and Harima. "SPring-8", a synchrotron radiation facility, is in
Harima.

Kobe Port

Culture

National Treasures of Japan

Himeji Castle in Himeji (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Jōdo-ji in Ono

Ichijō-ji in Kasai

Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa

Taisan-ji in Kobe

Chōkō-ji in Katō

Chorakuji in Kami, Hyōgo (Mikata)

Jōdo-ji in Ono

Ichijo-ji in Kasai

Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa
Chorakuji-daibutsu

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri

Izushi

Sasayama

Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri

Izushi

Sasayama

Museums

Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art in Nada Ward, Kobe.

Kobe City Museum in Chuo Ward, Kobe.

Kobe Maritime Museum in Chuo Ward, Kobe.

KOSETSU Museum of Art in Higashinada Ward, Kobe.

Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum in Higashinada Ward, Kobe.

Himeji City Museum of Art in Himeji.

Asago Art Village in Asago.

Ashiya City Museum of Art & History in Ashiya.

TEKISUI MUSEUM OF ART in Ashiya.

Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka.

Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art in Kobe.

Kobe City Museum in Kobe.

KOSETSU Museum of Art in Kobe.

Himeji City Museum of Art in Himeji.

Asago Art Village in Asago.

Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka.

Education

Universities

Amagasaki

Sonoda Women's University

St. Thomas University (ex-Eichi University) – closed in 2015

Takarazuka

Takarazuka University

Koshien University

Sanda

Kwansei Gakuin University (Sanda Campus)

Nishinomiya

Kobe College

Kwansei Gakuin University

Otemae University

Mukogawa Women's University

Ashiya

Ashiya University

Kobe

Kobe University

Kobe University of Commerce

Kobe Gakuin University

Kobe City University of Foreign Studies

Kobe Women's University

Kobe Shukugawa Gakuin University

Kobe Institute of Computing

Konan University

University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences

University of Hyogo

Kato

Hyogo University of Teacher Education

Akashi

University of Hyogo

Kakogawa

Hyogo University

Himeji

Himeji Institute of Technology

Himeji Dokkyo University

Himeji Kinki University

University of Hyogo