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Ibaraki Prefecture

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(Redirected from Ibaraki Pref.)
Ibaraki Prefecture
茨城県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese茨城県
 • RōmajiIbaraki-ken
Suigō Itako Iris Garden
Flag of Ibaraki Prefecture
Flag
Official logo of Ibaraki Prefecture
Symbol
Anthem: Ibaraki kenmin no uta [ja]
Location of Ibaraki Prefecture
Country Japan
IslandHonshu
RegionKantō
PrefectureIbaraki
CapitalMito
SubdivisionsDistricts: 7, Municipalities: 44
Government
 • GovernorKazuhiko Ōigawa
Area
 • Total
6,097.19 km2 (2,354.14 sq mi)
 • Rank24th
Population
 (November 1, 2025)
 • Total
2,791,231
 • Rank11th
 • Density457.790/km2 (1,185.67/sq mi)
 • Dialect
Ibaraki dialect
GDP
[2]
 • TotalJP¥ 14,586 billion
US$ 107.7 billion (2022)
ISO 3166 codeJP-08
Websitewww.pref.ibaraki.jp
Symbols of Ibaraki Prefecture
BirdEurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
FlowerRose (Rosa)
TreeUme tree (Prunus mume)
Ibaraki Prefectural Office and Headquarters in Mito

Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken; Japanese pronunciation: [i.baꜜ.ɾa.kʲi, i.ba.ɾa.kʲi̥ꜜ.keɴ, i.ba.ɾaꜜ.kʲi̥.keɴ][3]) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu.[4] Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,097.19 square kilometres (2,354.14 square miles). Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Tochigi Prefecture to the northwest, Saitama Prefecture to the southwest, Chiba Prefecture to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Mito, the capital, is the largest city in Ibaraki Prefecture. Other major cities include Tsukuba, Hitachi, and Hitachinaka.[5] Ibaraki Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast to the northeast of Tokyo, and is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Ibaraki Prefecture features Lake Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan; the Tone River, Japan's second-longest river and largest drainage basin; and Mount Tsukuba, one of the most famous mountains in Japan. Ibaraki Prefecture is also home to Kairaku-en, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and is an important center for the martial art of Aikido.

History

[edit]

Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province. In 1871, the name of the province became Ibaraki, and in 1875 it became its current size, by annexing some districts belonging to the extinct Shimōsa Province.

Kamitakatsu Shell Mound in Tsuchiura

Paleolithic

[edit]

In the Japanese Paleolithic, humans are believed to have started living in the present-day prefecture area before and after the deposition of the volcanic ash layer from the Aira Caldera about 24,000 years ago. At the bottom of this layer are local tools of polished stone and burnt pebbles.

Asuka period

[edit]

During the Asuka period the provinces of Hitachi and Fusa were created. Later Fusa was divided, among them, the Shimōsa Province.

Muromachi period

[edit]

At the beginning of the Muromachi period, in the 14th century, Kitabatake Chikafusa made of the Oda Castle his field headquarters for over a year, and wrote the Jinnō Shōtōki (Chronicles of the Authentic Lineages of the Divine Emperors), while he was at castle.

Lake Kasumigaura in Ushibori Village (Hitachi Province), Mount Fuji in the background; 19th century of the Edo period. Hokusai, painter and printmaker

Edo period

[edit]

During the Edo period, one of the three houses or clans originating from Tokugawa Ieyasu (Gosanke 御 三家, three houses), settled in the Mito Domain, the clan is known as the Mito Tokugawa family or simply the Mito clan. Mito Domain, was a Japanese domain of the Edo-period Hitachi Province.

In 1657, a Mitogaku was created when Tokugawa Mitsukuni, head of the Mito Domain, commissioned the compilation of the Dai Nihonshi, a book on the history of Japan.

Meiji era

[edit]

During the Meiji Restoration, old provinces were converted or merged to create the current prefectures, in this case Ibaraki Prefecture.

Geography

[edit]
Rivers Shintone (left) and Tone (right), Inashiki and Kawachi areas
Map of Ibaraki Prefecture
     City      Town      Village      Lake
Mito
Tsukuba
Hitachi Sakura Festival
Tsuchiura
Ushiku

Ibaraki Prefecture is the northeastern part of the Kantō region, stretching between Tochigi Prefecture and the Pacific Ocean and bounded on the north and south by Fukushima Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. It also has a border on the southwest with Saitama Prefecture. The northernmost part of the prefecture is mountainous, but most of the prefecture is a flat plain with many lakes and is part of Kantō Plain.

Natural parks

[edit]

As of 1 April 2012, 15% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park, and nine Prefectural Natural Parks.[6] Also, Ibaraki has one Prefectural Geopark. The Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park, also includes the northeast area of Chiba Prefecture.

Mountains

[edit]

The northern third of the prefecture is mountainous and in the center is the Tsukuba Mountains (筑波 山地). Its main mountains are: mount Yamizo with an elevation of 1022 m on the border with Fukushima and Tochigi prefectures (tripoint), mount Takasasa with 922 m, mount Tsukuba with two peaks Nyotai-San at 877 m and Nantai-San at 871 m, mount Osho at 804 m, mount Hanazono at 798 m, and mount Kaba at 709 m.

Water system

[edit]

The main rivers that flow through the prefecture include the Tone, Naka (Ibaraki), and Kuji rivers, all of which flow into the Pacific Ocean. Before the seventeenth century, the lower reaches of the Tone were different from its current layout, and the Tone ran south and emptied into Tokyo Bay, and tributaries such as the Watarase and Kinu rivers had independent water systems.

The main tributaries of the Tone River basin are the Kinu River and Kokai River, which flow from north to south in the western part of the prefecture. The Shintone and Sakura rivers flow into Lake Nishiura.

The Edo River flows into Tokyo Bay; its source currently rises as an arm of the Tone River. In the past, the course of the Edo River was different, its source was corrected and diverted to the Tone River in the 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect the city of Edo (now Tokyo) from flooding.

The Tone River, in addition to the Edo River, is part of the southern border of Ibaraki Prefecture with Chiba Prefecture, and the Watarase River, Tone River, Gongendō River, and Naka River (Saitama) in the southwestern border of Ibaraki with Saitama Prefecture. The Watarase River has become a small boundary of the southern border between Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures.

From ancient times to the beginning of the Edo period, the lower reaches of the Tone River did not exist and the mouth of the Tone was in Tokyo Bay. On the plain was the Katori Sea, which existed in ancient times,[7] the Lake Kasumigaura and other lagoons in present-day Chiba prefecture are remnants of that sea. Katori Sea was connected to the Kashima-nada (Pacific Ocean).

Lake Kasumigaura is currently divided into three lakes: Nishiura, Kitaura, Sotonasakaura. In addition, in the prefecture there are freshwater lagoons such as Hinuma, Senba, and Ushiku.

Fukuoka Dam, is a dam that spans the Kokai River in Tsukubamirai, it is one of the three largest dams in the Kantō region. Ryūjin Dam in Hitachiōta, is a beautiful dam on the Ryūjin River with a large pedestrian suspension bridge above the dam lake.

Cities

[edit]

Thirty-two (32) cities are located in Ibaraki Prefecture:

Name Area (km2) Population Map
Rōmaji Kanji
Bandō 坂東市 123.03 51,577
Chikusei 筑西市 205.30 98,031
Hitachi 日立市 225.71 165,822
Hitachinaka ひたちなか市 99.96 154,631
Hitachiōmiya 常陸大宮市 348.45 39,176
Hitachiōta 常陸太田市 371.99 47,922
Hokota 鉾田市 207.61 45,886
Inashiki 稲敷市 205.81 38,353
Ishioka 石岡市 215.53 70,124
Itako 潮来市 71.40 27,512
Jōsō 常総市 123.64 59,314
Kamisu 神栖市 146.94 95,396
Kasama 笠間市 240.40 73,664
Kashima 鹿嶋市 106.02 66,098
Kasumigaura かすみがうら市 156.60 40,254
Kitaibaraki 北茨城市 186.80 41,750
Koga 古河市 123.58 137,512
Mito (capital) 水戸市 217.32 268,036
Moriya 守谷市 35.71 69,827
Naka 那珂市 97.82 53,137
Namegata 行方市 222.48 31,960
Omitama 小美玉市 144.74 48,754
Ryūgasaki 龍ケ崎市 78.55 75,212
Sakuragawa 桜川市 180.06 38,905
Shimotsuma 下妻市 80.88 41,621
Takahagi 高萩市 193.58 27,522
Toride 取手市 69.94 103,717
Tsuchiura 土浦市 122.89 142,181
Tsukuba つくば市 283.72 256,526
Tsukubamirai つくばみらい市 79.16 51,035
Ushiku 牛久市 58.92 83,826
Yūki 結城市 65.76 49,252

Towns and villages

[edit]

These are the towns and villages in each district, 10 towns and 2 villages in 7 districts:

Name Area (km2) Population District Map
Rōmaji Kanji
Ami 阿見町 71.40 47,927 Inashiki District
Daigo 大子町 325.76 15,725 Kuji District
Goka 五霞町 23.11 8,162 Sashima District
Ibaraki 茨城町 121.58 31,412 Higashiibaraki District
Kawachi 河内町 44.30 8,298 Inashiki District
Miho 美浦村 66.61 14,504 Inashiki District
Ōarai 大洗町 23.74 15,787 Higashiibaraki District
Sakai 境町 46.59 24,061 Sashima District
Shirosato 城里町 161.80 18,044 Higashiibaraki District
Tōkai 東海村 37.98 37,641 Naka District
Tone 利根町 24.90 15,073 Kitasōma District
Yachiyo 八千代町 58.99 20,882 Yūki District

Mergers

[edit]

Economy

[edit]

Ibaraki's economy is based on energy production (particularly nuclear energy), chemical and precision machining industries, research institutes, and tourism. Agriculture, fishing, and livestock are also important sectors in the prefecture.[8]

Ibaraki's vast flat terrain make it highly suitable for industrial development. This complements its proximity to the Tokyo metropolitan area, giving it a high reputation as an industrial base. The prefecture is also home to Tsukuba, Japan's most extensive research and academic city, and the birthplace of Hitachi, Ltd.[9]

Paddy field at the foot of Mt. Tsukuba
Sweet potato field in Namegata

Agriculture

[edit]

With extensive flat lands, abundant water, and suitable climate, Ibaraki is among the prefectures with the highest agricultural production in Japan. It plays an important role in supplying food to the Tokyo metropolitan area. Its main products include melons, pears, peppers, various varieties of rice and sugar cane, as well as flowers and ornamental plants.

It also supplies other food crops to the rest of the country. As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 25% of Japan's bell peppers and Chinese cabbage.[10]

Fishing

[edit]

It is one of the prefectures with the highest fish production in the country; in the Pacific Ocean, Lake Kasumigaura, other lagoons and rivers, various species of fish are obtained.

Cattle

[edit]

The Hitachigyū cattle (常 陸 牛 - ひたちぎゅう - Hitachi-gyū, Hitachi-ushi), which is a prefectural bovine breed, is noteworthy in livestock. The name comes from the kanji 常 陸 (Hitachi), the name of the ancient Hitachi Province and 牛 (ushi or gyū, beef).[11]

Background. In 1833 Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川 斉昭) established the breeding of black cattle in the present Migawa-chō (見川 町) of the city of Mito. Originally it remained mainly in the northern part of the prefecture, but later it spread throughout the prefecture.

Cyberdyne Inc. in Tsukuba

Industrial centers

[edit]
  • Hitachi area. Grouping of industries, such as electrical, electronic and machinery. More than 1,300 companies; many of them hired by the Hitachi company, which was founded in Sukegawa (Hitachi City) in 1910.
  • Tōkai area. Atomic Energy Research Organization Grouping. J-PARC, Proton Accelerator Research Complex.
  • Tsukuba area. 32 institutes for education and research. Manipulation of matter at the level of atoms (nanotechnology). Robotic security center for support in daily life. Space center.
  • Kashima area. Grouping of materials industries, such as steel and petrochemicals, around 160 companies.

Demographics

[edit]
Ibaraki prefecture population pyramid in 2020
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18901,025,497—    
19031,200,475+1.22%
19131,328,329+1.02%
19201,350,400+0.24%
19251,409,092+0.85%
19301,487,097+1.08%
19351,548,991+0.82%
19401,620,000+0.90%
19451,944,344+3.72%
19502,039,418+0.96%
19552,064,037+0.24%
19602,047,024−0.17%
19652,056,154+0.09%
19702,143,551+0.84%
19752,342,198+1.79%
19802,558,007+1.78%
19852,725,005+1.27%
19902,845,382+0.87%
19952,955,530+0.76%
20002,985,676+0.20%
20052,975,167−0.07%
20102,969,770−0.04%
20152,917,857−0.35%
20202,854,131−0.44%
20252,791,231−0.44%
source:[12]

Culture

[edit]

Ibaraki is known for nattō, or fermented soybeans, in Mito, watermelons in Kyōwa (recently merged into Chikusei), and chestnuts in the Nishiibaraki region.[13]

Ibaraki is famous for the martial art of Aikido founded by Morihei Ueshiba, also known as Osensei. Ueshiba spent the latter part of his life in the town of Iwama, now part of Kasama, and the Aiki Shrine and dojo he created still remain.[14]

Kasama is famous for Shinto (Kasama Inari Shrine), Ibaraki Ceramic Art Museum, house museum of the calligrapher and ceramist Kitaōji Rosanjin, Kasama Nichidō Museum of Art, residence of Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the martial art Aikidō.[15]

The capital Mito is home to Kairakuen, one of Japan's three most celebrated gardens, and famous for its over 3,000 Japanese plum trees of over 100 varieties.

Kashima Shrine (Jingū) Ibaraki's cultural heritage.

Mito Tōshō-gū, is the memorial shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Mito.

Seizansō was the retirement villa of Tokugawa Mitsukuni.

Mito Municipal Botanical Park, is a botanical garden in Mito.

Park Ibaraki Nature Museum in Bandō.

There are castle ruins in many cities, including Mito Castle, Yūki Castle, Kasama Castle, Tsuchiura Castle, Oda Castle.

Hitachi Fūryūmono, a puppet float theater festival, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Makabe Hina Doll Festival - Hinamatsuri - (Sakuragawa City).

Yūki-tsumugi (silk weaving technique) Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Kasama ware, Makabe Stone Lamp, Kagami Crystal Glass Factory, old glass factory in Ryūgasaki City.

Education

[edit]

University

[edit]
Kōdōkan (Mito)

Sports

[edit]

The sports teams listed below are based in Ibaraki.

Kashima Soccer Stadium
Tsukuba Circuit

Association football

[edit]

Volleyball

[edit]

Rugby

[edit]
  • Stags - Kashima Rugby Football Club RFC (Kashima)

American football

[edit]
  • Tsukuba University (Tsukuba)

Baseball

[edit]

Wrestling

[edit]
  • Hitachi Pro Wrestling (Regional group) (Hitachi)

Basketball

[edit]

Motorsport

[edit]

Tourism

[edit]


Transportation and access

[edit]
Lines map Kantō Railway, Tsukuba Railway (suspended 1987), and others
Lotus field and Jōban Line
Mount Tsukuba Ropeway
Kashima Port
Ibaraki Airport

Railways

[edit]

Cable cars

[edit]

Bus

[edit]

Roads

[edit]

Expressways

[edit]

National highways

[edit]

Ibaraki Prefecture with the following national routes:

Prefectural routes

[edit]

Ibaraki Prefecture with more than 300 prefectural routes.

Ports

[edit]

Airports

[edit]

However, Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport are also used by air travellers from the prefecture.

Pronunciation

[edit]

The prefecture is often alternatively pronounced "Ibaragi" by those who speak the regional dialect known as Ibaraki-ben. However, the standard pronunciation is "Ibaraki". According to the author of "Not Ibaragi, Ibaraki",[16] this is most likely due to a mishearing of the softening of the "k" sound in Ibaraki dialect.

Sister region

[edit]

Ibaraki is twinned with:

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Natto: Japanese History of a Modern-Day Superfood". NYrture, 2020-01-14. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  2. ↑ "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". 内閣府ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  3. ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, ed. (24 May 2016). NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典 (in Japanese). NHK Publishing.
  4. ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ibaraki-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 367, at Google Books; "Kantō" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 479, at Google Books.
  5. ↑ Nussbaum, "Mito" at Japan Encyclopedia, p. 642, at Google Books.
  6. ↑ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. 1 April 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "歌垣発祥の地を訪ねる「筑波山・香取の海」(in Japanese) - To visit the birthplace of Utagaki「Mt. Tsukuba ・ Katori Sea」-". utakura.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ "About Ibaraki". invest.indus.pref.ibaraki.jp. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ "data | Attractive Local Regions in Japan - Investing in Japan - Japan External Trade Organization". ジェトロ. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
  10. ↑ Schreiber, Mark (April 17, 2011). "Japan's food crisis goes beyond recent panic buying". The Japan Times. p. 9. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Breed info, About Hitachiwagyū Beef". hitachiwagyu.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Statistics Bureau of Japan". Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2019-07-21.
  13. ↑ "Ibaraki Guide". ibarakiguide.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Aikikai Foundation Ibaraki Branch Dojo " Archived 2023-06-10 at the Wayback Machine Founder and Iwama", Retrieved August 25, 2017
  15. ↑ "Kasamashiko – A Journey Through Japan's Pottery Culture". ibarakiguide.org. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  16. ↑ いばらぎじゃなくていばらき Archived 2017-06-29 at the Wayback Machine [Ibaragi ja Nakute Ibaraki]

References

[edit]
[edit]

36°14′N 140°17′E / 36.233°N 140.283°E / 36.233; 140.283

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