is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

located in the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km² (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

to the north,

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

to the southwest,

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

to the south, and

Tochigi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi). Tochigi ...

to the east.

Maebashi is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It wa ...

is the capital and Takasaki is the largest city of Gunma Prefecture, with other major cities including Ōta,

Isesaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 213,303 in 91,789 households, and a population density of 1500 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Isesaki is located in the northwe ...

, and Kiryū. Gunma Prefecture is one of only eight

landlocked A landlocked country is a country that does not have territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie on endorheic basins. There are currently 44 landlocked countries and 4 landlocked de facto states. Kazakhstan is the world's largest ...

prefectures, located on the northwestern corner of the Kantō Plain with 14% of its total land being designated as natural parks.

History

The ancient province of Gunma was a center of horse breeding and trading activities for the newly immigrated continental peoples. The arrival of horses and the remains of horse tackle coincides with the arrival of a large migration from the mainland. From this point forward, the horse became a vital part of Japanese military maneuvers, quickly displacing the older Yayoi tradition of fighting on foot. When Mount Haruna erupted in the late 6th century, Japan was still in the pre-historical phase (prior to the importation of the Chinese writing system during the Nara period). The Gunma Prefectural archaeology unit in 1994 was able to date the eruption through zoological anthropology at the corral sites that were buried in ash. In the past, Gunma was joined with

and called ''

Kenu Province , also known as Kenu Province, is an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan prior to the Nara Period.Tsunoda, Ryūsaku ''et al.'' (1951). ''Japan in the Chinese Dynastic Histories: Later Han through Ming dynasties,'' p. 18 n25. Keno was loca ...

''. This was later divided into ''Kami-tsu-ke'' (Upper Kenu, Gunma) and ''Shimo-tsu-ke'' (Lower Kenu, Tochigi). The area is sometimes referred to as Jomo (上毛, ''Jōmō''). For most of Japanese history, Gunma was known as the province of Kozuke. In the early period of contact between western nations and Japan, particularly the late Tokugawa, it was referred to by foreigners as the "Joushu States", inside (fudai, or loyalist) Tokugawa retainers and the Tokugawa family symbol is widely seen on public buildings, temples, and shrines. The

Tenmei eruption The Tenmei eruption () was a large eruption of Mount Asama that occurred in 1783 (''Tenmei 3''). This eruption was one of the causes of the Tenmei famine. It is estimated that about 1,500–1,624 people were killed in the eruption. The event is k ...

Mount Asama is an active complex volcano in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. The volcano is the most active on Honshū. The Japan Meteorological Agency classifies Mount Asama as rank A. It stands above sea level on the border of Gunma and Nagano ...

occurred in 1783, causing enormous damage. The first modern silk factories were built with Italian and French assistance at Annaka in the 1870s. In the early Meiji period, in what was locally called the Gunma Incident of 1884, a bloody struggle between the idealistic democratic westernizers and the conservative Prussian-model nationalists took place in Gunma and neighboring Nagano. The modern Japanese army gunned down farmers with new repeating rifles built in Japan. The farmers in Gunma were said to be the first victims of the Murata rifle. In the twentieth century, the Japanese aviation pioneer Nakajima Chikushi of Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, founded the Nakajima Aircraft Company. At first, he produced mostly licensed models of foreign designs, but beginning with the all-Japanese Nakajima 91 fighter plane in 1931, his company became a world leader in aeronautical design and manufacture, with its headquarters at Ota, Gunma Ken. The factory now produces

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...

motorcars and other products under the name of

née Fuji Heavy Industries. In the 1930s, German architect Bruno Julius Florian Taut lived and conducted research for a while in Takasaki. The Girard incident, which disturbed US-Japanese relations in the 1950s, occurred in Gunma in 1957, at Soumagahara Base near

Shibukawa is a city in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,098 in 32,439 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Shibukawa is the location of Ikaho Onsen, a popular hot spring resort. ...

. Four modern prime ministers are from Gunma, namely, Takeo Fukuda,

Yasuhiro Nakasone was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party from 1982 to 1987. He was a member of the House of Representatives for more than 50 years. He was best known for pushing through the ...

, Keizo Obuchi, and

Yasuo Fukuda is a former Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2007 to 2008. He was previously the longest-serving Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japanese history, serving in that role from 2000 to 2004 under Prime Ministers Yoshirō M ...

, the son of Takeo.

Geography

One of only eight landlocked prefectures in Japan, Gunma is the northwesternmost prefecture of the Kantō plain. Except for the central and southeast areas, where most of the population is concentrated, it is mostly mountainous. To the north are Niigata and

Fukushima may refer to: Japan * Fukushima Prefecture, Japanese prefecture ** Fukushima, Fukushima, capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan ***Fukushima University, national university in Japan *** Fukushima Station (Fukushima) in Fukushima, Fukushim ...

prefectures, while to the east lies

. To the west lies the

, and the

is to the south. Some of the major mountains in Gunma are

Mount Akagi is a mountain in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The broad, low dominantly andesitic stratovolcano rises above the northern end of the Kanto Plain. It contains an elliptical, 3 x 4 km summit caldera with post-caldera lava domes arranged along a N ...

, Mount Haruna,

Mount Myōgi is one of the major mountains in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Its straddles the border between the municipalities of Annaka, Shimonita and Tomioka. Well known for its rocks weathered into fantastic forms, this famous peak is ranked among Japan's th ...

Mount Nikkō-Shirane is a Stratovolcano in the Nikkō National Park in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. It stands at 2,578 m high. It is the highest mountain in north eastern Japan (no higher mountains exist in the east or north of this mountain). Its ...

and

, which is located on the Nagano border. Major rivers include the

Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the Kantō ...

, the Agatsuma River, and the Karasu River. As of 1 April 2012, 14% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Jōshin'etsu-kōgen, Nikkō, and

Oze Oze may refer to: People * Akira Oze (born 1947), Japanese manga artist * Hiroyuki Oze (1985–2010), Japanese baseball player * Lajos Őze (1935–1984), Hungarian actor Places * Oze, Hautes-Alpes, France * Oze National Park, Japan * Oze River, ...

National Parks and

Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen Quasi-National Park is a List of national parks of Japan, Quasi-National Park on the borders of Gunma Prefecture, Gunma and Nagano Prefecture, Nagano Prefectures of Japan, Prefectures, Japan. Established in 1969, the central feature of the park are Mounts (1,423 ...

Cities

Twelve cities are located in Gunma Prefecture: *

Annaka 240px, Edo-period Usui Magistrate’s office in Annaka is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 47,911 in 24,749 households, and a population density of 210 persons per km². The total area of the ...

* Fujioka *

* Kiryū *

(capital) *

Midori Midori (みどり, ミドリ, , , ) is the Japanese word for "green" and may refer to: Places * Midori, Gunma * Midori-ku, Chiba * Midori-ku, Nagoya * Midori-ku, Sagamihara * Midori-ku, Saitama * Midori-ku, Yokohama People Given name * Mi ...

Numata is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 46,908 in 20,589 households, and a population density of 110 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the largest city in terms of area w ...

* Ōta *

* Takasaki *

Tatebayashi 250px, Tsutsujigaoka Koen, or Azalea Park in Tatebayashi is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 75,442 in 33,589 households, and a population density of 1200 people per km². The total area of the ...

* Tomioka

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

: *

Agatsuma District is a rural district located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. As of January 2015, the district had an estimated population of 56,994 and an area of 1,278.55 km2, with a population density of 44.6 people per square kilometer. Towns and villages # ...

** Higashiagatsuma ** Kusatsu ** Naganohara ** Nakanojō ** Takayama **

Tsumagoi 250px, Mount Shirane from Manza Onsen is a village located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 9,546 in 3,999 households, and a population density of 28 persons per km². The total area of the village is . G ...

* Kanra District ** Kanra ** Nanmoku ** Shimonita * Kitagunma District **

Shintō Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists ...

** Yoshioka * Ōra District ** Chiyoda **

Itakura is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,323 in 5717 households and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Itakura's animal mascot is the catfish. It is r ...

** Meiwa ** Ōizumi ** Ōra * Sawa District **

Tamamura is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 36,367 in 15685 households, and a population density of 1440 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Tamamura is located in southern Gun ...

* Tano District ** Kanna **

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

Tone District is a rural district located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. As of January 2015, the district had an estimated population of 34,946 and an area of 1,322.23 km2, with a population density of 26.4 people per square kilometer. Towns and villages * ...

** Katashina ** Kawaba ** Minakami ** Shōwa

Mergers

Climate

Because Gunma is situated in inland Japan, the difference in temperature in the summer compared to the winter is large, and there is less precipitation. This is because of the

karakkaze Karakkaze (空っ風、からっかぜ) refers to a kind of strong, dry wind that occurs in the Kantō region of Japan. Overview Karakkaze is formed when wind gusts cross atop the mountains in the Jōetsu region and experience a drop in both tem ...

("empty wind"), a strong, dry wind that occurs in the winter when the snow falls on the coasts of Niigata. The wind carrying clouds with snow are obstructed by the

Echigo Mountains The Echigo Mountains () are a mountain range that straddle Niigata, Fukushima, and Gunma prefectures in Japan. See also * Asahi Mountains ( 朝日山地) * Iide Mountains ( 飯豊山地) * Mikuni Mountains Mikuni may refer to: * Mikuni, Fu ...

, and it also snows there, although the high peaks do not let the wind go past them. For this reason, the wind changes into the ''kara-kaze''. * Climate in

** Average yearly precipitation: 1,163 mm (approx. 45.8in) ** Average yearly temperature: 14.2 degrees Celsius (approx. 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit)

Economy

Gunma's modern industries include transport equipment and electrical equipment, concentrated around

and the eastern region nearest

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. More traditional industries include

sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, ''Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively studie ...

and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. Gunma's major agricultural products include

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

s and konnyaku. Gunma produces over 90% of Japan's konnyaku, and two-thirds of the farms in the village of

are cabbage farms. Also, the city of Ōta is famous for the car industry, notably the

factory.

Culture

There is a

local dialect Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

, known in Japanese as '''gunma-ben''' or jōshū-ben'''. Gunma has a traditional card game called . It features people, places, and things of regional and/or cultural importance.

Famous Foods

In 2007, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries held an event to find the top 100 best local dishes across all of Japan. Three dishes were featured from Gunma; yaki-manju,

okkirikomi Okkirikomi (''okkirikomi'', おっきりこみ) is a type of simmered noodle dish that can be found in Gunma Prefecture, some parts of northern Saitama Prefecture, and the Chichibu area. It is usually written in hiragana and sometimes seen as お� ...

, and konnyaku.

Melody Roads

As of 2018, Gunma is home to eleven of Japan's over thirty Melody Roads. 2,559 grooves cut into a 175-meter stretch of the road surface in transmit a

tactile Tactile may refer to: * Tactile, related to the sense of touch * Haptics (disambiguation) * Tactile (device), a text-to-braille translation device See also * Tangibility, in law * Somatosensory system, where sensations are processed * CD96 CD9 ...

vibration Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon whereby oscillations occur about an equilibrium point. The word comes from Latin ''vibrationem'' ("shaking, brandishing"). The oscillations may be periodic function, periodic, such as the motion of a pendulum ...

through the wheels into the

car body Governments and private organizations have developed car classification schemes that are used for various purposes including regulation, description, and categorization of cars. The International Standard ISO 3833-1977 ''Road vehicles – Types ...

.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
The roads can be found in Katashina, Minakami, Takayama, Kanna, Ueno, Kusatsu, Tsumagoi, Nakanojo, Takasaki, Midori, and Maebashi. Each is of a differing length and plays a different song. Naganohara also used to be home to a Melody Road playing “Aj, lučka lučka siroka”, though the road in question was paved over in 2013 due to noise complaints.

Songs

* Kusatsu - “Kusatsu-Bushi” * Takayama - “When You Wish Upon a Star” * Tsumagoi - “Oh My Darling Clementine” * Nakanojo - “Always With Me” (Japanese title: いつも何度でも, ''itsumo nando demo'') from Spirited Away when driven at 40 km/h * Katashina - “ Memories of Summer” when driven over at 50 km/h

List of governors of Gunma Prefecture (1947–present)

Education

Universities

* Isesaki ** Jobu University – Isesaki Campus **

Tokyo University of Social Welfare is a private university in with its main campus in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo; Kita, Tokyo; Naka-ku, Nagoya; and Isesaki, Gunma.Gunma University , abbreviated to , is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Aramaki-machi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture. History Gunma University was established in 1949 by integrating the national colleges in Gunma Prefecture: , , ...

Maebashi Institute of Technology is a public university in Maebashi, Gunma, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japa ...

* Midori ** Kiryu University * Ota **

Kanto Gakuen University is a private university in Ōta, Gunma is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 224,358 in 109,541 households, and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . ...

* Takasaki **

Takasaki City University of Economics is a municipal university in Japan. It is located in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. History After World War II, the national colleges in Gunma Prefecture were merged to constitute Gunma University (GU, whose main campus is in Maebashi). Takasaki ...

Takasaki University of Commerce is a private university in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, ...

Takasaki University of Health and Welfare is a private university in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, ...

Gunma Paz College is a private university in Takasaki, Gunma, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, ...

** Jobu University -Takasaki Campus * Tamamura **

Gunma Prefectural Women's University is a public university in Tamamura, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1980, it is one of the two public women's universities in Japan, alongside Fukuoka Women's University. History The school was established in 1980 in the city of Mae ...

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Gunma.

Baseball

Gunma Diamond Pegasus The are a semi-professional baseball team in the Baseball Challenge League of Japan. The team was established as part of the expansion of the league, and began play in the 2008 season. Their home is Gunma Prefecture. Franchise history The Di ...

Football (soccer)

* Thespakusatsu Gunma ( Kusatsu) *

Tonan Maebashi Tonan Maebashi is a Japanese football club based in Maebashi city, Gunma Prefecture. They play in the 2nd division of the Kantō Soccer League , abbreviated as KSL, is a Japanese football league covering the Kantō region, the prefectures o ...

(

)

Rugby

Panasonic Wild Knights Saitama Wild Knights (formerly Panasonic Wild Knights) is a Japanese rugby union team formerly based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half (though he was not captain), it dominated the l ...

(

Ota OTA or ota may stand for: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Off the Air'', an Adult Swim television series * Otakon, an annual anime convention in Baltimore, Maryland Electronics, science, and technology * Ochratoxin A (also termed OTA), a mycoto ...

)

Basketball

Gunma Crane Thunders The Gunma Crane Thunders are a professional basketball team that compete in the first division of the Japanese B.League. They are based in Ōta, Gunma. It is said that the shape of Gunma Prefecture resembles the shape of a dancing crane. The te ...

Gunma is also famous for its ski resorts in the mountains. Gunma was the only prefecture in Japan to have all 4 legal types of gambling on races:

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

, auto and

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

. This changed with the closing of the last horse race track in Takasaki in 2004.

Tourism

Gunma has many hot spring resorts and the most famous is

Kusatsu Onsen is a hot spring resort located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, northwest of Tokyo. It is a popular tourist destination. There are 13 public baths at Kusatsu Onsen. The small bathhouses that are free for both town residents and tourists are managed ...

. Another draw to the mountainous Gunma is the ski resorts. Other attractions include: *

Lake Nozori is a dam located in the town of Nakanojō, Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It is a hydroelectric dam operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company.The lake created by the dam is known as . AccessRose Queen Kotsu**From Naganohara-Kusat ...

Hara Museum Arc Hara may refer to: Art and entertainment * Hara (band), a Romanian pop-band * ''Hara'' (film), a 2014 Kannada-language drama film * ''Hara'' (sculpture), a 1989 artwork by Deborah Butterfield * Goo Hara (1991-2019), South Korean idol singer ...

* Ikaho Sistina Trick Art Museum * Mount Haruna * Kusatsu Alpine-Plant Museum * Kusatsu Hot-Spring Museum *

Mount Kusatsu-Shirane is a active stratovolcano in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. It is called Kusatsu Shirane to differentiate it from the Mount Nikkō-Shirane on the other side of Gunma Prefecture. The summit of Kusatsu-Shirane volcano, located immediately north of Asa ...

* Mount Tanigawa *

The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma opened in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, in 1974. The collection includes works by Monet, Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Imp ...

* Konnyaku Park *

Shorinzan Daruma Temple Shorinzan Daruma Temple (少林山達磨寺, shōrinzan daruma-ji) is a small temple located in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It was built in 1697 by the Obaku (school of Buddhism), Obaku school of Zen Buddhism. Takasaki is known as the birthplace of ...

File:kiryu yagi bushi festival vehicle-free promenade 2.jpg, Kiryū Yagi-bushi Festival, where held on early August on every year. File:IMG E0946 富岡製糸場.jpg, A Tomioka Silk Mill, a World Herritage cultural property site. File:達磨寺 - panoramio (1).jpg, A many daruma doll set at Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki

Transportation

Rail

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

** Joetsu Shinkansen ** Hokuriku Shinkansen ** Takasaki Line ** Shinetsu Line (Takasaki-Yokokawa) ** Joetsu Line **

Agatsuma Line Agatsuma may refer to: *, Japanese shamisen player *Agatsuma District, Gunma, a district in Gunma Prefecture, Japan *Agatsuma, Gunma, a town in Gunma Prefecture, Japan *Agatsuma River, a river in Japan *Agatsuma Entertainment, a Japanese toy/video ...

** Ryomo Line ** Hachiko Line (Kuragano-) * Tobu Railway **

Isesaki Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway, extending from Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station in Saitama to Isesaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. The Isesaki Line can refer to the entire section between Asakus ...

** Nikko Line ( Itakura Tōyōdai-mae Station) **

Sano Line Sano may refer to: Geography *Sano, Kentucky, U.S. * Sano, Tochigi, Japan *Monte Sano Mountain, a mountain in Alabama, United States **Monte Sano State Park *Wai Sano, a volcano in Flores, Indonesia Fiction * Sano (''Rurouni Kenshin''), a charac ...

** Kiryu Line * Joshin Electric Railway (Takasaki-Shimonita) *

Jomo Electric Railway Jomo may refer to: People * Jomo (given name), an African masculine given name * Jomo Sono (born 1955), South African soccer club owner, coach and former player Ephraim Matsilela Sono * nickname of Moemedi Moatlhaping (born 1985), Botswanan footba ...

(Chuo Maebashi-Nishi Kiryu) *

Watarase Keikoku Railway Watarase Keikoku Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Kiryū Station in Kiryū, Gunma and Matō Station in Nikkō, Tochigi. This is the only railway line that the third-sector company operates. The company and line are also known as or . The company ...

Roads

Expressways

Kan-Etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is the ''kanji'' acronym of and the old comprising modern-day Niigata Prefecture. Officially, the Kan-Etsu consists of two routes. Both ...

* Tōhoku Expressway *

Jōshin-etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. consists ...

* Kita-Kantō Expressway ( Takasaki-

Hitachinaka file:Hitachinaka Town Hall2.JPG, 250px, Hitachinaka city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 154,663 in 64,900 households and a population density of 1547 persons per km2 ...

)

National highways

* National Route 17 (

Nihonbashi is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The current ...

of Tokyo- Saitama-

Kumagaya is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kumagaya is one of the largest c ...

-Takasaki-Shibukawa- Ojiya- Nagaoka) *

National Route 18 Route 18, or Highway 18, may refer to: International * Asian Highway 18 * European route E18 * European route E018 Argentina * Australia * Waterfall Way Canada * Alberta Highway 18 * British Columbia Highway 18 * Manitoba Highway 18 * Ont ...

(Takasaki-Annaka-

Karuizawa is a resort town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,323 in 9897 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most ...

- Komoro-

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

- Myoko- Joetsu) * National Route 50 (Maebashi-Isesaki- Oyama- Yuki-Mito) * National Route 120 * National Route 122 * National Route 144 * National Route 145 * National Route 146 * National Route 254 * National Route 291 * National Route 292 * National Route 299 * National Route 353 * National Route 354 * National Route 405 * National Route 406 * National Route 407 * National Route 462

Prefectural symbols

The prefectural symbol consists of the first

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

of the word 'Gunma' surrounded by three stylized mountains symbolizing the three important mountains of Gunma Prefecture: Mount Haruna,

, and

. For marketing, the Prefectural Government also uses

Gunma-chan Gunma-chan (ぐんまちゃん, formerly known as Yūma-chan/ゆうまちゃん) is the fictional ''yuru-chara'' mascot of Gunma Prefecture. There are two official versions of the character. The original version The original Gunma-chan debut ...

, a small super deformed drawing of a horse character wearing a green cap. It is used on promotional posters, banners, and other notable printed materials from the Prefectural Government. Other agencies and companies formally or informally use variations of its likeness and other horse-shaped characters when making signs or notices for work on buildings, roads, and other public notices.

In Popular culture

There are various anime that have based their settings in Gunma, such as: *

Initial D is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 ''ta ...

* A Place Further than the Universe * The Flowers of Evil * Nichijou *

You Don't know Gunma Yet is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroto Ida. It began serialization online via Shinchosha's Kurage Bunch website in October 2013 and has since been collected into eight ''tankōbon'' volumes. A 4-episode live-action tele ...

In the Pokemon franchise, Kanto Region's Pewter City, Route 3, and Mt. Moon are thought to be based on places found in Gunma.

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

.
OCLC 58053128
*

External links

Gunma Prefecture Official Website

{{Authority control Kantō region Prefectures of Japan