is a

rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the Ad ...

located in

Yamagata Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, ...

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 ...

. As of October 2013, the district has an estimated population of 29,957 and an area of 282.47 km². Much of the city of

Tsuruoka is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 125,389 in 49,024 households, and a population density of 95.74 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Tsuruoka is the biggest city in Tōhoku region ...

and a portion of the city of Sakata was formerly part of Higashitagawa District.

Towns and villages

* Mikawa * Shōnai

History

Tagawa County was an ancient place name in part of

Dewa Province was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History Early peri ...

. It was divided into Higashitagawa District and Nishitagawa District after the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. Under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, much of the area of both districts were ruled as part of

Tsuruoka Domain is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 125,389 in 49,024 households, and a population density of 95.74 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Tsuruoka is the biggest city in Tōhoku region ...

. The area became part of Yamagata Prefecture in 1876. At that time, Higashitagawa District consisted of 259 villages. Yamagata HigashiTagawa-gun 1889

With the establishment of the municipality system on April 1, 1889, the district was consolidated into 26 villages. * On May 5, 1918, Amarume was raised to town status * On May 19, 1922, Fujishima was raised to town status * On April 1, 1937, Karikawa was raised to town status * On October 1, 1954, Karikawa merged with the neighboring villages of Kiyokawa and Tachiyazawa to become the town of Tachikawa On February 1, 1955, the villages of Izumi, Hirose and Toge merged to form the town of Haguro. * On December 1, 1966, Kushibiki was raised to town status *On June 1, 1968, Mikawa was raised to town status *On July 1, 2005 the towns of Amarume and

Tachikawa file:Autumn colors in Showa memorial park.jpg, 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 households, and a populat ...

merged to form the new town of Shōnai. *On October 1, 2005 the city of

, the towns of Fujishima, Haguro and Kushibiki and the village of

Asahi Asahi (朝日, 旭, or あさひ) means "morning sun" in Japanese and may refer to: Cities * Asahi, Chiba (旭市; ''Asahi-shi'') Wards * Asahi-ku, Osaka (旭区; ''Asahi-ku'') * Asahi-ku, Yokohama (旭; ''Asahi-ku'') Towns * Asahi, Aichi (旭� ...

, and the town of Atsumi from Nishitagawa District merged into Tsuruoka. {{authority control Districts in Yamagata Prefecture