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rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

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 ...

. The district makes up the suburban area of the

Aomori metropolitan area The , also known as the is a metropolitan region in the Japanese prefecture of Aomori that includes the city of Aomori and its surrounding satellites, Hiranai, Imabetsu, Sotogahama, and Yomogita. The metropolitan area is defined as the Aomori ...

. As of September 2013, the district had an estimated population of 24,011 and an area of 652.83 km². Much of the city of

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 278,964 in 136,457 households, and a population density of 340 people per square kilometer spread over the city's total area of ...

was formerly part of Higashitsugaru District. In terms of national politics, the district is represented in the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

as a part of the

Aomori 1st district Aomori 1st district (青森県第1区, ''Aomori-ken dai-ikku'' or simply 青森1区, ''Aomori-ikku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. It is located in Northern Aomori and covers the c ...

Towns and villages

Hiranai ( ain, ピラナィ, piranay) is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 10,460 in 4,860 households, and a population density of 4 ...

Imabetsu is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 2,562 in 1414 households, and a population density of 20 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geogr ...

Sotogahama is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan and a part of the Aomori metropolitan area. , the town had an estimated population of 5,429, and a population density of 25.4 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Sotogahama is ...

* Yomogita

History

The area of Higashitsugaru District was formerly part of

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

. At the time of 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 ...

of 1868, the area consisted of one towns (Aomori) and 137 villages, formerly under the control of

Hirosaki Domain Hirosaki Castle, the seat of the Hirosaki Domain , also known as , was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period JapanRavina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 It is located in Mutsu Province, in northern Honshū ...

and 28 villages under the control of

Kuroishi Domain was a '' tozama'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in northwestern Mutsu Province, Honshū. Its territory included 2000 ''koku'' in the area around present-day city of Kuroishi, 1000 ''koku'' in pre ...

. Aomori Prefecture was founded on December 13, 1871, and Higashitsugaru District was carved out of the former Tsugaru District on October 30, 1878. file: Aomori HigashiTsugaru-gun 1889.png, Historic Map of Higashitsugaru District:
1.Aomori 2.Uramachi 3.Ōno 4.Takada 5.Takiuchi 6.Okuuchi 7.Yomogita 8.Tairadate 9.Imabetsu 10.Yokouchi 11.Hamadate 12. Azumadake 13.Nishi-Hiranai 14.Arakawa 15.Aburakawa 16.Shinjo 17.Ushirogata 18.Kanita 19.Ippongi 20.Minmaya 21.Tsutsui 22.Harabetsu 23.Nonai 24.Naka-Hiranai, later Kominato 25. Higashi-Hiranai
Purple= Aomori City, Pink=Hiranai, Orange=Imabtesu, Red=Sotogahama, Light Blue=Yomogita With the establishment of the municipality system on April 1, 1889, Higashitsugaru District, organized into one town (Aomori) and 24 villages, was established. When a municipality is elevated to, or is absorbed into a city, it ceases to be part of a district. For example, when the village,

Nonai Nonai may refer to: *Nonai, Aomori was a List of villages in Japan, village located in Higashitsugaru District, Aomori, Higashitsugaru District in central Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The former town was best known as a ''shukuba'' along the Matsumae ...

was incorporated into the city of Aomori as a neighborhood, it ceased to be part of a rural district. *1898 – Aomori was elevated to city status. *1919 – Aburakawa was elevated to town status. *1928 – Kominato was elevated to town status *1939 – Aburakawa was merged into the city of Aomori *1941 – Kanita was raised to town status *1951 – Tsutsui was raised to town status *1955 – Kominato absorbed two neighboring villages to become the town of Hiranai.

was also raised to town status *1962 – Nonai was merged into Aomori. *On March 28, 2005 - the town of Kanita and the villages of Tairadate and Minmaya were merged to form the new town of

References

{{Coord, 41.127, N, 140.542, E, type:landmark_source:itwiki, display=title Districts in Aomori Prefecture Aomori metropolitan area