is a prefecture of

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 n ...

located in the Kansai region of

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 s ...

. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east,

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nar ...

to the southeast, and

Okayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture borders Tottori Prefecture to the ...

and

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hiro ...

to the west.

Kōbe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which ...

is the capital and largest city of Hyōgo Prefecture, and the seventh-largest city in Japan, with other

major cities The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metrop ...

including Himeji,

Nishinomiya 270px, Nishinomiya City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Nishinomiya city center 270px, Hirota Shrine is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 484,368 in 218948 households and a population density ...

, and

Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223812 households, and a population ...

. Hyōgo Prefecture's mainland stretches from the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, i ...

to the Seto Inland Sea, where Awaji Island and a small

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

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 The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the ...

and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP.

History

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tanba and Settsu. In 1180, near the end of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

, 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 is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network o ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, 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

, killing nearly 6,500 people.

Geography

Hyōgo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the

, to the south, the Seto Inland Sea. On Awaji Island, Hyōgo borders the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

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

, Kyoto Prefecture,

and

. 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 is a Quasi-National Park in Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It was founded on 10 April 1969 and has an area of . Overview Hyōnosen-Ushiroyama-Nagisan Kokutei Kōen comprises three areas of the Chūgoku Mo ...

; 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.

Current municipalities

Islands

* Awaji Island * Ieshima Islands Two major artificial islands are located Hyōgo Prefecture: *

Rokkō Island is a man-made island in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. It is located in the southeast region of the Port of Kobe. The island has a rectangular shape, and covers . The residential area of the island, featuring apartment buildings—man ...

Port Island is an artificial island in Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan. It was constructed between 1966-1980 (Phase 1) and 1987-2009 (Phase 2) at Port of Kobe, and officially opened with an exposition called " Portopia '81." It now houses a heliport, numerous h ...

National parks

Sanin Kaigan National Park is a National Park in the Tottori, Hyōgo, and Kyōto Prefectures, Japan. Established in 1963, the park runs continuously along the Sea of Japan coast from Tottori to Kyōtango. The park covers 87.83 km². Sanin Kaigan National Pa ...

Setonaikai National Park is a Japanese national park, comprising areas of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, and of ten bordering prefectures. Designated a national park in 1934, it has since been expanded several times. It contains about 3,000 islands, known as the Setouchi ...

File:Hyonosen02s1760.jpg,

(Mt. Hyonosen view from Yabu) File:Cercidiphyllum japonicum05s3200.jpg,

(Torokawataira in

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

) File:TakenoBeach Hyogo prefecture.jpg,

(Takeno Beach in Toyooka) File:Tajima mihonoura39st3200.jpg, Sanin Kaigan National Park (Tajima-mihonoura of Sanin Coast in Shinonsen)

Mergers

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. 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. 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, 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. Port of Kobe01s3780

Culture

National Treasures of Japan

in Himeji (

) * Jōdo-ji in

Ono ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

Ichijō-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in Kasai, Hyōgo, Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture, Hyōgo, Japan. It was first established in 650 at Emperor Kōtoku's request, and the temple complex and buildings have undergone several periods of destruction ...

in Kasai * Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa * Taisan-ji in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...

* Chōkō-ji in Katō *Chorakuji in Kami, Hyōgo (Mikata) File:Jodoji Ono Hyogo01n3200.jpg, Jōdo-ji in

File:Ichijoji Kasai13bs4272.jpg, Ichijo-ji in Kasai File:Kakogawa Kakurinji12n4592.jpg, Kakurin-ji in Kakogawa File:Hyogo-mikata-kami-kawai chorakuji-daibutsu.jpg, Chorakuji-daibutsu

Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings in Japan

* Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri * Izushi * Sasayama File:Choueke house02 1920.jpg, Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri File:Ganjoji-Toyooka02s4592.jpg, Izushi File:Sasayama Okachi-machi05st3200.jpg, Sasayama

Museums

* Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art in Nada Ward,

. * 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. File:Hyogo prefectural museum of art08s3200.jpg, Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of Art in

. File:Kobe city museum01 1920.jpg, Kobe City Museum in Kobe. File:Kosetsu Museum：香雪美術館 - panoramio.jpg, KOSETSU Museum of Art in Kobe. File:Himeji City Museum of Art20bs4480.jpg, Himeji City Museum of Art in Himeji. File:Asago Art Village08n4272.jpg, Asago Art Village in Asago. File:Tezuka osamu01 2048.jpg, Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum in Takarazuka.

Education

Universities

Amagasaki

Sonoda Women's University 270px, Sonoda Women's University is a private women's college in Amagasaki 270px, Amagasaki Castle 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had ...

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

Takarazuka

* Takarazuka University * Koshien University

Sanda

* Kwansei Gakuin University (Sanda Campus)

Nishinomiya

Kobe College Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...

*Kwansei Gakuin University *

Otemae University Otemae University ( ja, 大手前大学 Ōtemae Daigaku) is a liberal arts oriented school that began in 1946. It is in the Kansai region of Japan and has three campuses: one in Itami, one in Osaka, and a co-educational university in Nishinomiy ...

* Mukogawa Women's University

Ashiya

Ashiya University is a private university in Ashiya, Hyōgo, 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, w ...

Kobe

* Kobe University * Kobe University of Commerce *

Kobe Gakuin University is a private, co-educational university located on the western edge of the city of Kobe, in Hyōgo Prefecture in Japan. It was founded in 1966 and overlooks the city of Akashi, the Akashi Straits and the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge - the longest suspe ...

Kobe City University of Foreign Studies , for short, is a municipal university in 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, w ...

Kobe Women's University is a private women's college in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1940, and it was chartered as a university in 1966. It has three campuses: * in Sannomiya * on Port Island is an artificial island in Chuo- ...

* Kobe Shukugawa Gakuin University *

Kobe Institute of Computing is a private university in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. History KIC was found by Mr Tomio Fukuoka in . The Graduate School of Information Technology has established in . Fields of study KIC Graduate School of Information Technology has one ...

* Konan University * University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences * University of Hyogo

Kato

Hyogo University of Teacher Education is a national university in Katō, Hyōgo, Japan, founded as "New Concept University" of Teacher Education for Undergraduate and Graduate in 1978. Graduate School satellite campus in Kobe was established in 2000. See also * Darryl Takizo Yag ...

Akashi

* University of Hyogo

Kakogawa

Hyogo University is a private university in Japan. Its campus is located in Shinzaike, Hiraoka-cho, Kakogawa, Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has ...

Himeji

*Himeji Institute of Technology *

Himeji Dokkyo University is a private university in Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1881, and it was chartered as a university in 1986. It has many international students relative to other Japanese universities, and is most known fo ...

* Himeji Kinki University * University of Hyogo

Akō

* University of Hyogo

High schools

There are 163 public and 52 private high schools within Hyogo prefecture. Of the public high schools, some are administered by the Hyogo prefectural government, whilst the others are administered by local municipalities. *

Ashiya International Secondary School Hyogo Prefectural Ashiya International Secondary School is a public, full-time, coeducational secondary school located in Hyogo prefect, Japan. The school motto is Respect, Integration, Contribution. The students come from Australia, Austria, ...

, founded 2003

Sports

Binnenkant van Kyocera Dome Osaka, -22 maart 2019

The sports teams listed below are based in Hyōgo. Football (soccer) * Vissel Kobe (

) *

INAC Kobe Leonessa INAC Kobe is a Japanese football club from Kobe, founded in 2001. INAC stands for International Athletic Club while Leonessa means Lioness in Italian. In 2006 INAC Leonessa was promoted to the Nadeshiko.League, where it has played since 2020. ...

(Women's) (Kobe) Baseball * Orix Buffaloes (

) *

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railway ...

(

) Volleyball * Hisamitsu Springs (

) *

JT Marvelous is a women's volleyball team owned by Japan Tobacco Ltd., and based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan. The team is the reigning champion of the V.League 1 after winning the 2019-20 and 2020–21 seasons. Honours Domestic competitions ; Japan Voll ...

(

) Rugby *

Kobelco Steelers The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-2004 season. The team rebranded as Kobelco Kobe Steelers ahead of ...

(

) *

World Fighting Bull World Fighting Bull were a Japanese rugby union team that played in the county's Top League competition. The team was the rugby team of clothing company World Co., based in Kobe in the Kansai area of Japan. The team was founded in 1984, and spe ...

(

) Basketball * Nishinomiya Storks (

)

Tourism

A popular troupe of

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Jap ...

plays in Takarazuka.

Arima Onsen is an onsen, or hot springs in Kita-ku, Kobe, Japan. This Onsen is still a hidden treasure of modern Kobe, behind Mount Rokkō. It attracts many Japanese who want tranquility with beautiful natural surroundings and yet easy access from the bu ...

in the south of the province in Kita-ku, Kobe is one of the Three Ancient Springs in Japan. The north of Hyogo Prefecture has sightseeing spots such as Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi, and Yumura Onsen. Takeda Castle in Asago is often referred to locally as the "Machu Picchu of Japan". The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies. File:170811 Rokko-Arima Ropeway Kobe Japan00n.jpg,

, Kobe File:Night view of Osaka bay.jpg, Million-dollar view, Kobe File:Kobe Mosaic06s4s3200.jpg, Harborland – Meriken Park area in Kobe File:Westin Awaji Island Hotel 06.jpg,

Awaji Yumebutai The is a complex of conference center, hotel and memorial in Awaji, Hyōgo, built near the epicenter of the 1995 Great Hanshin Awaji earthquake. It was designed by Tadao Ando, who had begun planning for the project (as a park) prior to the eart ...

in Awaji File:Ichikawa river Ikuno Asago Hyogo01s5bs4272.jpg, Kuchiganaya in Asago File:Kinosaki onsen02 1920.jpg, Kinosaki Onsen File:Yumura onsen11s1920.jpg, Yumura Onsen File:Tonomine highland 01 b.jpg, Tonomine highland in Kamikawa File:Kounotori 06f4439.jpg, Toyooka Stork Park File:20130507 takeda castle 10.jpg, Takeda Castle

Festivals and events

*Miyuki Street New Year's midnight traditional sale, Himeji *Nishinomiya Shrine's Ebisu Festival in January *Yanagihara Ebisu Festival in January, Kobe *Tada Shrine's Genji Festival in April, Kawanishi *Kobe Festival and Parade in May *Aioi Peron Festival in May *Himeji

Yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. Originally worn as bathrobes, their modern use is much broader, and are a common sight in Japan during summer. Though are traditi ...

Festival in June *Dekansho Bon Dancing Festival in August, Sasayama *Nada Fighting Festival, Himeji *Kobe Luminarie in December *Ako Chushingura Parade

Transportation

Rail

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and i ...

** San'yō Shinkansen ** JR Kobe Line ** Wadamisaki Line ** San'yō Main Line ** San'in Line ** Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line) **

Kakogawa Line The is a railway line in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), which connects the cities of Kakogawa and Tamba. The line begins at Kakogawa Station on the JR Kobe Line (Sanyō Main Line) and ends at Tan ...

** Bantan Line ** Kishin Line ** Akō Line * Hankyu Railway ** Kobe Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Itami Line ** Imazu Line ** Koyo Line ** Takarazuka Line * Nose Railway **Myoken Line **Nissei Line * Shintetsu ** Arima Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Sanda Line ** Kōen-Toshi Line ** Ao Line *

Kobe Municipal Subway The is a rapid transit system in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Like other large Japanese cities, Kobe's subway system is heavily complemented by suburban rail. In addition, two people mover lines also serve the Kobe area: the Port Island Line ...

** Seishin-Yamate Line ** Kaigan Line ** Hokushin Line *Hojo Railway (Ao-Hojo) * Hanshin Railway ** Main Line ** Kobe Kosoku Line ** Mukogawa Line ** Hanshin Nanba Line *

Sanyo Railway , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded b ...

** Main Line ** Aboshi Line * Chizu Express *

Kitakinki Tango Railway was a railway operator in Japan. The company's name, which consists of "Kitakinki" meaning northern Kinki region and "Tango" meaning Tango Province, is occasionally abbreviated as KTR. KTR was a so-called "third sector" company jointly funded by ...

** Miyazu Line

People movers

* Kobe New Transit **

Port Liner The , commonly known as is an urban automated guideway transit (AGT) system in Kobe, Japan, operated by Kobe New Transit. Opened in 1981, the Port Liner was the world's first driverless urban transit system, a few years ahead of the VAL syst ...

** Rokkō Liner

Road

Expressways

Chūgoku Expressway The (part of Asian Highway Network ) is an expressway in Japan, which extends from Suita, Osaka to Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It connects Kansai and Chūgoku regions in western Honshu, Japan's main island. Other major cities along the expressw ...

* San'yō Expressway *Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway * Meishin Expressway *Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway *Bantan Expressway *Second Shinmei road * Hanshin Expressway

National highways

*Route 2 *Route 9 *Route 28 *Route 29 *Route 43 *Route 171 *Route 173 *Route 174 (Sannomiya-Kobe Port) *Route 175 *Route 176 *Route 178 *Route 179 *Route 250 *Route 312 *Route 372 *Route 373 *Route 426 *Route 427 *Route 428 *Route 429 *Route 436 *Route 477 *Route 482 *Route 483

Ports

* Kobe Port – Mainly international container hub port * Akashi Port * Shikama Port – Mainly Shōdo Island route ferry

Airport

Kobe Airport is an airport on an artificial island just off the coast of Kobe, south of Sannomiya StationAIS Japan
Konotori Tajima Airport

Notable people

* Ume Aoki, manga artist * Mana Ashida, child actress from

* Koichi Domoto, singer of

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. KinKi Kids was formed in 1993 and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 million physical copies sold, they are one of ...

* Heath, musician, singer-songwriter and bassist of X Japan is from

Hiro Fujiwara is a Japanese Mangaka, manga artist. The manga artist was once active under her previous pen name, at the end of the 1990s, but has abandoned the name after she won the Best Rookie award in the LMS for ''Kaeri Michi, Yuki no Netsu''. Her firs ...

, manga artist * Miracle Hikaru, comedian and impersonator is from Toyooka *

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese educator, athlete, and the founder of Judo. Along with Ju-Jutsu, Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic sport. Pedagogical in ...

, founder of the martial art Judo * Jun, musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist of Phantasmagoria is from

* Shinji Kagawa, footballer from

Tomoya Kanki , better known mononymously as Tomoya, is a Japanese musician and drummer of the band One Ok Rock. Although not an original member, he has appeared on every One Ok Rock album. Tomoya attended ESP Musical Academy where one of his lecturers who wa ...

, drummer of One Ok Rock * Takumi Kawanishi (J-pop idol singer and dancer, member of JO1) *

Tomomi Ogawa , known for both her full name or by her stage name Tomomi, is a Japanese musician, singer and songwriter. She serves as the bassist and a vocalist (in their earlier years she used to share lead vocals with Haruna) of the Japanese rock band Scanda ...

, bassist of Scandal *

Itzuki Yamazaki is a retired Japanese professional wrestler who is best known as one half of the tag team Jumping Bomb Angels with Noriyo Tateno. Debuting in 1981, she worked with All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, World Champions ...

, professional wrestler from Ieshima * Kaoru, guitarist of Dir En Grey *

Ayaka Kimura , born October 30, 1981 and known professionally as , is a Japanese actress and former singer. From 1998 to 2008, Nagate was part of Hello! Project as a member of the Japan-based girl group Coconuts Musume. History Nagate joined Hello! Proj ...

, actress, former singer of Coconuts Musume is from Kobe * Keiko Kitagawa, actress from

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The serie ...

and Buzzer Beat was born in Kobe *

Miho Komatsu is a former Japanese singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Kobe, Japan, Komatsu began her career as a songwriter, writing "Kono Machi de Kimi to Kurashitai" for Field of View. In May 1997, she released her debut single " Nazo", which served ...

, singer and songwriter from

* Yūji Kuroiwa, politician from

, current governor of

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

Kamui Kobayashi is a Japanese professional racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) and in the Super Formula Championship for KCMG . He previously competed in Formula One, Formula E, the GP2 Series, an ...

, former Sauber and Toyota Racing driver from

* Chisa Maekawa, singer of Girl Next Door *

Kiyomatsu Matsubara was a Japanese marine biologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Born Kiyomatsu Sakamoto in Hyogo Prefecture, Kiyomatsu Matsubara was the first professor of the Department of Fisheries of the University of Kyoto and is considered to be the f ...

, ichthyologist, herpetologist and marine biologist * Aya Matsuura, singer is from Himeji *

Ryuto Kazuhara is a Japanese singer and dancer. He is a vocalist of the Japanese all-male dance and music group Generations from Exile Tribe. Ryuto is represented with LDH. Biography To achieve his dream of becoming a singer, Ryuto dropped out of high scho ...

, vocalist of Generations from Exile Tribe is from

* Mina Myoui – American-born Japanese singer of South Korean group Twice. Raised in

* Hiro Matsushita – Businessman, former driver in

Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ...

series. Chairman of Swift Engineering &

Swift Xi Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, a ...

* Miyavi, musician, although born in Konohana-ku, Osaka grew up in Kawanishi *

Minako Nishiyama is a Japanese contemporary artist whose works have dealt with cultures, customs, and the representations of young females in Japanese media and popular culture. Her work is identified with an initial stage of the artistic transformation of post-m ...

, contemporary artist * Masamune Shirow,

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

artist was born in Kobe *

So Taguchi is a Japanese former outfielder. After ten seasons with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball, he played eight years in Major League Baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, followed by a final ...

, outfielder for the

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Masahiro Tanaka is a Japanese professional baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). From 2007 through 2013, he played for the Eagles in NPB. Tanaka was posted by the Eagles after the 2013 season to be ...

, pitcher for the

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* Nagaru Tanigawa, creator of the '' Haruhi Suzumiya'' series was born in Kinki * Tsuneko Taniuchi, contemporary performance artist * Fumito Ueda, video game creator of ''

Ico is an action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002 in various regions. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ued ...

'', ''

Shadow of the Colossus ''Shadow of the Colossus'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who ent ...

'', and ''

The Last Guardian ''The Last Guardian'' is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and GenDesign and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Players control a boy who befriends a giant half-bird, half-mammal creature, ...

'' *

Juri Ueno is a Japanese actress. She first gained recognition in the 2005 film ''Swing Girls'' where she was a recipient of Newcomer of the Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. Ueno achieved mainstream success for playing the titular role in the live ...

, Japanese Academy Award-winning actress best known for her performances in '' Swing Girls'' and the live-action adaptation of '' Nodame Cantabile'', is from Kakogawa * Shota Yasuda, guitarist of Kanjani Eight is from Amagasaki * Piko, musician, Vocaloid singer born in Kobe, Hyōgo

Sister regions

Hyogo entered a sister state relationship with

Washington state Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a U.S. state, state in the Northwestern United States, Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first President of the United States, U.S. p ...

in the United States on October 22, 1963, the first such arrangement between Japan and the United States. In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Hyogo and the state of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement in 1992, the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

.Hyogo.com.au

Notes

Citations

General references

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''
Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. . .

External links

Official Hyōgo prefecture homepage

Hyōgo prefecture tourist guide

Hyōgo Business & Cultural Center

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyogo Prefecture Kansai region Prefectures of Japan