was a former

rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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

Akita is a Japanese name and may refer to: Places * 8182 Akita, a main-belt asteroid * Akita Castle, a Nara period fortified settlement in Akita, Japan * Akita Domain, also known as Kubota Domain, feudal domain in Edo period Japan * Akita, Kumamoto, ...

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 ...

. On October 1, 2005, its remaining components, the towns of Kawabe and Yūwa merged into the city of

, upon which Kawabe District was dissolved and ceased to exist as an administrative unit. As of 2003 (before the merger), the district had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 18,264 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 40.99 persons per km². The total area was 445.57 km².

History

The area of Kawabe District was formerly 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 ...

, which was divided into the provinces of

Ugo Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Akita Prefecture and some parts of Yamagata Prefecture (specifically Akumi District).Newland, Amy Reigle. (2005). ''The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints,'' p. 428. It was sometimes calle ...

and

Uzen Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Yamagata Prefecture (consisting mostly minus Akumi District). Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Ōmi''" in . It was sometimes called , with Ugo Province. This province was in the Tōhoku region ...

following 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 ...

on January 19, 1869, with the area of Kawabe becoming part of Ugo Province. At the time, the area consisted of 59 villages all of which were formerly under the control of

Kubota Domain was a feudal domain in Edo period Japan, located in Dewa Province (modern-day Akita Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Kubota Castle in what is now the city of Akita and was thus also known as the . It was governed for the whole of its histo ...

. Akita Prefecture was founded on December 13, 1871. file:Akita Kawabe-gun 1889.png, left, Historic Kawabe District – 1.Ushijima 2.Araya 3.Hamada 4.Toyoiwa 5. Niida 6.Yotsugoya 7.Kawazoe 8.Nakagawa 9.Toyoshima 10.Wada 11.Funaoka 12.Iwamisannai 13.Kami-Kitade 14.Shimo-Kitade Purple：Akita City Light Blue：to Daisen City With the establishment of the municipality system on April 1, 1889, Kawabe District, with 14 villages was established. Ushijima and Araya were raised to town status in 1896, but Ushijima was annexed by the city of Akita in 1924. Wada was raised to town status in 1935, but Araya was absorbed into the city of Akita in 1941. On April 1, 1948 - Kawabe District acquired the village of Taishodera (from Yuri District). Kawabe was raised to town status on March 31, 1955, followed by Yūwa on April 1, 1972. On January 11, 2005, the towns of Kawabe and Yūwa were merged into the expanded city of Akita. Kawabe District was dissolved as a result of this merger. Kawabe District Assembly

{{Authority control Former districts of Akita Prefecture