Map showing original extent of Waga District in Iwate Prefecture

colored area=original extent in Meiji period; green=present area

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rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...

, in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains a ...

of northern Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the district had an estimated population of 5,315, and a population density of 9 persons per km², the total area is 590.74 km². Parts of the cities of Kitakami,

Hanamaki is a Cities of Japan, city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 94,691, and a population density of 100 persons per km², in 37,773 households. The total area of the city is . Hanamaki is famous as the birthplace ...

and the town of

Kanegasaki is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 15,580, and a population density of 87 persons per km² in 6,155 households. The total area of the town is . In June 2001, the 34.8 hectare old centre of to ...

were formerly within the district. Since 2006, the district has been contiguous with just the town of Nishiwaga.

History

During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

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 ...

, the district was within

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 ...

and was under the control of the

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji of Kai Pr ...

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, ...

. In 1869, 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 ...

, Mutsu Province was divided, with the area of Waga District becoming part of

Rikuchū Province was an old province in the area of Iwate and Akita Prefectures. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Rikuchū''" in . It was sometimes called , with Rikuzen and Mutsu Provinces. Rikuchu covered most of modern-day Iwate Prefecture: with the ...

, and from 1872, part of Iwate Prefecture. In 1878, with the establishment of the municipalities, Waga District was administratively divided into 69 villages. On January 4, 1879, the District was divided into Higashiwaga (62 villages) and Nishiwaga (7 villages). However, on April 1, 1897, the two districts were merged and reorganized into one town (Kurosawajiri) and 16 villages, with the village of Aisari transferred to Isawa District. file:Iwate Waga-gun 1889.png, 1. Kurosawajiri; 2. Oniyanagi; 3.Iwasaki 4. Yokokawame; 5. Fujine; 6. Ezuriko; 7. Sasama; 8. Iitoyo; 9. Futago: 10. Saraki; 11. Tachibana; 12. Nakanai; 13. Taninai; 14. Junikabura; 15. Oyamada; 21. Yuda; 22. Sawauchi; Blue = Kitakami City; Pink = Hanamaki City; Orange = Nishiwaga Town; 16=Transfer to Isawa District

former Higashiwaga District

* Kurosawajiri * Sasama * Tachibana * Iitoyo * Futago * Saraki * Oniyanagi * Junikabura * Nakanai * Oyamada * Taninai * Iwasaki * Yokokawame * Fujine * Ezuriko * Aisari

former Nishiwaga District

* Yuda * Sawauchi

Subsequent history

* December 25, 1940 - The village of Junikabura renamed and gained town status to become the town of Tsuchizawa. (2 towns, 15 villages) * January 1, 1954 - The village of Tachibana merged into the town of Kurosawajiri. (2 towns, 14 villages) * April 1, 1954 - The town of Kurosawajiri and the villages of Iitoyo, Futago, Saraki, and Oniyanagi merged with the village of Aisari from Isawa District and the village of

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

from Esashi District to form the city of Kitakami. (1 town, 10 villages) * January 1, 1955 - The town of Tsuchizawa and the villages of Nakanai, Oyamada, and Taninai merged to form the town of Tōwa. (1 town, 7 villages) * April 1, 1955 - The villages of Iwasaki, Yokokawame, and Fujine merged to form the village of Waga. (1 town, 5 villages) * July 1, 1955 - The village of Sasama merged into the city of

. (1 town, 4 villages) * April 1, 1956 - The village of Waga gained town status to become the town of Waga. (2 towns, 3 villages) * August 1, 1964 - The village of Yuda gained town status to become the town of Yuda. (3 towns, 2 villages) * April 1, 1991 - The towns of Waga and the village of Ezuriko merged with the city of Kitakami. (2 towns, 1 village) * November 1, 2005 - The town of Yuda and village of Sawauchi merged to form the town of Nishiwaga. (2 town) * January 1, 2006 - The town of Tōwa merged with the towns of Ishidoriya and Ōhasama from Hienuki District with the city of Hanamaki. (1 town) {{authority control

Waga Waga ( si, වග, ta, வாகா) is an area or a cluster of villages in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Administrated by Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha (Divisional Council). It is within the Seethawaka Divisional Secretariat Division. Waga is said ...

Districts in Iwate Prefecture