The is a large

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

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 ...

that stretches from the Mino area of southwest

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, ...

to the Owari area of northwest

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

, covering an area of approximately .Topography and Geology of the Nobi Plain
Soki Yamamoto (

Rissho University , one of the oldest universities in Japan, was founded in 1580, when a seminary was established as a learning center for young monks of the Nichiren shu. The university's name came from the Rissho Ankoku Ron, a thesis written by Nichiren, a ...

). Accessed November 23, 2007. It is an

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the smal ...

created by the

Kiso Three Rivers The refers to the three major rivers that make up the alluvial plain area of the Nōbi Plain of Japan. The three rivers are the Kiso River, the Ibi River and the Nagara River. Given their location, they are sometimes referred to as the Nōbi Th ...

(the Ibi, Kiso and Nagara rivers) and has very fertile soil. It is bordered on the west by the Ibuki and

Yōrō was a after ''Reiki'' and before '' Jinki.'' This period spanned the years from November 717 through February 724. The reigning empress was . Change of era * 717 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previou ...

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

s, and to the east by the Owari Hills. Its northern border is marked by the Ryōhaku Mountains and the south by

Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: ...

Geography

Nobi Plain and Nagoya from Mount Sanpo 2008-9-24

The downstream areas of the three areas are located in Aichi Prefecture and constitute a vast

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...

, with the level of the land sometimes dipping below

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. Because the water levels can change rapidly due to storms, there was often much water damage throughout history, leading to many distinct cultural habits, such as municipalities surrounded by earthen rings (e.g. Wanouchi, Gifu Prefecture). The modern cities of Tsushima and

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

were built on low-level

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

s to ward off water damage and flourished as a result. The Yōrō Fault is located on the edge of the Nōbi Plains and is the cause of the Yōrō Mountain Range.

Sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

from the three rivers forms the eastern edge of the plain, which easily shows the declination of the area. The declination is called the Nōbi Tilt (濃尾傾動運動 ''Nōbi Keidō Undō''). The Neodani Fault running through the central part of the Nōbi Plain was the cause of the

1891 Mino–Owari earthquake The struck the Japanese provinces of Mino and Owari (present-day Gifu Prefecture) in the Nōbi Plain in the early morning of October 28 with a surface wave magnitude of 8.0 and moment magnitude of 7.5. The event, also referred to as the , the ...

, one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan's mainland. The plain was also devastated by the 1586 Tenshō earthquake, where 8,000 people died.

Major cities

;Aichi Prefecture :

Ichinomiya is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14. The term gave rise ...

, Kasugai, Komaki, Inuyama, Kōnan, Iwakura, Inazawa, Tsushima ;Gifu Prefecture :

Gifu is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku p ...

, Ōgaki,

Kakamigahara is a city located in southern Gifu Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,225, and a population density of 1700 persons per km2, in 59,736 households. The total area of the city was . Situated in the northern part o ...

, Hashima

References

Plains of Japan Landforms of Gifu Prefecture Landforms of Aichi Prefecture Tourist attractions in Gifu Prefecture Tourist attractions in Aichi Prefecture {{aichi-geo-stub

Geography

Major cities

See also

References