is a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

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 ...

located in the

Chūgoku region The , also known as the region, is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In 2010, it had a population of 7,563,428. History '' ...

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 separ ...

. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479

km² Square kilometre ( International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square kilometer (American spelling), symbol km2, is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. 1 km2 is equ ...

(3,274

sq mi The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...

). Hiroshima Prefecture borders

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, 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 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

to the east,

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, Hirosh ...

to the northeast,

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

to the north, and

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

to the southwest.

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

is the capital and largest city of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region, with other major cities including Fukuyama,

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

, and

Higashihiroshima is a Cities of Japan, city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of July 31. 2016 the city has an estimated population of 185,418 and a population density of 291.85 persons per km2. The total area is 635.32 km2. Higashihiroshima is a c ...

. Hiroshima Prefecture is located on the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...

across from the island of

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

, and is bounded to the north by the

Chūgoku Mountains is a mountain range in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. It runs in an east–west direction and stretches approximately from Hyōgo Prefecture in the east to the coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The range also reaches under the Pacific Ocean ...

. Hiroshima Prefecture is one of the three prefectures of Japan with more than one

UNESCO 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 h ...

History

The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and

Aki Province or Geishū () was a province in the Chūgoku Region of western Honshū, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture. History When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province (one for male Buddhist prie ...

. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded history. Hiroshima is a traditional center of the Chūgoku region and was the seat of the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power ...

until the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

. Together with

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Hiroshima is one of the three prefectures with more than one

. The two such sites in Hiroshima Prefecture are: * The Atomic Dome in Hiroshima, one of the few remnants of prewar Hiroshima following the atomic bombing in 1945; * The

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto jinja (shrine), shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima, Hiroshima, Miyajima), best known for its "floating" ''torii'' gate.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"''Itsukushima-jinja''"in ''Japa ...

Miyajima may refer to: Places * Miyajima, another name for the Japanese island Itsukushima * Miyajima, Hiroshima, a former town on this island, merged into Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The name derives from a m ...

, famed for filling with water and appearing to "float" during high tide.

Geography

Hiroshima prefecture lies in the middle of Japan . Most of the prefecture consists of mountains leading towards

; and rivers produce rich plains near the coast. The province faces

across the

Hiroshima Bay is a bay in the Inland Sea, Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hiroshima Wan" in . Administratively, the bay is divided between Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures. The bay's shore is a Ria. Its surface area is about 1,000 km², ...

opens on the

Inland Sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland se ...

. The prefecture also includes many small islands. The sheltered nature of the Inland Sea makes Hiroshima's climate very mild. As of 1 April 2014, 4% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks (the lowest percentage of any prefecture), namely

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 ...

; Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and six Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Fourteen cities are located in Hiroshima Prefecture:

Towns

These are the towns in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Mergers

Economy

Hiroshima's main industries include automobiles (

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

is headquartered there) and tourism in two

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 h ...

s: the A-Bomb dome and

. Components of the economy are primary industry, secondary industry, and tertiary industry, which compose 0.6%, 32.6%, and 66.2% in 2015. There is 0.6% of unclassified production. Value of production of manufacturing is 10,343 billion yen in 2016, which is the 10th largest in Japan. After 2012, production of manufacturing is continuously increasing in 2015.

Education

University

Elisabeth University of Music is a Jesuit university in Hiroshima, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1948. It was chartered as a university in 1963. History Belgian Jesuit Father Ernest Goossens began a music classroom for youths right after the devasta ...

* Fukuyama City University *

Fukuyama Heisei University is a private university in Fukuyama, Hiroshima is a city located on the Ashida River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of September 30, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 468,812 and a population density of 904.80 persons per km2. ...

Fukuyama University is a private university in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan, established in 1975. Partner Universities *Bulgaria Sofia University University of Veliko Turnovo *China University of International Business Economics Capital Normal University Guizhou N ...

Hijiyama University is a private university in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 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 Ja ...

* Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen University *

Hiroshima Bunkyo Women's University is a private university in Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, Asakita, Hiroshima, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1948 by Miki Takeda. It was chartered as a junior women's college in 1962 and became a four-year college in 1966. In 2019, th ...

Hiroshima City University is a public university at Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 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 ...

* Hiroshima Institute of Technology *

Hiroshima Jogakuin University is a private women's college in Asaminami, Hiroshima, 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 ...

* Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin University *

Hiroshima Shudo University is a private university in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The predecessor of the school, Hiroshima Domain's Han school, was founded in 1725. It was chartered as a junior college in 1952 and became a four-year college in 1960. ...

Hiroshima University of Economics is a private university in Hiroshima city, 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 Japa ...

Hiroshima University is a Japanese national university located in Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima, Japan. Established in 1929, it was chartered as a university in 1949 following the merge of a number of national educational institutions. History Under the Nationa ...

Japan Coast Guard Academy The (JCGA) is a university-level service academy established within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for the purpose of training students to become Coast guard officers. It is located in Kure, Hiroshima prefecture ...

Onomichi City University is a municipal university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, ...

Prefectural University of Hiroshima is a public university in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, established in 2005. It has three campuses, located in these cities: * Hiroshima (in the Wards of Japan, Ward of Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Minami) * Shōbara * Mihara, Hiroshima, Mihara Externa ...

Yasuda Women's University is a private women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some ...

Religion

Similar to the rest of Japan, most people in the Hiroshima Prefecture are

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. in 1996 51.2% of the population was Buddhist, 2 were affiliated with Shinto Sects, 44.8% practiced Folk Shinto, and 2% were Christian.

Transportation

Railway

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 ...

Sanyo Shinkansen , 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 by ...

Sanyo Main Line , 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 ...

Kabe Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) within the city of Hiroshima in Japan. It connects Hiroshima Station and Aki-Kameyama Station in Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, Asakita-ku. The actual junction station is Yokogawa S ...

Kure Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) within Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. It begins at Mihara Station in Mihara and terminates at Kaitaichi Station in Kaita. It is one of the main lines of JR West. The secti ...

Geibi Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region in Japan. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi St ...

Fukuen Line The is a railway line in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Fukuyama Station in Fukuyama to Miyoshi Station in Miyoshi. Stations Former connecting lines * Sankō Line (closed 1 ...

Ibara Railway The is Japanese railway line between Sōja Station, Sōja and Kannabe Station, Fukuyama. This is the only railway line operates. History Japanese National Railways started the construction of the line in 1966, but financial constraints halted ...

People movers

Astram Line , also known as the , is a rubber-tired transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan. Astram opened on August 20, 1994, for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The line connects central Hiroshima and Hiroshima Big Arc ...

Skyrail Service The is a monorail/people mover line operated by Skyrail Service. The line runs between Midoriguchi and Midori-Chūō, all within the new town called ''Skyrail Town Midorizaka'', Aki, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan. The line is officially called . T ...

Streetcars

Hiroshima Electric Railway is a Japanese transportation company established on June 18, 1910, that operates streetcars and buses in and around Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known as for short. The company's rolling stock includes an eclectic range of trams manufactur ...

Roads

Expressways

* Chugoku Expressway *

Sanyo Expressway , 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 ...

* Shimanami Expressway *Hamada Expressway *Onomichi Expressway *

Hiroshima Expressway (West Nippon Expressway Company) The is a national expressway in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company. Naming The expressway is officially referred to as the Chūgoku-Ōdan Expressway Hiroshima Hamada Route. The Chūgoku-Ōda ...

Hiroshima Expressway (urban expressway) The is a network of urban expressways serving the greater Hiroshima area in Japan. It is owned and managed by Hiroshima Expressway Public Corporation is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population ...

National highways

* Route 2 * Route 31 * Route 54 *Route 182 *Route 183 *Route 185 *Route 186 *Route 191 *Route 261 *Route 313 *Route 314 *Route 317 *Route 375 *Route 432 *Route 433 *Route 434 *Route 486 *Route 487 *Route 488

Ports

*Kure Port - Ferry route to Edajima,

Matsuyama file:Matsuyama city office Ehime prefecture Japan.jpg, 270px, Matsuyama City Hall file:Ehimekencho-20040417.JPG, 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan ...

*Hiroshima Port - Ferry route to Miyajima, Edajima, Matsuyama and

Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643

, and also International Container hub port *Mihara Port *Onomichi Port *Fukuyama Port - International Container hub port

Airports

Hiroshima Airport is an airport in the city of Mihara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Located east of Hiroshima, it is the largest airport in the Chūgoku region. History The New Hiroshima Airport was opened for public use on 29 October 1993 as a replacemen ...

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hiroshima.

Football

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the coun ...

(Hiroshima city)

Baseball

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

(Hiroshima city)

Volleyball

JT Thunders is a men's volleyball team based in Hiroshima city, Hiroshima, Japan. It plays in V.Premier League. The owner of the club is Japan Tobacco. History The club was founded in 1931 as a club of the Ministry of Finance Japan Hiroshima Monopoly ...

(Hiroshima city)

Basketball

Hiroshima Dragonflies The Hiroshima Dragonflies (広島ドラゴンフライズ) are a professional basketball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. In October 2014 they commenced competing in the Western Conference of the Japanese National Basketball League. In Septembe ...

Hiroshima Lightning The were a professional basketball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They spent one season (2015–2016) in the Western Conference of the Japanese bj league and then folded after being denied entry into the B.League, the bj league's replacement. ...

(Defunct)

Cycling

* Victoire Hiroshima

Tourism

Hiroshima Peace Memorial The , originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, , is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The ruin ...

Hiroshima Castle , sometimes called , is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan that was the residence of the '' daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima Domain. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, but was destroyed by the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. ...

Shukkei-en is a historic Japanese garden in the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum is located adjacent to the garden. History Construction began in 1620 during the Edo period at the order of Asano Nagaakira, ''daimyō'' of the ...

* Mitaki Temple *

* Momijidani Park *

Mount Misen is the sacred mountain on Itsukushima in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan, and is the highest mountain on the island at 535 m; it is situated within the World Heritage area of Itsukushima Shrine. The sea around the island ( Seto Inland Sea) and ...

* Miyajima Public Aquarium * Senkō-ji Temple * Jōdo-ji Temple * Onomichi City Museum of Art *

Fukuyama Castle , sometimes called or was the castle of the Bingo-Fukuyama Han during the Edo period of Japanese history. The castle is located in Fukuyama Park in Fukuyama, Hiroshima near Fukuyama Station. Overview The castle was built on a hill on the Fuku ...

File:厳島神社と大鳥居.JPG, Itsukushima Shrine and Torii Gate (Hatsukaichi) File:Genbaku Dome04-r.JPG, Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Hiroshima City) File:Kaisyaku-river.jpg, Taishaku Valley (Shobara) File:Shokei no michi 5.JPG, Road of longing (Shokei no michi) in Takehara on October File:Keep tower of Hiroshima Castle 20121122, 000.jpg, Hiroshima Castle File:Tomonoura08bs3200.jpg, Tomonoura (Fukuyama)

Famous festivals and events

* Onomichi Port Festival - held in April * Hiroshima Flower Festival - held from May 3 to 5 * Fukuyama Rose Festival - held in May * Enryuji Tokasan Festival - held in June * Gion Festival of Onomichi - held in July * Innoshima Water-naval Festival - held in August * Miyajima Under-water Firework Festival - held on August 14 * Yassa Festival of Mihara - held in August * Saijo Sake Festival - held in October * Onomichi Becher Festival - held on November 3 * Hiroshima Ebisu Festival - held from November 18 to 20

International sister relations

Sichuan Province Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, China *

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, United States of America

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

.
OCLC 58053128

External links

* National Archives of Japa
... Hiroshima map (1891)
* National Archives of Japan

* ttps://www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp/en/ hiroshima-navi {{Authority control Chūgoku region Prefectures of Japan