is a

rural district A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. I ...

Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. From 2005, the district consists only of the town of

Ōtsuchi An is a large wooden war mallet used by the samurai class of feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago. The Jōmon period, named after its cord- ...

, which as of June 1, 2019 had an estimated population of 11,106 with a density of 55.4 per km² and an area of 200.42 km². The entire city of Tōno, and all of the city of

Kamaishi is a city located on the Sanriku rias coast in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 32,609, and a population density of 74 persons per km2, in 16,230 households. The total area of the city is Geography Kamaishi is ...

with the exception of the village of Tōni were formerly part of Kamihei District.

Towns and villages

The district consists of one town: *

History

Under Mutsu Province

Hei District was one of the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

districts of Mutsu Province under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

and was completely under the control of

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese clan, 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 Ge ...

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 ...

. 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, on January 4, 1879 Hei District came under Rikuchū Province and was divided into four parts. With the establishment of the municipality system, Nishihei District was organized with one town (Tōno) and 10 villages, and Minamihei District consisted of two towns (Kamaishi and Ōtsuchi) and four villages.

Subsequent timeline

*April 1, 1897 – Nishihei and Minamihei Districts merged to form Kamihei District (3 towns, 14 villages) *May 5, 1937 - The town of Kamaishi was elevated to town status. (2 towns, 14 villages) *December 1, 1954 - The villages of Ayaori, Otomo, Matsuzaki, Tsukimoushi, Tsuchibuchi, Aozasa, and Kamigō merged into the city of Tono. (1 towns, 7 villages) *February 11, 1955 - The villages of Miyamori, Masuzawa and Tassobe merged to form the village of Miyamori. (1 town, 5 villages) *April 1, 1955 - The villages of Unosumai, Kurihashi and Kashi, and the village of Tōni from Kesen District were merged with Kamaishi. (1 town, 2 villages) *April 1, 1955 - The village of Kanazawa merged with Ōtsuchi. (1 town, 1 village) *October 1, 2005 - The village of Miyamori merged into the expanded city of Tōno. (1 town)

References

{{Authority control Districts in Iwate Prefecture