was a

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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

located in the Japanese Prefecture of

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

from 1878 to 1893 and then in the Prefecture of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

until 1970. In 1878, the Meiji government made the first step to introduce modern administrative divisions on the municipal level: The districts (''gun'') were created from the pre-modern districts (''gun'' or ''kōri'') with their towns and villages. The old Tama District of

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

was divided into four parts: Eastern Tama ( Higashitama) became part of Tokyo Prefecture and the three other districts of Northern Tama (Kitatama), Southern Tama ( Minamitama) and Western Tama (

Nishitama is a district located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It comprises the village of Hinohara and the following three towns: * Hinode *Mizuho *Okutama * Historically, the cities of Ōme, Fussa, Hamura, and Akiruno were parts of Nishitama District but ...

) part of Kanagawa Prefecture. In 1889 when the modern cities, towns and villages were incorporated, the communities of Northern Tama were organized into 39 municipalities: the town (initially ''-eki'', became ''machi'' in 1893) of

Fuchū Fuchū may refer to: Current settlements *Fuchū, Tokyo, a city in Tokyo *Fuchū, Hiroshima, a city in Hiroshima Prefecture *Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), a town in Hiroshima Prefecture * , a former town (1889–2005) in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, which ...

where the district government was set up, the towns of

Chōfu is a Cities of Japan, city in the western side of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km2. the total area of the city is . Geography Chōfu is approximately ...

and Tanashi and 37 villages. Four years later, in 1893, the three Western Tama districts were transferred from Kanagawa to Tokyo. In the 1920s the district government was, like all in the country, dissolved and Kitatama District became mostly a geographical name though it is still used for certain administrative purposes – for example, four electoral districts for the prefectural parliament still bear the name ''Kitatama'' and follow the former district borders. In the 1930s and 1940s many villages in the district were elevated to towns, and beginning in 1936 when Kinuta and Chitose (in the present-day special ward of

Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the '' Ze ...

) were integrated into

city the district started to lose territory. In 1940,

Tachikawa file:Autumn colors in Showa memorial park.jpg, 250px, Showa Memorial Park is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 househ ...

became a city and after World War II, large parts of the district followed when the cities of Musashino, Mitaka, Chōfu,

Koganei is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 123,698 in 61,832 households. The total area of the city is so the population density is about 11,000 persons per km². Geograph ...

, Fuchū, Kokubunji, Akishima,

Kodaira is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,207 in 93,654 households, and a population density of 9500 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Kodai ...

and

Higashimurayama is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,275, and a population density of 8700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Higashimurayama is located o ...

were created. By 1967, Kitatama District only consisted of five towns and it ceased to exist in 1970 when the remaining area was consolidated into the cities of Komae, Kiyose, Higashikurume,

and

Musashimurayama is a city located in the west of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 72,021 in 32,234 households, and a population density of 4,700 people per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Musashimurayama is ...

External links

Historical administrative divisions: Tokyo/Kanagawa/Musashi, Kitatama District
{{authority control History of Tokyo Geography of Tokyo Districts in Kanagawa Prefecture