is a
prefecture
A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''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 inter ...
of Japan located on the island of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 669,516 (1 April 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,103
km2 (2,742
sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders
Ehime Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...
to the northwest and
Tokushima Prefecture to the northeast.
Kōchi is the capital and largest city of Kōchi Prefecture, with other major cities including
Nankoku,
Shimanto, and
Kōnan. Kōchi Prefecture is located on Japan's
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
coast surrounding a large
bay in the south of Shikoku, with the southernmost point of the island located at
Cape Ashizuri
is a headland at the southernmost tip of the Japanese island of Shikoku, in the Municipalities of Japan, city of Tosashimizu, Kōchi, Tosashimizu, Kōchi Prefecture. The promontory extends into the Pacific Ocean and is situated within Ashizuri-Uw ...
in
Tosashimizu. Kōchi Prefecture is home to
Kōchi Castle, considered the most intact
Japanese castle
are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such a ...
, and the
Shimanto River, one of the few
undammed rivers in Japan.
History
Antiquity
Before the Ritsuryō System
In the
Kujiki, first recorded governments in Kōchi Prefecture were Hata (in the west) and Tosa (in the center). Hata was established first, so it is thought that it had more influence and contact with the
Yamato court. Written records from this time period are sparse, however it is believed that the first governors of Hata and Tosa were from the
Kamo clan based in modern Osaka.
After the Ritsuryō System
In the
Nihon Shoki, the first report from an
official
An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...
in the Kōchi region described the damages caused by the
684 Hakuhō earthquake. From this report, it can be inferred that by 684 at the latest, the
Tosa Province (a predecessor to modern-day Kōchi Prefecture) had been established. The first report from a named official was written by Hiketa no Mushiro in 743.
Up until the
Genpei War
The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...
, 106 governors were appointed to govern the Tosa Province. Eventually, like many other provinces Tosa also was appointed absentee governors, given additional rights, and began amassing wealth. Due to being located far from the capital, many prisoners were exiled to the Tosa Province.
Middle ages
Kamakura period
The
Kamakura Shogunate was established at the end of the 12th century. Since Tosa Province was allied to the winning Minamoto Clan in the Genpei War, it quickly fell under the influence of the shogunate. Kajiwara Tomokage was appointed as the first military governor of the Tosa Province. Eventually, the
Hōjō Clan began serving as the military governor for the province.
Muromachi period
After the fall of the Kamakura Shoguante,
Ashikaga Takauji
also known as Minamoto no Takauji was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate."Ashikaga Takauji" in ''Encyclopædia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. ...
was defeated in battle and forced to retreat to Kyushu. Shikoku Island later fell under the control of the
Hosokawa Clan.
Kōchi Prefecture was historically known as
Tosa Province and was controlled by the
Chōsokabe clan in the
Sengoku period and the
Yamauchi clan during 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 ...
.
Kōchi city is also the birthplace of noted revolutionary
Sakamoto Ryōma, who became one of the main instigators of 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 ...
.
Geography
Kōchi Prefecture comprises the southwestern part of the island of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
, facing the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. It is bordered by
Ehime to the north-west and
Tokushima
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...
to the north-east. It is the largest but least populous of Shikoku's four prefectures. Most of the province is mountainous, and in only a few areas such as around Kōchi and
Nakamura is there a coastal plain. Kōchi is famous for its many rivers.
Inamura-yama in Tosa-cho is the highest peak in Kōchi prefecture with an
altitude
Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...
of 1,506 meters
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
.
Kōchi Prefecture has the highest percentage of land covered in mountains out of all Japanese prefectures at 89% with the national average being 66%. The highest peak in Kōchi Prefecture is
Mt. Miune at 1,894 meters (the highest peak in Kōchi Prefecture is Tebakoyama at 1,806 meters). Due to its location in the Shimanto Group geological area, Kōchi Prefecture has many sedimentary rocks and is prone to landslides. Kōchi Prefecture has many rivers such as the
Shimanto River in the western part of the prefecture,
Niyodo River flowing from
Mount Ishizuchi into the
Tosa Bay, and
Yoshino River flowing into
Tokushima Prefecture.
Historically, Kōchi Prefecture has not suffered from a lack of water, however
river management has been a consistent issue. In the early
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 ...
, samurai Nonaka Kenzan oversaw large scale improvements to the
Tosa Domain's major rivers. Modern Kōchi Prefecture is known for its river management and minimal water damage despite receiving a large amount of rainfall.
The
Kuroshio Current
The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...
flows by Kōchi Prefecture's coast. The climate of Kōchi Prefecture is heavily influenced by the Kuroshio Current. Even during the winter the water is still warm, and causes frequent
typhoons
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
. Kōchi Prefecture experiences the 2nd most typhoons out of all the Japanese prefectures after
Kagoshima Prefecture.
The 1934 Muroto Typhoon was especially notorious, with the lowest central pressure of any recorded typhoon in Japan at 911.6 hPa when it made landfall on the Muroto Cape. The Ashizuri and Muroto capes are known for their strong winds.
As of April 1, 2012, 7% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as
Natural Parks, namely the
Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park
is a List of Japanese national parks, national park at the southwestern tip of the island of Shikoku, Japan. The park is spread over small areas on the western side of Shikoku in Ehime Prefecture, Ehime and Kōchi Prefecture, Kōchi prefectures. ...
;
Ishizuchi,
Muroto-Anan Kaigan, and
Tsurugisan Quasi-National Parks; and eighteen Prefectural Natural Parks.
Cities
Eleven cities are located in Kōchi Prefecture:
File:Kochi Japan.jpg, Kōchi City
File:Okouzyou02.jpg, Nankoku City
File:SHIMANTO CITY.jpg, Shimanto City
File:Susaki city view.jpg, Susaki City
File:手結漁港 - panoramio.jpg, Kōnan City
File:Sukumo-Station-square-rotary.jpg, Sukumo City
Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
:
File:いの町新町付近 - panoramio.jpg, Ino Town
File:くろ鉄奈半利駅からの眺め・南向き - panoramio.jpg, Nahari Town
File:Irino no Matsubara, enkei.jpg, Kuroshio Town
File:土佐あかうしの放牧.jpg, Motoyama Town
File:Yokokurayama07.jpg, Ochi Town
Mergers
Tourism
*
Aki Castle and samurai's residence district called ''Doi Kachū''
*
Anpanman Museum
*
Godaisan
*
Katsurahama
*
Katsurahama Aquarium
*
Kōchi Castle, one of only 12 original castles left in Japan
*
Kōchi Prefectural Museum of History, Historical Museum located on Okō Castle
*
Muroto Schoolhouse Aquarium
*
Okō Castle
was a Japanese castle structure located in what is now part of the city of Nankoku, Kōchi, Nankoku Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It was the original base of power for the Chōsokabe clan who were feudal lords of Tosa Province during the late Murom ...
,
Chōsokabe clan's prime castle ruins.
*
Ryūga Cave, one of Japan's top three caves
*
Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Museum
*
Shimanto River, the only undammed river in Japan
Media
Various movies have been set in Kōchi. These include the following:
The 1993 ''
Studio Ghibli'' movie
Ocean Waves (Umi ga Kikoeru).
The 2009 movie ''
The Harimaya Bridge'' starring
Danny Glover.
The 2013 movie Hospitality Department (Kencho Omotenashi Ka),
which shows views of Kōchi Prefecture.
The 2021 movie
Belle (Ryū to Sobakasu no Hime).
Culture
Food
Like most areas of Japan, Kōchi advertises itself as specializing in a major food item, often known as ''
meibutsu
is a Japanese language, Japanese term most often applied to regional specialties (also known as ).
can also be applied to specialized areas of interest, such as , where it refers to famous tea utensils, or Japanese swords, where it refers to sp ...
''. Kōchi's is
katsuo no tataki – skipjack tuna or
bonito which is lightly seared.
Traditionally this is done over the straw generated as a by-product of the rice harvest.
Sawachi is a term which refers to "a style of meal" in Kochi prefecture, according to Kochi-City Tourism Association. It says that the characteristic of the style of eating is "its freeness in the arrangement of food on a large dish" People eat Sawachi in the situation of "Enkai" which refers to a gathering of family, friends and relatives. They surround "Sawachi", feasts on large dishes, and take own portions by themselves. The style represents the cultural climate of Kochi Prefecture, which dislikes formal arrangements and respects freedom.
Festival and events
;Festival
*
Yosakoi Festival - Yosakoi (よさこい) is a unique style of dance that originated in Japan and that is performed at festivals and events all over the country.
Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Kōchi.
;Baseball
*
Kōchi Fighting Dogs
;Football
*
Kōchi United SC
See also
*
Tosa Domain
The was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Tosa Province in what is now Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Kōchi Castle, and was ruled throughout its ...
Notes
References
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou.
The pres ...
.
OCLC 58053128
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kochi Prefecture
Shikoku region
Prefectures of Japan