Map showing original extent of Shimohei District in Iwate Prefecture

colored area=original extent in Meiji period; green=present area 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rural district A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom.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 ...

, in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

of northern Japan. , the district has an estimated population of 29,559 and a population density of 20 persons per km². The total area is 1,481.02 km². Much of the city of Miyako was formerly within the district. There are two towns and two villages within the district. *

Iwaizumi is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 8,006, and a population density of 8.1 persons per km² in 4123 households. The total area of the town is . History The area of present-day Iwaizumi was part of the a ...

* Yamada * Fudai * Tanohata

History

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 ...

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 ...

, the district was within Mutsu Province and was under the control of the

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 ...

. In 1869, 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 ...

, Mutsu Province was divided, with the area of Hei District becoming part of Rikuchū Province, and from 1872, part of Iwate Prefecture. On January 4, 1879, Hei District was divided into five districts (Kitahei, Higashihei, Nishihei, Nakahei and Minamihei. However, on April 1, 1897, the three districts of Kitahei, Higashihei and Nakahei were merged to form Shimohei District, which was then reorganized into three towns (Miyako, Kuwagasaki and Yamada) and 25 villages. file: Iwate ShimoHei-gun 1889.png, 1. Miyako; 2. Kuwagasaki; 3.Yamada 4. Sakiyama; 5. Taro; 6. Yamaguchi; 7. Sentoku; 8. Hanawa; 9. Moichi: 10. Kariya; 11. Sokei; 12. Tsugaruishi; 13. Omoe; 14. Toyomane; 15. Osawa; 16. Orikasa; 17. Funagoshi: 21. Omoto; 22. Tanohata; 23. Fudai; 24. Iwaizumi; 25. Ugei; 26. Akka; 27. Kogawa; 28. Ogawa; 31. Kawai; 32. Kadoma; 33. Oguni; Purple = Miyako City; Orange= Yamada Town; Pink = Iwaizumi Town; Blue = no change

Subsequent timeline

* August 1, 1922 - The village of Iwaizumi elevated to town status (4 towns, 24 villages) * April 1, 1924 - The towns of Miyako and Kuwgasaki merged. (3 towns, 24 villages) * February 11, 1924 - The town of Miyako merged with the villages of Sokei, Yamaguchi and Sentoku, and elevated to city status. (2 towns, 21 villages) * April 1, 1941 - The village of Taro was elevated to town status. (3 towns, 20 villages) * February 1, 1955 - The village of Kariya and Moichi merged to form the village of Niisato. (3 towns, 19 villages) * March 1, 1955 - The villages of Osawa, Orikasa, Toyomane and Funakoshi merged into the town of Yamada. (3 towns, 15 villages) * April 1, 1955 - The villages of Sakiyama, Omoe, Tsugaruishi, Funakoshi merged with the city of Miyako (3 towns, 11 villages) * July 1, 1955 - The villages of Kawai, Koguni and Kadoma merge to form the village of Kawai. (3 towns, 9 villages) * September 30, 1956 - The villages of Akka, Ugei, Okawa and Omoto merged with the town of Iwaizumi. (3 towns, 5 villages) *April 1, 1957 – The village of Kogawa merged with the town of Iwaizmi (3 towns, 4 villages) * June 6, 2005: The town of Tarō and village of Niisato merged with the city of Miyako. (2 towns, 3 villages) * January 1, 2010: The village of Kawai merged with the city of Miyako . (2 towns, 2 villages)

References

{{Authority control Districts in Iwate Prefecture