List of Provinces of Japan were first-level administrative divisions of Japan from the 600s to 1868. Provinces were established in Japan in the late 7th century under the Ritsuryō law system that formed the first central government. Each province was divided into and ...

Tōsandō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. It is part of the ''Gokishichidō'' system. It was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshu, specifically th ...

> Rikuchū Province > Waga District *

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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rural district A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom.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

, in the

of northern Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the district had an estimated population of 5,315, and a population density of 9 persons per km², the total area is 590.74 km². Parts of the cities of Kitakami, Hanamaki and the town of Kanegasaki were formerly within the district. Since 2006, the district has been contiguous with just the town of Nishiwaga.

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 Waga District becoming part of Rikuchū Province, and from 1872, part of Iwate Prefecture. In 1878, with the establishment of the municipalities, Waga District was administratively divided into 69 villages. On January 4, 1879, the District was divided into Higashiwaga (62 villages) and Nishiwaga (7 villages). However, on April 1, 1897, the two districts were merged and reorganized into one town (Kurosawajiri) and 16 villages, with the village of Aisari transferred to Isawa District. file:Iwate Waga-gun 1889.png, 1. Kurosawajiri; 2. Oniyanagi; 3.Iwasaki 4. Yokokawame; 5. Fujine; 6. Ezuriko; 7. Sasama; 8. Iitoyo; 9. Futago: 10. Saraki; 11. Tachibana; 12. Nakanai; 13. Taninai; 14. Junikabura; 15. Oyamada; 21. Yuda; 22. Sawauchi; Blue = Kitakami City; Pink = Hanamaki City; Orange = Nishiwaga Town; 16=Transfer to Isawa District

former Higashiwaga District

* Kurosawajiri * Sasama * Tachibana * Iitoyo * Futago * Saraki * Oniyanagi * Junikabura * Nakanai * Oyamada * Taninai * Iwasaki * Yokokawame * Fujine * Ezuriko * Aisari

former Nishiwaga District

* Yuda * Sawauchi

Subsequent history

* December 25, 1940 - The village of Junikabura renamed and gained town status to become the town of Tsuchizawa. (2 towns, 15 villages) * January 1, 1954 - The village of Tachibana merged into the town of Kurosawajiri. (2 towns, 14 villages) * April 1, 1954 - The town of Kurosawajiri and the villages of Iitoyo, Futago, Saraki, and Oniyanagi merged with the village of Aisari from Isawa District and the village of

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

from Esashi District to form the city of Kitakami. (1 town, 10 villages) * January 1, 1955 - The town of Tsuchizawa and the villages of Nakanai, Oyamada, and Taninai merged to form the town of Tōwa. (1 town, 7 villages) * April 1, 1955 - The villages of Iwasaki, Yokokawame, and Fujine merged to form the village of Waga. (1 town, 5 villages) * July 1, 1955 - The village of Sasama merged into the city of Hanamaki. (1 town, 4 villages) * April 1, 1956 - The village of Waga gained town status to become the town of Waga. (2 towns, 3 villages) * August 1, 1964 - The village of Yuda gained town status to become the town of Yuda. (3 towns, 2 villages) * April 1, 1991 - The towns of Waga and the village of Ezuriko merged with the city of Kitakami. (2 towns, 1 village) * November 1, 2005 - The town of Yuda and village of Sawauchi merged to form the town of Nishiwaga. (2 town) * January 1, 2006 - The town of Tōwa merged with the towns of Ishidoriya and Ōhasama from Hienuki District with the city of Hanamaki. (1 town)

References

{{authority control Waga Districts in Iwate Prefecture