Kagawa Prefecture Information & Kagawa Prefecture Links at HealthHaven.com

Kagawa Prefecture
	Kagawa Prefecture
Japanese:	香川県
	Kagawa-ken
Capital	Takamatsu
Region	Shikoku
Island	Shikoku
Governor	Takeki Manabe
Area (rank)	1,861.70 km² (47th)
- % water	2.8%
	Population (2000)
- Population	1,022,843 (40th)
- Density	549 /km²
Districts	5
Municipalities	17
ISO 3166-2	JP-37
Website	www.pref.kagawa.jp/foreigner.shtml
	Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Olive (Olea europaea)
- Tree	Olive (Olea europaea)
- Bird	Oriental cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
- Fish	{{{Fish}}}
	; Symbol of Kagawa Prefecture
	Template ■ Discussion ■ WikiProject Japan

Kagawa Prefecture (香川県, Kagawa-ken^?) is a prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital is Takamatsu.

[edit] History

Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.

For a brief period between August 1876 and December 1888, Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.^[1]

[edit] Battle of Yashima

Located in Kagawa's capital city, Takamatsu, the mountain of Yashima was the battlefield for one of the best-known battles between the Heike and the Genji clans. The name Yashima means literally 'roof island'. Yashima, so called because of its shape like the roof of a traditional Japanese farm house, is a mesa headland jutting out into the Seto Inland Sea. But at the time when the Genpei War was fought, it was, as is implied by the name, an island separated from the mainland by the Aibikigawa River. The military forces of the Heike, defeated at Ichinotani, retreated to Yashima with Emperor Antoku and set up his temporary court and their headquarters at Dannoura Inlet of Yashima. Yashima retains many names related to the historic battle. According to the stories, the main battlefield was the whole Dannoura area, where now stands Yashima-higashi Primary School. Visitors now find the old court site of Emperor Antoku, Tombs of Sato Tsugunobu and Kikuomaru, Rock on which Nasuno Yoichi prayed for success of his feat, Rock on which the bestriding Yoichi shot his arrow at the fan. The place names of Genjigamine Peak, Funakakushi, Chinoike Pond and others are reminiscent of the past.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Geography

Map of Kagawa Prefecture.

Kagawa comprises the northeast corner of Shikoku, bordering Ehime Prefecture on the west and Tokushima Prefecture on the south, with a coastline on the Seto Inland Sea facing Okayama Prefecture and the Kansai. The Sanuki Mountains run along the southern border.

Kagawa is currently the smallest prefecture, by area, in Japan. Osaka Prefecture held that title until Kansai International Airport was reclaimed from the ocean in the early 1990s, pushing its land area slightly above Kagawa's^{[citation needed]}. Kagawa is a relatively narrow prefecture located between the mountains of Shikoku and the sea.

[edit] Cities

Eight cities are located in Kagawa Prefecture:

Takamatsu (capital)
Zentsūji

[edit] Towns

Towns and villages in each district:

Ayauta District

Ayagawa

Utazu

Kagawa District

Naoshima

Kita District

Miki

Nakatado District

Kotohira

Mannō

Tadotsu

Shōzu District

Shōdoshima

Tonoshō

[edit] Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Kagawa Prefecture

[edit] Economy

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Culture

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Kagawa.

Baseball

Kagawa Olive Guyners

Basketball

Takamatsu Five Arrows (Takamatsu)

Football (Soccer)

Kamatamare Sanuki (Takamatsu)

Volleyball

Eighty8 queen

[edit] Tourism

Kotohira Shrine
Shodo Island
Takamatsu Castle
Marugame Castle
Yashima, the island on which the Battle of Yashima was fought.
Ritsurin Park
Tamamo Park
Megijima (Onigashima) and Ogijima
Goshikidai

Based on its ancient name, Sanuki, Kagawa is famous for its Sanuki Udon (wheat noodles). Recent years have seen a great interest in Sanuki Udon across Japan^{[citation needed]}, and many Japanese now take day trips to taste the many Sanuki Udon restaurants in Kagawa.

[edit] Prefectural symbols

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

The novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami was set in the fictional town of Shiroiwa ('Castle Rock') in the Kagawa Prefecture. Okishima, the fictional island on which much of the novel takes place is placed in the Seto Inland Sea. The manga also places Shiroiwa in Kagawa Prefecture, while the film moves Shiroiwa to Kanagawa Prefecture.

[edit] References

^ Ikatachōshi Editing Committee, ed (March 31, 1987) (in Japanese). Ikata Town History (伊方町誌, Ikatachōshi^?). Town of Ikata, printed by DAI-ICHI HOKI Publishing.