 Kagawa Prefecture (香川県, Kagawa-ken) - A
prefecture of Japan located on Shikoku island. The capital
is Takamatsu.
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.
 Kagawa was formerly known as Sanuki Province.
For the brief period between August 1876 and December 1888,
Kagawa was made a part of Ehime Prefecture.
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 Heikes, 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.
Eight cities are located in Kagawa Prefecture:
Higashikagawa
Kan'onji
Marugame
Mitoyo
Sakaide
Sanuki
Takamatsu (capital)
Information source: “Kagawa Prefecture.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 10 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Kagawa Prefecture>. |
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