 Shimane Prefecture (島根県, Shimane-ken) - A
prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū
island. The capital is Matsue. It is the second least
populous prefecture in Japan, next to the Tottori Prefecture
that is a neighboring prefecture on the east side. The
prefecture has an area elongated from east to west facing
the Chūgoku Mountain Range on the south side and to the Sea
of Japan on the north side. Most of the cities are near the
shoreline of the Sea of Japan. There is Izumo Taisha in
Izumo City, which is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in
Japan.
The Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan are also part of Shimane
Prefecture, which also claims to have jurisdiction over the
South Korea-controlled island of Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima).
Shimane prefecture is situated on the Sea of Japan side of
the Chugoku region. Because of its mountainous landscape,
rice farming is done mostly in the Izumo plain where the
city of Izumo is located. Another major landform is the
Shimane peninsula. The peninsula is located across on the
Sea of Japan from Izumo to Sakaiminato, which apparently is
located in Tottori prefecture. Also, the peninsula created
two sea water lakes Lake Shinji and Nakaumi. The island of
Daikon is located in Nakaumi. Off from the island of Honshū,
the island of Oki is in Shimane prefecture as well. The
island itself is in the Daisen-Oki National Park. Shimane
also claims the use of Liancourt Rocks, which they are in
dispute with South Korea.
Most major cities are located either on the seaside, or
along a river. Between 2004 and 2005, municipalities across
Japan merged, and Shimane prefecture was not an exception.
For a the list of mergers, see List of mergers in Shimane
Prefecture.
The prefecture has a fairly cool climate. The year average
for temperature is 14.6 degrees Celsius. The hottest average
temperature is in August with 26.3 degrees Celsius. The
average year preciparation is 1799 millimeters, compared to
Tokyo's 1467 mm and Obihiro with 920 mm.
 Early History
The history of Shimane starts with the Japanese mythology.
Shinto god Ōkuninushi was believed to be living in Izumo, an
old province in Shimane. The Izumo Shrine, which is in the
city of Izumo, honors the god. At that time, the current
Shimane prefecture was divided in to 3 parts, Iwami, Izumo,
and Oki. That lasted until the abolition of the han system
took place in 1871. During the Nara period, Kakinomoto no
Hitomaro read a poem on Shimane's nature when he was sent as
the Royal governor. Later on in the Kamakura period,
Kamakura Shogunate forces emperors Gotoba and Emperor
Godaigo to exile to Oki. Emperor Godaigo later gets away
from Oki and begins rallying against the shogunate, which
later succeeds.
Middle Ages
During the Muromachi period, Izumo and Oki were controlled
by the Kyogoku clan. However, after the Ōnin War, the Amago
clan expanded power based in Gassan-Toda castle. However, in
1566 Mori Motonari conquered Izumo, Iwami, and Oki. After
over 30 years of Mori control, in 1600 Horio Yoshiharu
enters Izumo and Oki as the result of Battle of Sekigahara
which Mori lost. Following the change, Horio Yoshiharu
decides to move to build Matsue castle instead of Gassan-Toda,
and soon after Yoshiharu's death the castle is completed.
Later in 1638, the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Matsudaira
Naomasa enters the castle since the Horio clan had no heir,
and his family ruled until the abolition of the han system.
The Iwami area was split in to 3 clans:The mining district
(direct control of the Shogunate), the Hamada clan and the
Tsuwano clan. The Iwami Ginzan, now a UNESCO World Heritage
Site produced silver and was one of the nation's largest
silver mine by the early 17th century. Hamada clan was on
the shogunate's side in the Meiji Restoration, and the
castle was burned down. The Tsuwano clan, despite the
Matsudaira (relative of the shogun) rule was on the
emperor's side in the restoration.
Modern times
In 1871, abolition of the han system places the old Shimane
and Hamada provinces in the current area of Shimane
Prefecture. Later that year, Oki becomes part of Tottori. In
1876, Hamada Prefecture merges with Shimane and is named
Shimane Prefecture. Also, Tottori Prefecture merges in the
same year. However, five years later, in 1881, the current
portion of Tottori Prefecture separates and the current
border is formed.
In Shimane, the largest employer is the retailing industry,
employing over sixty-thousand workers. Mishimaya and
Juntendo are examples of the companies. The manufacturing
industry has the second number of employees with forty-nine
thousand workers. Also, in the number of business locations,
the retailing industry is first with over twelve-thousand.
Twenty-nine percent of the total industry income is from the
service industry, including retailers. Another thirteen
percent is from the manufacturing industry.
Transportation
Airports
Three airports serve Shimane. The Izumo Airport located in
Hikawa is the largest airport in the prefecture in terms of
passengers, which has regular flights to Haneda Airport,
Osaka Airport, Fukuoka Airport, and Oki Airport. The Iwami
Airport has two flights each day to Haneda and Osaka and 2
arrivals. Oki Airport has scheduled flights to Osaka and
Izumo Airports.
Izumo Airport
Iwami Airport
Oki Airport
Rail
JR West and Ichibata Electric Railway serves the prefecture
in terms of rail transportation. The Sanin Main Line goes
through the prefecture on the Sea of Japan side going into
major cities such as Matsue and Izumo. Izumoshi and Matsue
stations are the major stops in the prefecture. The Kisuki
line, which forks from Shinji Station on the Sanin Line,
connects with the Geibi Line in Hiroshima Prefecture,
cutting into the Chūgoku Mountains. Ichibata Electric
Railway serve the Shimane peninsula from Dentetsu-Izumoshi
Station and Izumo Taisha-Mae Station to Matsue
Shinjiko-Onsen Station.
JR West has 3 Limited Express trains to Shimane, which are
Super Matsukaze, Super Oki, and Yakumo.
West Japan Railway Company
Sanin Main Line
Sankō Line
Kisuki Line
Yamaguchi Line
Ichibata Electric Railway
Kita-Matsue Line
Taisha Line
Roads
Highways
The four expressways in the prefecture connect major cities
with other prefectures. The Matsue expressway connects
Matsue with Unnan and Yonago in Tottori prefecture. Hamada
Expressway forks from the Chugoku Expressway at
Kita-Hiroshima and stretches to Hamada.
Sanin Expressway
Matsue Expressway
Hamada Expressway
Chūgoku Expressway
Eight cities are located in Shimane Prefecture, the largest
being Matsue, the capital, and the smallest being Gotsu. The
cities Masuda, Unnan, Yasugi, and Gotsu had a slight
population increase due to the mergers in the early 2000s.
Gōtsu
Hamada
Izumo
Masuda
Matsue (capital)
Ōda
Unnan
Yasugi
Information source: “Shimane Prefecture.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 10 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Shimane Prefecture>. |
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