is a prefecture of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

located in the

Chūgoku region The , also known as the region, is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In 2010, it had a population of 7,563,428. History ''Ch ...

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders

Okayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture borders Tottori Prefecture to the ...

to the east,

Tottori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the least populous prefecture of Japan at 570,569 (2016) and has a geographic area of . Tottori Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture to the west, Hiro ...

to the northeast,

Shimane Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamagu ...

to the north, and

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 km2 (2,359 sq mi). Yamaguchi Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture t ...

to the southwest.

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui ...

is the capital and largest city of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region, with other major cities including Fukuyama, Kure, and Higashihiroshima. Hiroshima Prefecture is located on the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to ...

across from the island of Shikoku, and is bounded to the north by the Chūgoku Mountains. Hiroshima Prefecture is one of the three prefectures of Japan with more than one

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

History

The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into

Bingo Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It was sometimes grouped together with Bizen and Bitchu Provinces as . The 備 ''bi'' in the names of these p ...

and

Aki Province or Geishū () was a province in the Chūgoku Region of western Honshū, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture. History When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province (one for male Buddhist ...

. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded history. Hiroshima is a traditional center of the Chūgoku region and was the seat of the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power ...

until the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 ( Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

. Together with

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, Hiroshima is one of the three prefectures with more than one

. The two such sites in Hiroshima Prefecture are: * The Atomic Dome in Hiroshima, one of the few remnants of prewar Hiroshima following the

atomic bombing A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

in 1945; * The

Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima (popularly known as Miyajima), best known for its "floating" '' torii'' gate. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005)"''Itsukushima-jinja''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 407. It is in the city of Hat ...

Miyajima may refer to: Places * Miyajima, another name for the Japanese island Itsukushima * Miyajima, Hiroshima, a former town on this island, merged into Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima in 2005 * Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukus ...

, famed for filling with water and appearing to "float" during high tide.

Geography

Hiroshima prefecture lies in the middle of Japan . Most of the prefecture consists of mountains leading towards

; and rivers produce rich plains near the coast. The province faces Shikoku across the

Hiroshima Bay is a bay in the Inland Sea, Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hiroshima Wan" in . Administratively, the bay is divided between Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures. The bay's shore is a Ria. Its surface area is about 1,000 km², w ...

opens on the Inland Sea. The prefecture also includes many small islands. The sheltered nature of the Inland Sea makes Hiroshima's climate very mild. As of 1 April 2014, 4% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks (the lowest percentage of any prefecture), namely

Setonaikai National Park is a Japanese national park, comprising areas of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, and of ten bordering prefectures. Designated a national park in 1934, it has since been expanded several times. It contains about 3,000 islands, known as the Setouchi ...

; Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and six Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Fourteen cities are located in Hiroshima Prefecture:

Towns

These are the towns in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

Mergers

Economy

Hiroshima's main industries include automobiles (

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one ...

is headquartered there) and tourism in two

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s: the

A-Bomb dome The , originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, , is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The ruin ...

and

. Components of the economy are primary industry, secondary industry, and tertiary industry, which compose 0.6%, 32.6%, and 66.2% in 2015. There is 0.6% of unclassified production. Value of production of manufacturing is 10,343 billion yen in 2016, which is the 10th largest in Japan. After 2012, production of manufacturing is continuously increasing in 2015.

Education

University

* Elisabeth University of Music * Fukuyama City University * Fukuyama Heisei University *

Fukuyama University is a private university in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of J ...

Hijiyama University is a private university in Hiroshima, Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Are ...

* Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen University * Hiroshima Bunkyo Women's University * Hiroshima City University *

Hiroshima Institute of Technology is a private university in Saeki-ku, Hiroshima, Japan. It was established by Tsuru Gakuen (founded by Noboru Tsuru) in 1961 as a two-year college, and became a four-year university in 1963, taking its present name. The university has faculties ...

* Hiroshima Jogakuin University * Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin University * Hiroshima Shudo University * Hiroshima University of Economics * Hiroshima University * Japan Coast Guard Academy * Onomichi City University * Prefectural University of Hiroshima *

Yasuda Women's University is a private women's college in Asaminami, Hiroshima, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea ...

Religion

Similar to the rest of Japan, most people in the Hiroshima Prefecture are

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. in 1996 51.2% of the population was Buddhist, 2 were affiliated with Shinto Sects, 44.8% practiced Folk Shinto, and 2% were Christian.

Transportation

Railway

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and i ...

** Sanyo Shinkansen ** Sanyo Main Line ** Kabe Line ** Kure Line **

Geibi Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region in Japan. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi S ...

Fukuen Line The is a railway line in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Fukuyama Station in Fukuyama to Miyoshi Station in Miyoshi. Stations Former connecting lines * Sankō Line (closed 1 ...

* Ibara Railway

People movers

Astram Line , also known as the , is a rubber-tired transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan. Astram opened on August 20, 1994, for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The line connects central Hiroshima and Hiroshima Big Arch, ...

* Skyrail Service

Streetcars

* Hiroshima Electric Railway

Roads

Expressways

* Chugoku Expressway *

Sanyo Expressway , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded ...

* Shimanami Expressway *Hamada Expressway *Onomichi Expressway *

Hiroshima Expressway (West Nippon Expressway Company) The is a national expressway in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company. Naming The expressway is officially referred to as the Chūgoku-Ōdan Expressway Hiroshima Hamada Route. The Chūgoku-Ōd ...

* Hiroshima Expressway (urban expressway)

National highways

Route 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

* Route 31 * Route 54 *Route 182 *Route 183 *Route 185 *Route 186 *Route 191 *Route 261 *Route 313 *Route 314 *Route 317 *Route 375 *Route 432 *Route 433 *Route 434 *Route 486 *Route 487 *Route 488

Ports

*Kure Port - Ferry route to Edajima, Matsuyama *Hiroshima Port - Ferry route to Miyajima, Edajima, Matsuyama and

Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643Hiroshima Airport

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hiroshima.

Football

Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( ja, サンフレッチェ広島, translit=''Sanfuretche Hiroshima'') is a Japanese professional football club based in Asaminami-ku, Hiroshima. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the c ...

(Hiroshima city)

Baseball

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Mats ...

(Hiroshima city)

Volleyball

JT Thunders is a men's volleyball team based in Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima city, Hiroshima, Japan. It plays in V.League (Japan), V.Premier League. The owner of the club is Japan Tobacco. History The club was founded in 1931 as a club of the Ministry ...

(Hiroshima city)

Basketball

Hiroshima Dragonflies The Hiroshima Dragonflies (広島ドラゴンフライズ) are a professional basketball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. In October 2014 they commenced competing in the Western Conference of the Japanese National Basketball League. In Septembe ...

Hiroshima Lightning The were a professional basketball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They spent one season (2015–2016) in the Western Conference of the Japanese bj league and then folded after being denied entry into the B.League, the bj league's replacement. ...

(Defunct)

Cycling

* Victoire Hiroshima

Tourism

* Hiroshima Peace Memorial * Hiroshima Castle * Shukkei-en * Mitaki Temple *

* Momijidani Park * Mount Misen *

Miyajima Public Aquarium is an aquarium on the island of Itsukushima in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima, Japan. Overview There are about 350 variety of aquatic animals include finless porpoises, sea otters, Steller sea lions, sea lions and penguins. Hours are from January 1 to ...

* Senkō-ji Temple * Jōdo-ji Temple * Onomichi City Museum of Art *

Fukuyama Castle , sometimes called or was the castle of the Bingo-Fukuyama Han during the Edo period of Japanese history. The castle is located in Fukuyama Park in Fukuyama, Hiroshima near Fukuyama Station. Overview The castle was built on a hill on the Fu ...

File:厳島神社と大鳥居.JPG, Itsukushima Shrine and Torii Gate (Hatsukaichi) File:Genbaku Dome04-r.JPG, Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Hiroshima City) File:Kaisyaku-river.jpg, Taishaku Valley (Shobara) File:Shokei no michi 5.JPG, Road of longing (Shokei no michi) in Takehara on October File:Keep tower of Hiroshima Castle 20121122, 000.jpg, Hiroshima Castle File:Tomonoura08bs3200.jpg, Tomonoura (Fukuyama)

Famous festivals and events

* Onomichi Port Festival - held in April * Hiroshima Flower Festival - held from May 3 to 5 * Fukuyama Rose Festival - held in May * Enryuji Tokasan Festival - held in June * Gion Festival of Onomichi - held in July * Innoshima Water-naval Festival - held in August * Miyajima Under-water Firework Festival - held on August 14 * Yassa Festival of Mihara - held in August * Saijo Sake Festival - held in October * Onomichi Becher Festival - held on November 3 * Hiroshima Ebisu Festival - held from November 18 to 20

International sister relations

* Sichuan Province, China *

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, United States of America

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 58053128

External links

* National Archives of Japa
... Hiroshima map (1891)
* National Archives of Japan

* ttps://www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp/en/ hiroshima-navi {{Authority control Chūgoku region Prefectures of Japan