Kagawa Prefecture

Not to be confused with Kanagawa Prefecture.

Kagawa Prefecture 香川県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	香川県
• Rōmaji	Kagawa-ken
Flag Symbol of Kagawa Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Shikoku
Island	Shikoku
Capital	Takamatsu
Government
• Governor	Keizō Hamada
Area
• Total	1,861.70 km2 (718.81 sq mi)
Area rank	47th
Population (December 1, 2010)
• Total	995,465
• Rank	40th
• Density	534.71/km2 (1,384.9/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-37
Districts	5
Municipalities	17
Flower	Olive (Olea europaea)
Tree	Olive (Olea europaea)
Bird	Lesser cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
Website	www.pref.kagawa.jp

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

History

See also: Historic Sites of Kagawa Prefecture

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.

Battle of Yashima

Located in Kagawa's capital city, Takamatsu, the mountain of Yashima was the battlefield for one of the best-known struggles between the Heike and the Genji clans.

Geography

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. Kagawa is a relatively narrow prefecture located between the mountains of Shikoku and the sea.

As of April 1, 2012, 11% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Setonaikai National Park and Ōtaki-Ōkawa Prefectural Natural Park.

Cities

Map of Kagawa Prefecture.

Takamatsu

Marugame

Kotohira

Eight cities are located in Kagawa Prefecture:

• Higashikagawa
• Kan'onji
• Marugame
• Mitoyo

• Sakaide
• Sanuki
• Takamatsu (capital)
• Zentsūji

Towns

These are the towns in each district:

• Ayauta District
  • Ayagawa
  • Utazu
• Kagawa District
  • Naoshima

• Kita District
  • Miki
• Nakatado District
  • Kotohira
  • Mannō
  • Tadotsu

• Shōzu District
  • Shōdoshima
  • Tonoshō

Mergers

Main article: List of mergers in Kagawa Prefecture

Foods

Sanuki udon (a type of udon noodle) is a famous local food in Kagawa Prefecture. In 2008 there were over 700 udon restaurants in this prefecture.

People queuing for udon in Kagawa

Education

Universities

• Kagawa University in Takamatsu
• Kagawa Prefectural College of Health Sciences
• Shikoku Gakuin University in Zentsuji
• Takamatsu University
• Tokushima Bunri University in Sanuki

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

• Shikoku Eighty 8 Queen

Ice Hockey

• Kagawa Ice Fellows (see Japan Ice Hockey Federation)

Tourism

Kankakei

Benesse Art Site Naoshima

Konpira Grand Theater

Takamatsu Dream Illumination in winter

Reoma World Theme Park in Marugame

• Setonaikai National Park
• Kotohira Shrine
• Shodo Island (AKA "Shodoshima")
  • Kankakei
• Naoshima Island
  • Benesse Art Site Naoshima
• Takamatsu Castle
• Marugame Castle
• Yashima, the island on which the Battle of Yashima was fought
• Ritsurin Garden
• Shikoku Pilgrimage – Zentsū-ji, Motoyama-ji, Yashima-ji, etc.
• Megijima (Onigashima) and Ogijima
• Goshikidai

Based on its ancient name, Sanuki, Kagawa is famous for its Sanuki udon (wheat noodles). Recent years have seen an interest in Sanuki udon across Japan, and many Japanese now take day-trips to taste the many Sanuki udon restaurants in Kagawa.

Transportation

Railroad

• JR Shikoku
  • Honshi-Bisan Line
  • Yosan Line
  • Dosan Line
  • Kotoku Line
• Kotoden (Takamatsu Kotohira Electric Railroad)
  • Kotohira Line
  • Shido Line
  • Nagao Line

Bus

Departure from Takamatsu

• Tokyo Station
• Shinjuku of Tokyo
• Tokyo Disneyland
• Hachioji
• Yokohama
• Nagoya
• Kyoto Station
• Osaka
  • Umeda
  • Nanba
• Kansai Int'l Airport
• Kobe
  • Sannomiya
  • Maiko Bus Stop
• Tokushima
• Kōchi
• Matsuyama
• Yawatahama
• Hiroshima
• Fukuoka
  • Kokura Station
  • Hakata Station
  • Tenjin Station

Road

Expressway

• Seto Chuo Expressway
• Takamatsu Expressway
• Matsuyama Expressway

National Highway

• Route 11 (Tokushima-Takamatsu-Marugame-Niihama-Maysuyama)
• Route 30
• Route 32 (Takamatsu-Kotohira-Kochi)
• Route 193
• Route 318
• Route 319
• Route 377
• Route 436
• Route 438

Port

• Port of Takamatsu – Ferry route to Uno, Tonoshō (Shōdoshima Island), Kobe, Naoshima
• Port of Marugame
• Port of Tadotsu
• Port of Tonoshō – Ferry route to Okayama, Himeji, Kobe and Osaka.

Airport

• Takamatsu Airport

Prefectural symbols

Sanuki udon, Kotohira Shrine

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.

External links

• Kagawa Prefecture English homepage
• (Japanese) Official Kagawa Prefecture Japanese homepage
• National Archives of Japan ... Kagawa map (1891)
• Notes from Shikoku in English