Hyōgo Prefecture

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Present-day Hyōgo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tanba and Settsu. In 1180, near the end of the Heian period, Emperor Antoku, Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months. Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in the city of Himeji. Southern Hyōgo Prefecture was severely devastated by the 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as Nishinomiya and Ashiya and the neighboring Osaka Prefecture, killing nearly 6,500 people.

Reader's Guide

Hyōgo Prefecture forms part of the Kobe metropolitan area and Osaka metropolitan area, the second-most-populated urban region in Japan after the Greater Tokyo area and one of the world's most productive regions by GDP. As in all prefectures nationwide, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries play a big role in the economy. Hyōgo Prefecture also has an IT industry, many heavy industries, metal and medical sectors, with Kobe Port being one of the largest ports in Japan. Kobe Port also hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers, and Hyogo Prefecture passed laws to keep Kobe Port free of nuclear weapons (a nuclear-free zone) since the year 1975. Hyōgo is a part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. There are two research institutes of Riken in Kobe and Harima, and SPring-8, a synchrotron radiation facility, is in Harima. Culturally, the prefecture contains several National Treasures of Japan including Himeji Castle, Chōkō-ji, Chorakuji, Ichijō-ji, Jōdo-ji, Kakurin-ji, and Taisan-ji. Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings include Izushi, Kitano-chō Yamamoto-dōri, and Sasayama. Tourist attractions include Arima Onsen in the south, one of the Three Ancient Springs in Japan, and in the north, Kinosaki Onsen, Izushi, Yumura Onsen, and Takeda Castle, often referred to locally as the 'Machu Picchu of Japan'. The matsuba crab and Tajima beef are both national delicacies. Sports teams based in Hyōgo include the Hanshin Tigers, Orix Buffaloes, Vissel Kobe, and INAC Kobe Leonessa.

Did You Know?

• Hyōgo Prefecture has coastlines on two seas: the Sea of Japan to the north and the Seto Inland Sea to the south.
• In 1180, the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara (now part of Kobe), where the capital remained for five months.
• The 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 killed nearly 6,500 people and devastated parts of Kobe, Awaji, Nishinomiya, and Ashiya.
• Kobe Port has been a nuclear-free zone since 1975, and it hosts one of the world's fastest supercomputers.
• Takeda Castle in Asago is often referred to locally as the 'Machu Picchu of Japan'.