Gifu
(2002 est. pop. 2.1 million). Occupying an area of 10,596 square kilometers, Japan's Gifu Prefecture is situated in central Honshu Island in the middle of the so-called Japan Alps region. Its primary geographical features are the Hida and Ryohaku mountain ranges and the Nobi Plain in the south. Gifu's main rivers are the Nagaragawa, Kisogawa, and Ibigawa. It is bordered by Shiga, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, Nagano, Aichi, and Mie Prefectures.
The capital of the prefecture is Gifu, on the Nagara (Nagaragawa) River. The prefecture's other important cities are Ogaki, Tajimi, Kakamigahara, and Takayama. Gifu evolved from Inokuchi, the castle town of the Toki family during the Muromachi period (1333–1573). The warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) assumed control of the town in the late sixteenth century and changed its name to Gifu. During the Edo, or Tokugawa, period (1600/03–1868), Gifu flourished as a post station along the Nakasendo route, one of the five main highways that traversed Japan. Traditional crafts associated with the city include fans, paper lanterns, and paper parasols. A major attraction is cormorant fishing (ukai), the use of trained and collared birds to catch small river fish, which is carried out on moonless nights.
Present-day Gifu Prefecture was created from Hida and Mino provinces in 1876. As a historic crossroads of inland and marine routes, the region became the locus of such military encounters as the 1600 Battle of Segikahara, in which Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542–1616) defeated his enemies to become shogun, the paramount military leader of the newly reunified Japan.
As part of the Chukyo industrial zone, the prefecture produces lumber, pulp and paper, textiles, ceramics, and transportation equipment. Visitors are drawn to the scenic national parks and to the highland town of Takayama, known as "little Kyoto" for its fine old architecture and crafts, as well as for its Sanno Matsuri and Yahata Matsuri festivals.
Further Reading
"Gifu Prefecture." (1993) In Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
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