Ishikawa
(2002 est. pop. 1.2 million). Ishikawa prefecture, in the central region of Japan's island of Honshu, combines rustic scenery with the high culture of old Japan. With an area of 4,197 square kilometers, the island has such picturesque geographical features as the Noto Peninsula and Hegurajima (Hegura Island), as well as several other small islands. Ishikawa is bordered by the Sea of Japan and Toyoma Bay and by Toyoma, Gifu, and Fukui prefectures. Ishikawa subsumed parts of the ancient provinces of Echizen, Noto, and Kaga and assumed its present name and borders in 1872.
The prefecture's capital is Kanazawa, situated on the southern plain of the Kaga region. Because it was not bombed during World War II, the city today exemplifies traditional Japanese architecture. Initially a fifteenth-century Buddhist temple town of the Ikko sect, after 1580 it became the castle town of the Maeda family, patrons of scholars and artists. The traditional crafts include Kutani-ware porcelain, decorated lacquer ware, and printed silk. Visitors are drawn to the garden Kenrokuen, the Nagamachi samurai quarter, the ruins of Kanazawa Castle, and numerous temples and museums. The other important cities of the prefecture are Komatsu, Kaga, and Nanao.
The fertile Kanazawa Plain is planted in rice, and the Noto Peninsula, also the site of rice paddies, is the center of a profitable fishing industry. Apart from some textile and heavy machinery plants, there is little other industry. Tourists are attracted to the Noto Peninsula, with its scenic rocky coast and unspoiled rural ways, as well as to the regional hot-spring resorts, including Yamanaka, Yamashiro, and Awazu.
Further Reading
"Ishikawa Prefecture." (1993) Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.
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