Kochi
(2002 est. pop. 800,000). Kochi Prefecture is situated in the southern region of Japan's island of Shikoku, where it occupies an area of 7,107 square kilometers. Kochi's main geographical features are the Ishizuchi Mountains, intersected by river valleys. The prefecture is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and by Ehime and Tokushima Prefectures. Once known as Tosa province, it assumed its present name in 1871 and its present borders in 1880. The capital of the prefecture is Kochi city, situated on Urado Bay.
During the Sengogku (Warring States) period (1467–1568), the Yamanouchi and Chosokabe warrior families, among others, exerted power over the province. The town then grew around a castle erected there in 1603 by Yamanouchi Kazutoyo. During the late Edo period (1600/1603–1868), samurai from Tosa were active in the pro-imperial movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.
The city has relatively little industry aside from some production of cement, chemicals, steel, and ships, together with processing of lumber, paper, and foodstuffs. Kochi Castle, the scenic Katsurahama shore, and the Tosa Shrine are among local attractions. The prefecture's other important cities are Nankoku, Tosa, and Nakamura.
In the early 2000s, the prefecture's main economic activity remains agriculture, its subtropical climate sometimes allowing two plantings of rice per year. Fishing also is important, as are the processing of paper and lumber, harvested from the region's thick forests. Kochi is famous for breeding the fighting dogs known as Tosaken. Visitors are drawn to its scenic mountains and shore, part of Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park.
Further Reading
"Kochi Prefecture." (1993) In Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.
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