Miyagi
(2002 est. pop. 2.4 million). Miyagi Prefecture is situated in the northern region of Japan's island of Honshu, where it occupies an area of 7,292 square kilometers. Its primary geographical features are the Ou Mountains in the west, an eastern coastal plain, and the Abukuma and Kitakami rivers (in Japanese, Abukumagawa and Kitakamigawa). Miyagi is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and by Iwate, Fukushima, Akita, and Yamagata prefectures. Once part of Mutsu Province, it assumed its present name in 1872 and its present borders in 1876.
Various archaeological remains indicate early habitation of the region. During the Heian period (794–1185), Mutsu Province was ruled by the northern Fujiwara family as a virtually independent kingdom. Later rulers included a series of warlords and the Date family in the Edo period (1600/1603–1868).
The prefecture's capital is Sendai, the northeast's largest city and its cultural, economic and political heart. It grew around Sendai Castle, erected in 1601 by Date Masamune (1567–1636). As the core of Sendai Industrial Zone in the early 2000s, the city supports printing plants and the processors of petrochemicals and foodstuffs. Its cultural amenities include Tohoku University, the Osaki Hachiman Shrine, and the Tanabata Festival. The prefecture's other important cities are Kesennuma, Ishinomaki, Furukawa, and Shiogama.
Home to one of Japan's leading fisheries, Miyagi produces large amounts of mackerel, tuna, and sardines. Agriculture, mainly rice farming, continues as a primary economic activity. The region's industries include pulp and paper processors, and metal and machinery fabricators. Visitors are drawn to one of the vistas known throughout Japan as one of the nation's three most famous: the panorama of Matsushima Bay with some 250 small islands with pine trees and irregularly shaped rocks. Other destinations are Rikuchu Coast National Park and various hot spring resorts, including Narugo, Togatta, and Sakunami.
Further Reading
"Miyagi Prefecture." (1993) Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.
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