# Shimane Prefecture

Shimane Prefecture (島根県, Shimane-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km$^2$. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguchi Prefecture to the southwest, Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and Tottori Prefecture to the east.
Matsue is the capital and largest city of Shimane Prefecture, with other major cities including Izumo, Hamada, and Masuda. Shimane Prefecture contains the majority of the Lake Shinji-Nakaumi metropolitan area centered on Matsue, and with a population of approximately 600,000 is Japan's third-largest metropolitan area on the Sea of Japan coast after Niigata and Greater Kanazawa. Shimane Prefecture is bounded by the Sea of Japan coastline on the north, where two-thirds of the population live, and the Chūgoku Mountains on the south. Shimane Prefecture governs the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan which juridically includes the disputed Liancourt Rocks (竹島, Takeshima). Shimane Prefecture is home to Izumo-taisha, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan, and the Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle.

## History
### Early history

The history of Shimane starts with Japanese mythology. The Shinto god Ōkuninushi was believed to live in Izumo, an old province in Shimane. Izumo Shrine, which is in the city of Izumo, honors the god. At that time, the current Shimane prefecture was divided into three parts: Iwami, Izumo, and Oki. That lasted until the abolition of the han system took place in 1871. During the Nara period, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro wrote a poem on Shimane's nature when he was sent as the Royal governor.
Later on in the Kamakura period (1185–1333), the Kamakura shogunate forced emperors Go-Toba and Godaigo into exile in Oki. Emperor Go-Daigo later escaped from Oki and began rallying supporters against the shogunate, which proved successful.

### Middle ages

During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), Izumo and Oki were controlled by the Kyōgoku clan. However, after the Ōnin War, the Amago clan expanded power based in Gassantoda Castle and the Masuda clan dominated Iwami Province. The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was located between Amago territory and Masuda territory, and there were many battles between the clans for the silver. In 1566 Mōri Motonari conquered Izumo, Iwami, and Oki. In 1600, after over 30 years of Mori control, Horio Yoshiharu entered Izumo and Oki as the result of Battle of Sekigahara, which Mori lost. Following the change, Horio Yoshiharu decided to move to build Matsue Castle instead of Gassan-Toda, and soon after Yoshiharu's death the castle was completed. In 1638, the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu Matsudaira Naomasa [ja] became the ruler because the Horio clan had no heir, and his family ruled until the abolition of the han system.
The Iwami area was split into three regions: the mining district, under the direct control of the Shogunate, the Hamada clan region, and the Tsuwano clan region. The Iwami Ginzan, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, produced silver and was one of the nation's largest silver mines by the early 17th century. The Hamada clan was on the shogunate's side in the Meiji Restoration, and the castle was burned down. The Tsuwano clan, despite then being ruled by the Matsudaira, was on the emperor's side in the restoration.

### Modern age

In 1871, the abolition of the han system placed the old Shimane and Hamada Provinces in the current area of Shimane Prefecture. Later that year, Oki became part of Tottori. In 1876, Hamada Prefecture was merged into Shimane Prefecture. Also, Tottori Prefecture was added in the same year. However, five years later, in 1881, the current portion of Tottori Prefecture was separated and the current border was formed.

## Geography

Shimane Prefecture is situated on the Sea of Japan side of the Chūgoku region. Because of its mountainous landscape, rice farming is done mostly in the Izumo plain where the city of Izumo is located. Another major landform is the Shimane peninsula. The peninsula is located across the Sea of Japan from Izumo to Sakaiminato, which is located in Tottori prefecture. Also, the peninsula created two brackish lakes, Lake Shinji and Nakaumi. The island of Daikon is located in Nakaumi. Off the main island of Honshū, the island of Oki belongs to Shimane prefecture as well. The island itself is in the Daisen-Oki National Park. Shimane also claims the use of Liancourt Rocks, over which they are in dispute with South Korea.
As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Daisen-Oki National Park; Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and eleven Prefectural Natural Parks.
Most major cities are located either on the seaside, or along a river.

### Cities

Eight cities are located in Shimane Prefecture, the largest in population being Matsue, the capital, and the smallest being Gōtsu. The cities Masuda, Unnan, Yasugi, and Gōtsu had a slight population increase due to the mergers in the early 2000s.
| Name | Name | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Map |
| Rōmaji | Kanji | Area (km$^2$) | Population | Map |
| Gōtsu | 江津市 | 268.51 | 24,009 | |
| Hamada | 浜田市 | 689.6 | 57,142 | |
| Izumo | 出雲市 | 624.36 | 172,039 | |
| Masuda | 益田市 | 733.16 | 46,892 | |
| Matsue (capital) | 松江市 | 572.99 | 202,008 | |
| Ōda | 大田市 | 436.11 | 34,354 | |
| Unnan | 雲南市 | 553.4 | 38,281 | |
| Yasugi | 安来市 | 420.97 | 38,875 | |

### Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages of each district. The number of towns and villages greatly decreased during the mergers. However, they hold about one-third of the prefecture's population.
| Name | Name | Area (km$^2$) | Population | District | Type | Map |
| Rōmaji | Kanji | Area (km$^2$) | Population | District | Type | Map |
| Ama | 海士町 | 33.5 | 2,293 | Oki District | Town | |
| Chibu | 知夫村 | 13.7 | 657 | Oki District | Village | |
| Iinan | 飯南町 | 242.84 | 4,908 | Iishi District | Town | |
| Kawamoto | 川本町 | 106.39 | 3,331 | Ōchi District | Town | |
| Misato | 美郷町 | 282.92 | 4,712 | Ōchi District | Town | |
| Nishinoshima | 西ノ島町 | 55.98 | 2,923 | Oki District | Town | |
| Okinoshima | 隠岐の島町 | 242.97 | 14,422 | Oki District | Town | |
| Okuizumo | 奥出雲町 | 368.06 | 12,655 | Nita District | Town | |
| Ōnan | 邑南町 | 419.29 | 10,922 | Ōchi District | Town | |
| Tsuwano | 津和野町 | 307.09 | 7,478 | Kanoashi District | Town | |
| Yoshika | 吉賀町 | 336.29 | 6,231 | Kanoashi District | Town | |

### Mergers

| | April 1976 | April 1976 | January 2011 | January 2012 |
| Izumo Region | Matsue City (Old System) | Matsue City (Old System) | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Kashima Town | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Shimane Town | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Mihonoseki Town | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Yakumo Village | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Tamayu Town | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Shinji Town | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Izumo Region | Yatsuka District | Yatsuka Town | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) |
| Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) ||
| Izumo Region | Yasugi City (Old System) | Yasugi City (Old System) | Yasugi City (New System) | Yasugi City |
| Izumo Region | Nogi District | Hirose Town | Yasugi City (New System) | Yasugi City |
| Izumo Region | Nogi District | Hakuta Town | Yasugi City (New System) | Yasugi City |
| Izumo Region | Nita District | Yokota Town | Okuizumo Town | Okuizumo Town |
| Izumo Region | Nita District | Nita Town | Okuizumo Town | Okuizumo Town |
| Izumo Region | Izumo City (Old System) | Izumo City (Old System) | Izumo City (New System) | Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) |
| Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) ||
| Izumo Region | Hikawa District | Taisha Town | Izumo City (New System) | Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) |
| Izumo Region | Hikawa District | Koryo Town | Izumo City (New System) | Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) |
| Izumo Region | Hikawa District | Taki Town | Izumo City (New System) | Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) |
| Izumo Region | Hikawa District | Sada Town | Izumo City (New System) | Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) |
| Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) ||
| Izumo Region | Ōhara District | Daitō Town | Unnan City | Unnan City |
| Izumo Region | Ōhara District | Kamo Town | Unnan City | Unnan City |
| Izumo Region | Ōhara District | Kisuki Town | Unnan City | Unnan City |
| Izumo Region | Iishi District | Mitoya Town | Unnan City | Unnan City |
| Izumo Region | Iishi District | Kakeya Town | Unnan City | Unnan City |
| Izumo Region | Iishi District | Yoshida Village | Unnan City | Unnan City |
| Izumo Region | Iishi District | Tonbara Town | Iinan Town | Iinan Town |
| Izumo Region | Iishi District | Akagi Town | Iinan Town | Iinan Town |
| Iwami Region | Ōda City (Old System) | Ōda City (Old System) | Ōda City (New System) | Ōda City |
| Iwami Region | Nima District | Yunotsu Town | Ōda City (New System) | Ōda City |
| Iwami Region | Nima District | Nima Town | Ōda City (New System) | Ōda City |
| Iwami Region | Gōtsu City (Old System) | Gōtsu City (Old System) | Gōtsu City (New System) | Gōtsu City |
| Iwami Region | Ōchi District | Sakurae Town | Gōtsu City (New System) | Gōtsu City |
| Iwami Region | Ōchi District | Ōchi Town | Misato Town | Misato Town |
| Iwami Region | Ōchi District | Daiwa Village | Misato Town | Misato Town |
| Iwami Region | Ōchi District | Iwami Town | Ōnan Town | Ōnan Town |
| Iwami Region | Ōchi District | Mizuho Town | Ōnan Town | Ōnan Town |
| Iwami Region | Ōchi District | Hasumi Village | Ōnan Town | Ōnan Town |
| Kawamoto Town ||||
| Iwami Region | Hamada City (Old System) | Hamada City (Old System) | Hamada City (New System) | Hamada City |
| Iwami Region | Naka District | Asahi Town | Hamada City (New System) | Hamada City |
| Iwami Region | Naka District | Kanagi Town | Hamada City (New System) | Hamada City |
| Iwami Region | Naka District | Misumi Town | Hamada City (New System) | Hamada City |
| Iwami Region | Naka District | Yasaka Village | Hamada City (New System) | Hamada City |
| Iwami Region | Masuda City (Old System) | Masuda City (Old System) | Masuda City (New System) | Masuda City |
| Iwami Region | Mino District | Mito Town | Masuda City (New System) | Masuda City |
| Iwami Region | Mino District | Hikimi Town | Masuda City (New System) | Masuda City |
| Iwami Region | Kanoashi District | Tsuwano Town (Old System) | Tsuwano Town (New System) | Tsuwano Town |
| Iwami Region | Kanoashi District | Nichihara Town | Tsuwano Town (New System) | Tsuwano Town |
| Iwami Region | Kanoashi District | Muikaichi Town | Yoshika Town | Yoshika Town |
| Iwami Region | Kanoashi District | Kakinoki Village | Yoshika Town | Yoshika Town |
| Oki Region | Oki District | Saigō Town | Okinoshima Town | Okinoshima Town |
| Oki Region | Oki District | Fuse Village | Okinoshima Town | Okinoshima Town |
| Oki Region | Oki District | Goka Village | Okinoshima Town | Okinoshima Town |
| Oki Region | Oki District | Tsuma Village | Okinoshima Town | Okinoshima Town |
| Nishinoshima Town ||||
| Ama Town ||||
| Chibu Village ||||

## Climate

Shimane prefecture has a sub-tropical climate. Winter is cloudy with a little snow, and summer is humid. The average annual temperature is 14.6 °C (58.3 °F). It rains almost every day in the rainy season, from June to mid-July. The highest average monthly temperature occurs in August with 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The average annual precipitation is 1,799 millimetres (70.8 in), higher than Tokyo's 1,467 mm (57.8 in) and Obihiro with 920 mm (36.2 in).
Shimane Prefecture Yearly Averages by Region (Statistics Period: 1971 - 2000, Source: Japanese Meteorological Agency: Statistical Climate Information) :
| Average Year (Month) | Average Year (Month) | Oki | Oki | Oki | Izumo (Coastal) | Izumo (Coastal) | Izumo (Coastal) | Izumo (Coastal) | Izumo (Inland) | Izumo (Inland) | Izumo (Inland) |
| Average Year (Month) | Average Year (Month) | Okinoshima Saigo | Okinoshima Saigo Cape | Ama | Matsue Kashima | Matsue | Hikawa | Izumo | Okuizumo Yokota | Unnan Kakeya | Iinan Akana |
| Average Temperature (°C) | Warmest Month | 25.6 (Aug) | | 25.8 (Aug) | 25.6 (Aug) | 26.3 (Aug) | | 25.8 (Aug) | 24.0 (Aug) | 24.5 (Aug) | 23.4 (Aug) |
| Average Temperature (°C) | Coldest Month | 3.9 (Feb) | | 4.5 (Feb) | 4.4 (Feb) | 4.2 (Jan) | | 4.5 (Feb) | 0.7 (Feb) | 2.3 (Feb) | 0.4 (Jan, Feb) |
| Rainfall (mm) | Heaviest Month | 211.6 (Sept) | | 227.0 (July) | 218.0 (Sept) | 240.5 (July) | | 236.2 (July) | 234.2 (July) | 257.1 (July) | 282.2 (July) |
| Rainfall (mm) | Driest Month | 110.4 (Oct) | | 96.4 (Feb) | 104.7 (April) | 114.5 (April) | | 96.3 (Feb) | 103.4 (April) | 120.7 (April) | 116.5 (Oct) |
| Average Year (Month) | Average Year (Month) | Iwami (Coastal) | Iwami (Coastal) | Iwami (Coastal) | Iwami (Coastal) | Iwami (Inland) | Iwami (Inland) | Iwami (Inland) | Iwami (Inland) | Iwami (Inland) | Iwami (Inland) |
| Average Year (Month) | Average Year (Month) | Ōda | Hamada | Masuda | Masuda City Takatsu | Kawamoto | Ōnan | Hamada City Yasaka | Tsuwano | Yoshika | Yoshika Muikaichi |
| Average Temperature (°C) | Warmest Month | 26.5 (Aug) | 26.2 (Aug) | 26.8 (Aug) | | 24.2 (Aug) | 23.9 (Aug) | 23.6 (Aug) | 25.7 (Aug) | | 24.5 (Aug) |
| Average Temperature (°C) | Coldest Month | 4.9 (Jan, Feb) | 5.8 (Feb) | 5.4 (Jan, Feb) | | 2.7 (Jan) | 0.8 (Jan) | 1.5 (Jan) | 3.0 (Jan) | | 1.9 (Jan) |
| Rainfall (mm) | Heaviest Month | 246.3 (July) | 257.7 (July) | 223.9 (June) | | 260.2 (July) | 260.6 (July) | 340.0 (July) | 285.6 (July) | | 337.4 (June) |
| Rainfall (mm) | Driest Month | 98.3 (Feb) | 90.9 (Feb) | 87.9 (Feb) | | 112.5 (Feb) | 109.2 (Nov) | 130.4 (April) | 99.7 (Dec) | | 76.8 (Dec) |

## Transportation
### Airports

Three airports serve Shimane. The Izumo Airport located in Izumo is the largest airport in the prefecture in terms of passengers and has regular flights to Haneda Airport, Osaka Airport, Fukuoka Airport, and Oki Airport. The Iwami Airport has two flights each day to Haneda and Osaka and 2 arrivals. Oki Airport has scheduled flights to Osaka and Izumo Airports.
* Izumo Airport
* Iwami Airport
* Oki Airport

### Rail

JR West and Ichibata Electric Railway serves the prefecture in terms of rail transportation. The Sanin Main Line goes through the prefecture on the Sea of Japan side into major cities such as Matsue and Izumo. Izumoshi and Matsue stations are the major stops in the prefecture. The Kisuki line, which forks from Shinji Station on the Sanin Line, connects with the Geibi Line in Hiroshima Prefecture, cutting into the Chūgoku Mountains. Ichibata Electric Railway serve the Shimane peninsula from Dentetsu-Izumoshi Station and Izumo Taisha-mae Station to Matsue Shinjiko-Onsen Station.
JR West has three Limited Express trains to Shimane, which are Super Matsukaze, Super Oki, and Yakumo. Additionally, the overnight limited express Sunrise Izumo operates daily between Tokyo and Izumoshi.
* West Japan Railway Company
** Kisuki Line
** Sanin Main Line
** Sankō Line
** Yamaguchi Line
* Ichibata Electric Railway
** Kita-Matsue Line
** Taisha Line

### Roads
#### General roads

* Japan National Route 9
** Izumo Bypass
** Gōtsu Road
* Japan National Route 54
* Japan National Route 180
* Japan National Route 184
* Japan National Route 186
* Japan National Route 187
* Japan National Route 191
* Japan National Route 261
* Japan National Route 314
* Japan National Route 375
* Japan National Route 431
* Japan National Route 432
* Japan National Route 485
* Japan National Route 488

#### Highways

The four expressways in the prefecture connect major cities with other prefectures. The Matsue expressway connects Matsue with Unnan and Yonago in Tottori prefecture. Hamada Expressway forks from the Chūgoku Expressway at Kita-Hiroshima and stretches to Hamada.
* Sanin Expressway
* Matsue Expressway
* Hamada Expressway
* Chūgoku Expressway

### Ferries

* Oki Kisen

### Gallery

* JR Izumo Station
* Super Oki Express in Sanin Line
* Ichibata Electric Railway
* Izumo Enmusubi (Marriage) Airport
* Oki Saigo Port

## Economy

In Shimane, the largest employer is the retail industry, employing over 60,000 workers. The supermarket, Mishimaya, and the hardware store, Juntendo, are examples of companies based in Shimane. The manufacturing industry has the second highest number of employees with 49,000 workers.

### Companies based in Shimane
#### Manufacturing

* Izumo Murata Manufacturing
* Mitsubishi Agricultural Machinery
* Shimane Fujitsu

#### Financial

* The San-in Godo Bank
* The Shimane Bank

#### Others

* Ichibata Electric Railway
* Juntendo
* Mishimaya
* Network Applied Communication Laboratory

### Major factories

* Hitachi Metals

## Demographics

One-third of the prefecture's population is concentrated in the Izumo-Matsue area. Otherwise, over two-thirds of the population is on the coastline. A reason for the population distribution is that the Chūgoku Mountains make the land inland harder to inhabit. The capital, Matsue, has the smallest population of all 47 prefectural capitals. Shimane has also the largest percentage of elderly people. The province had an estimated 743 centenarians per million inhabitants in September 2010, the highest ratio in Japan, overtaking Okinawa Prefecture (667 centenarians per million).

### Population by age

Total Population in age groups 2007 Estimated Population Unit: Thousands
| Age | Population |
| 0 - 4 | 30 |
| 5 - 9 | 33 |
| 10 - 14 | 35 |
| 15 - 19 | 37 |
| 20 - 24 | 32 |
| 25 - 29 | 38 |
| 30 - 34 | 44 |
| 35 - 39 | 41 |
| 40 - 44 | 38 |
| 45 - 49 | 44 |
| 50 - 54 | 51 |
| 55 - 59 | 66 |
| 60 - 64 | 44 |
| 65 - 69 | 45 |
| 70 - 74 | 50 |
| 75 - 79 | 45 |
| 80 and over | 64 |
Population in age groups by gender 2007 Estimated population Unit: Thousands
| Male | Age | Female |
| 15 | 0 - 4 | 15 |
| 17 | 5 - 9 | 16 |
| 18 | 10 - 14 | 17 |
| 19 | 15 - 19 | 18 |
| 16 | 20 - 24 | 16 |
| 19 | 25 - 29 | 19 |
| 22 | 30 - 34 | 22 |
| 20 | 35 - 39 | 20 |
| 19 | 40 - 44 | 19 |
| 22 | 45 - 49 | 22 |
| 26 | 50 - 54 | 25 |
| 34 | 55 - 59 | 32 |
| 22 | 60 - 64 | 23 |
| 20 | 65 - 69 | 24 |
| 22 | 70 - 74 | 28 |
| 19 | 75 - 79 | 26 |
| 20 | 80 and over | 44 |
* Source: Graph 10/Prefectures Age（In Age groups）, Gender divided population－Total Population (Ministry of Internal Affairs Statistics Bureau)
Population Distribution by Age and Sex in Shimane :
| ■Shimane ■Japan (average) | ■Male ■Female |
| 1970 773,575 1975 768,886 1980 784,795 1985 794,629 1990 781,021 1995 771,441 2000 761,503 2005 742,223 2010 716,354 ||
| 2015 Census, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications - Statistics Department ||

## Culture
### Cultural assets
#### World Cultural Heritage

* The Historic Remains of Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Background (Ōda City)

#### National Treasures

* Armour Laced with white thread (Hinomisaki Shrine)
* Bronze bells from the Kamo-Iwakura site Unearthed bronze bell-shaped vessel (Unnan City)
* Izumo-taisha Main Shrine (Izumo City)
* Kamosu Shrine Main Shrine (Matsue City)
* Kojindani Ruins Unearthed ruins (Izumo City)
* Toiletry case with autumn field and deer design (Izumo-taisha)

#### Important Traditional Building Preservation Area

* Ōmori (Ōda City)
* Yunotsu (Ōda City)

### Dialects

* Iwami dialect
* Unpaku dialect (Izumo dialect, Oki dialect, etc.)

### Universities in Shimane Prefecture

* Shimane University, Matsue and Izumo (National university)
* The University of Shimane, Hamada (Prefectural university)

## Tourism

* Adachi Museum of Art
* Aquas Aquarium
* Iwami Art Museum
* Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
* Izumo-taisha
* Izumo Province
* Matsue Castle
* Mt. Sanbe
* Shimane Art Museum
* Shimane Vogel Park
* Shimane Winery
* Tamatsukuri Onsen

## Prefectural symbols

The prefectural flower is the mountain peony. On the island of Daikonjima, they have been grown from at least the 18th century.