Yamagata Prefecture

Yamagata Prefecture(山形県,Yamagata-ken)is aprefectureofJapanlocated in theTōhoku regionofHonshu.Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,028,055 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of 9,325km(3,600sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture bordersAkita Prefectureto the north,Miyagi Prefectureto the east,Fukushima Prefectureto the south, andNiigata Prefectureto the southwest.
Yamagatais the capital and largest city of Yamagata Prefecture, with other major cities includingTsuruoka,Sakata, andYonezawa.Yamagata Prefecture is located on Japan's westernSea of Japancoast and its borders with neighboring prefectures are formed by variousmountain ranges, with 17% of its total land area being designated asNatural Parks. Yamagata Prefecture formed the southern half of the historicDewa Provincewith Akita Prefecture and is home to theThree Mountains of Dewa, which includes the Haguro Five-story Pagoda, a recognisedNational Treasure of Japan.
The aboriginalEzo(蝦夷)people once inhabited the area now known as Yamagata. Yamagata andAkita Prefecturewere known asDewa Provinceuntil theMeiji Restoration.
During theHeian period(794–1185), theFujiwara(藤原)family ruled the area. Yamagata City flourished during theEdo period(1603–1867) due to its status as a castle town and post station, famous forbeni(redsafflowerdye used in the production of handspun silk). In 1689, the famoushaikupoet,Matsuo Bashōvisited Yamagata during his five-month trip to the northern regions of Japan.
Yamagata Prefecture is located in the southwest corner of Tōhoku, facing theSea of Japan. It bordersNiigata PrefectureandFukushima Prefectureon the south,Miyagi Prefectureon the east, andAkita Prefectureon the north. All of these boundaries are marked by mountains, with most of the population residing in a limited central plain.
As of 31 March 2020, 17 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated asNatural Parks, namely theBandai-Asahi National Park;Chōkai,Kurikoma, andZaōQuasi-National Parks; andGoshōzan,Kabusan,Kennan,Mogamigawa,Shōnai Kaihin, andTendō KōgenPrefectural Natural Parks.
Thirteen cities are located in Yamagata Prefecture:
These are the towns and villages in eachdistrict:
The climate of Yamagata Prefecture is characterized by long, hot, and humid summers and long, snowy winters. Both spring and autumn are short, the former often cold, the latter often warm, but both quite dry and sunny. Yamagata Prefecture, along with northern parts of Miyagi and Iwate are the transition areas fromhumid subtropical climate(KoppenCfa/Cwa) tohumid continentalwithin the Japan mainland. Winter temperatures rarely fall below −10 °C (14 °F) in populated areas; they frequently rise above 30 °C (86 °F) in July and August. Precipitation falls all year round and the remnants of one or perhaps twotyphoonsusually pass through between August and October. The winters see heavy snowfall especially at higher elevations, though the Japan Sea coast (Sakata) is milder and has more rain. Snowfall forShinjōis typical of populated mountainous areas, snowfall forYamagata Citytypical of the valleys. The central mountains aroundGassanmay see as much as 3,000 centimetres (98.43 ft) of snow in a season with depths up to 8 metres (26 ft) at higher elevations.
Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.
As of October 2020, Yamagata Prefecture had a population of 1,068,027.As of October 2019, 33.4% of the population was over 65 with 15.5% aged between 65 and 74 and 17.9% over 75.This is an increase of 8.5% over census data from 2004 where 12.8% of the population was aged between 65 and 74, and 12.1% was over 75.
Yamagata prefecture experienced its greatest growth period following the end of World War II, but then quickly began to slow down and eventually decline steadily.Today, the population is nearly the same as it was in 1930.
Yamagata City is the central hub for Yamagata Prefecture and has many shops and restaurants around its main station.  It is also the location with the most western hotels and the primary place of lodging for visitors visiting this region. This city serves as a good hub to visit the surrounding cities and towns around this prefecture with bus lines and train lines linking almost every part of Yamagata from the station.
There are also many bars near the station giving this city a good night life for visitors to enjoy at the front of the station as well as the nanukamachi district in the downtown area of the city.
Yamagata Prefecture has a number of annual festivals and events.
The largest is theYamagata Hanagasa Festival(花笠祭り) which takes place inYamagata Cityon the first weekend in August, when thousands of people perform the hanagasa dance in the city centre and attracts up to 300,000 spectators. Yamagata City is the home of the bi-annualYamagata International Documentary Film Festivalin October.
In February, a snow lantern festival is held inYonezawaat theUesugi Shrine. Hundreds of candle-lit lanterns light pathways dug into the snow around the shrine. Yonezawa is also the site of theUesugi Festival(上杉祭り,uesugi matsuri) in mid-spring. The festival's highlight is a re-enactment of theBattle of Kawanakajimaon the banks of the Matsukawa River.
In September, Yamagata Prefecture is famous for itsimoni, a taro-root stew popular in Northern Japan during the autumn. Imonikai, taro-root soup parties, are very popular during this season, and many tourists come to Yamagata Prefecture specifically for its particular style of imoni.
Beginning in 2003, Yamagata city officials with the aid of Tōhoku University of Art and Design began a three-year project in which the Buddhist art of the city's temples would be catalogued and compared to a set of guidelines in order to identify "cultural assets".One hundred and ninety temples have had their works of art examined and several significant examples of Buddhist sculpture have been discovered. At Heisenji Temple, in the Hirashimizu district, a particularly rare statue, a seatedVairocanaBuddha made fromzelkovawood, was found. Other significant works include sculptures from theHeian period(794–1185) andKamakura period(1192–1333).
The Yamagata Museum of Art, located in Yamagata City, was opened in 1964 through the efforts of a foundation led by Yoshio Hattori, the president of Yamagata Shimbun and Yamagata Broadcasting Co, Ltd. The permanent collection consists of three types of art: Japanese and Asian, regional, and French. Special exhibitions are held periodically.
Yamagata Prefecture is known for its local dialectYamagata-ben, sometimes thought of as backward sounding in other parts of Japan. The 2004 movieSwing Girls(スウィングガールズ), co-written and directed byShinobu Yaguchi, is set in Yamagata and makes use of Yamagata-ben for comedic purposes.
The sports teams listed below are based in Yamagata.
Football
Volleyball
Basketball
The temple ofYama-dera, carved into the mountainside near the city ofYamagata, is a major attraction.
TheDewa Sanzanare three holy mountains that form a traditional pilgrimage for followers of theShugendōbranch of Shintō. The famous Gojudo (five-story pagoda) is at the base ofMount Haguro, the lowest of the three mountains.
Mount Zaōis a famous winter ski resort, also known for itssnow monsters(frozen snow-covered trees) in the winter, and theOkama crater lake, also known as theGoshiki Numa(Five Color Lake) because its colour changes according to the weather.
Ginzan Onsen(銀山温泉) is a Silver Mountain hot spring town located in the mountains ofObanazawaCity, Yamagata Prefecture. The area originally developed around a silver mine.
Yamagata is pictured in the 1991Studio GhiblifilmOnly Yesterdaydirected by Isao Takahata.
38°26′N140°8′E﻿ / ﻿38.433°N 140.133°E﻿ /38.433; 140.133