Yamaguchi Prefectur

is a prefectur o Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The caipital is the ceety o Yamaguchi,  in the centre o the prefectur. The lairgest ceety, housomeivver, is Shimonoseki.

## History

Yamaguchi Prefectur wis creatit bi the merger o the provinces o Suō an Nagato. Durin the rise of the samurai cless durin the Heian an Kamakura Periods (794–1333), the Ouchi faimily o Suō Province an the Koto faimily o Nagato Province gained influence as pouerful warrior clans. In the Muromachi Period (1336—1573), Ouchi Hiroyo, the 24t ruler o the Ouchi faimily conquered baith auries o Yamaguchi Prefectur. The Ouchi clan imitatit the ceety plannin o Kyoto. Thay gained great walth throu cultural imports frae the continent an tred wi Korea an Ming Dynasty Cheenae. As a result, Yamaguchi came tae be kent as the "Kyoto o the Wast," an Ouchi cultur flourisht. Sue Harutaka defeatit the 31st ruler o the Ouchi clan. The Sue clan wis then defeatit bi Mōri Motonari, an the Mōri faimily gained control o the Chugoku region. Yamaguchi wis ruled as pairt o the Mōri clan domain durin the Sengoku period. Mōri Terumoto wis then defeatit bi Tokugawa Ieyasu in the battle o Sekigahara in 1600. He wis forcit tae gie up aw his laund except for the Suō an Nagato auries (current-day Yamaguchi Prefectur), whaur he biggit his castle in Hagi. Mōri socht tae strenthen the economic base o the region an increase local production wi his Three Whites campaign (salt, rice, an paper).

Efter Commodore Matthew Perry's openin o Japan, clans frae Nagato (cried Chōshū an aw) played a key role in the faw o the Tokugawa shogunate an the establishment o the new imperial govrenment.  
Fower years efter the Edo Shogunate wis owerthrown an the Meiji govrenment formit in 1868, the present Yamaguchi Prefectur wis establisht. The Meiji govrenment brocht in mony new seestems an modren policies, an promotit the introduction o modren industrie, tho the prefectur wis still centred aroond agricultur durin this period. In the Taisho period, frae 1912 tae 1926, shipbiggin, chemical, machinerie, an metal wirkin plants wur biggit in Yamaguchi's harbors in the Seto Inland Sea aurie. Durin the post-Warld War II Shōwa Period, Yamaguchi developit intae ane o the maist industrialisit prefecturs in the kintra due tae the establishment o petrochemical complexes.

## Geografie
As of 1 Aprile 2012, 7% o the tot land aurie of the prefecture wis designated as Natural Pairks, namely the Setonaikai Naitional Pairk; Akiyoshidai, Kita-Nagato Kaigan, an Nishi-Chugoku Sanchi Quasi-Naitional Pairks; an Chōmonkyō, Iwakiyama, Rakanzan, an Toyota Prefectural Natural Pairks.

## Admeenistration

### Ceeties
Thare are 13 ceeties in Yamaguchi:

### Touns an destricts

Thare are 4 destricts an 6 touns in Yamaguchi Prefectur:
*Abu Destrict:
** Abu
*Kuga Destrict:
** Waki
*Kumage Destrict:
** Hirao
** Kaminoseki
** Tabuse
*Ōshima Destrict:
** Suō-Ōshima

### Mergers

## Economic development
For the purposes o development analysis, Yamaguchi is construed tae be pairt o Northren Kyūshū.  Awtho Yamaguchi no pairt o the island o Kyushu, it haes acome a functional satellite o the Kanmon Straits metropolitan aurie.

## Tourism
The maist popular place for tourism is Shimonoseki. Ane o the major attractions is the famous Kintai Brig in the toun o Iwakuni. This five airchit firthen structur is considered a seembol o Wastren Honshū. The aurie on the banks o the Nishiki river close tae the brig is considered amang the best places in Japan for Hanami, when groups o faimily an friends gather in early Aprile tae view cherry blossoms. Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park, which includes Japan’s langest cave, the , is anither popular destination.

## Famous festivals an events
* Kintaikyo Festival in Iwakuni - held in Aprile 29
* Nishiki River Watter Festival in Iwakuni - held in August
* Iwakuni Festival in August
* Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival in August
* Yamaguchi Gion Festival in Julie 20 tae 27
* Yamaguchi Tanabata Lantern Festival in August 6 tae 7
* Hagi Era Festival in Aprile
* Hagi Festival in August 2 tae 3
* Shimonoseki Strait Festival in Mey 2 tae 4
* Shimonoseki Firework Festival in August

## Education

### Universities
*Yamaguchi University (national)
*Shimonoseki City University (public)
*Yamaguchi Prefectural University (public)

#### Private Universities

## Transportation

### Ferries frae Shimonoseki Port International Terminal
Twa ferry services provide regular sea transport frae the Shimonoseki Port Internaitional Terminal: Kanpu Ferry provides roond-trip service tae Busan, Sooth Korea; the Orient Ferry provides roond-trip service tae Qingdao an Shanghai, respectively.

*The Kanpu ferry tae Pusan in Sooth Korea regularly.
*The Gwangyang Beech tae Gwangyang in Sooth Korea regularly.
*The Orient ferry tae Qingdao in Cheenae regularly.
*The Orient ferry tae Shanghai in Cheenae regularly.

### Ither Ferry Route
* Shunan-Kunisaki, Kyushu
* Yanai-Matsuyama, Shikoku

### Air
Yamaguchi Ube Airport is a domestic airport wi service tae Haneda Airport (Tokyo).

### Railwey
*West Japan Railway Company
**Sanyō Shinkansen
**Sanyō Main Line
**Sanin Line
**Yamaguchi Line
**Gantoku Line
**Onoda Line
**Mine Line
**Ube Line
*Nishikigawa Railwey

### Roads

#### Expressweys
*San'yō Expresswey
*Chūgoku Expresswey

#### Toll Road
* Hagi Misumi Road
* Kanmon Bridge
* Yamaguchi Ube Onoda Road
* Ogori Hagi Road
* Kanmon Road Tunnel

#### Naitional Heich-gate
* Route 2
* Route 9
* Route 187 (Iwakuni-Tsuwano-Masuda)
* Route 188
* Route 189 (Iwakuni-Yanai-Hikari-Kudamatsu)
* Route 262
* Route 315 (Shunan-Hagi)
* Route 316
* Route 376 (Yamaguchi-Shunan-Iwakuni)
* Route 435
* Route 437
* Route 489
* Route 490
* Route 491

## Prefectural seembols
* Tree: Reid pine tree (Pinus densiflora)
* Flower: Bitter simmer mandarin blossom (Citrus natsudaidai)
* Bird: Huidit crane (Grus monacha)
* Fish: Tetraodontidae (Takifugu rubripes)
* Beast: Sika Deer (Cervus nippon nippon)

## Media

### Newspaper
*Yamaguchi Shimbun

### TV
*YAB TV(ANN)
*KRY TV(NNN)
*TYS TV(JNN)
*NHK TV

### Radio
*FMY (JFN)

## Notes

## References
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005).  ''Japan encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5;  OCLC 58053128

## Freemit airtins

* Offeecial Yamaguchi Prefectur hamepage