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Food & Beverage > Southeast Asian Food
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Ube
Food & Beverage > Southeast Asian Food
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Shimonoseki
Food & Beverage > Southeast Asian Food
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Yamaguchi
Food & Beverage > Southeast Asian Food
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Iwakuni
Food & Beverage > Southeast Asian Food
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Shunan
Food & Beverage > Southeast Asian Food
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Shunan
Transport > Airport
Asia > Japan > Chugoku Region > Yamaguchi Prefecture > Ube
Introduction
Yamaguchi Prefecture (山口県, Yamaguchi-ken) is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.
History
Yamaguchi Prefecture was created by the merger of the provinces of Suō and Nagato. During the rise of the samurai class during the Heian and Kamakura Periods (794–1333), the Ouchi family of Suō Province and the Koto family of Nagato Province gained influence as powerful warrior clans. In the Muromachi Period (1336—1573), Ouchi Hiroyo, the 24th ruler of the Ouchi family conquered both areas of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Ouchi clan imitated the city planning of Kyoto. They gained great wealth through cultural imports from the continent and trade with Korea and Ming Dynasty China. As a result, Yamaguchi came to be known as the "Kyoto of the West," and Ouchi culture flourished. Sue Harutaka defeated the 31st ruler of the Ouchi clan. The Sue clan was then defeated by Mōri Motonari, and the Mōri family gained control of the Chugoku region. Yamaguchi was ruled as part of the Mōri clan domain during the Sengoku period. Mōri Terumoto was then defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the battle of Sekigahara in 1600. He was forced to give up all his land except for the Suō and Nagato areas (current-day Yamaguchi Prefecture), where he built his castle in Hagi. Mōri sought to strengthen the economic base of the region and increase local production with his Three Whites campaign (salt, rice, and paper).
After Commodore Matthew Perry's opening of Japan, clans from Nagato (also called Chōshū) played a key role in the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the establishment of the new imperial government. Four years after the Edo Shogunate was overthrown and the Meiji government formed in 1868, the present Yamaguchi Prefecture was established. The Meiji government brought in many new systems and modern policies, and promoted the introduction of modern industry, though the prefecture was still centered around agriculture during this period. In the Taisho period, from 1912 to 1926, shipbuilding, chemical, machinery, and metal working plants were built in Yamaguchi's harbors in the Seto Inland Sea area. During the post-World War II Shōwa Period, Yamaguchi developed into one of the most industrialized prefectures in the country due to the establishment of petrochemical complexes.
Geography
As of April 1, 2012, 7% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Setonaikai National Park; Akiyoshidai, Kita-Nagato Kaigan, and Nishi-Chugoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and Chōmonkyō, Iwakiyama, Rakanzan, and Toyota Prefectural Natural Parks.
Cities
Thirteen cities are located in Yamaguchi Prefecture:
Towns and districts
These are the towns in each district:
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