Yamanashi Prefecture (山梨県, Yamanashi-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Kōfu.

Pre-history to the 14th century

As in most other Japanese regions, prehistoric society in Yamanashi progressed though the hunting, fishing and gathering stage of the Jōmon period, then the rice-producing stage of the Yayoi period and subsequent village and regional formation. The Maruyama and Choshizuka Kofun (earthen burial mounds) located on Sone Hill of Nakamichi Town　(currently in southern Kōfu) are believed to have been built from the end of the 4th century. From these remains it can be assumed that the people of Sone Hill had great influence.

During the Heian period, Kai Province was created in this area.

15th to 19th centuries

Among the many Kaigenji generations, those of the Takeda, Ogasawara, and Nanbu families were particularly prosperous. During the Sengoku period of the 16th century, Takeda Shingen attained the status of daimyō and built Tsuzuji Mansion and the Yōgai Castle in Kōfu. From this base, he attempted to unify and control Japan.

After Takeda’s death in 1582, Kai-no-Kuni came under the control of the Oda and Toyotomi clans before being subsumed into the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Beneath the Edo shogunate, the Kofu clan (based in Kuninaka, or Central and Western Yamanashi) and the Yamura clan (based in Gunnai, or Eastern Yamanashi) were formed, but in 1724 the area came under the direct control of the Shogunate. With the development of the Kōshū Kaidō (highway) and Fuji River transport, goods, materials and culture flowed into the region.

By the mid-19th century, the contradictions of military government and clan system caused stability to erode and resistance to erupt across Japan, paving the way for the Meiji Restoration of 1868.

19th century to present

After the Meiji government entered Kōfu Castle in 1868, the domain of the Kaifu government became Kai Prefecture. This province was renamed Kōfu Prefecture in 1869; and Yamanashi Prefecture in 1871. The anniversary of November 20, 1872 is now celebrated as Prefectural Citizen’s Day in Yamanashi.

In the early part of the Meiji period (1868–1911), industrial promotion policies furthered textile and wine making industries. In the late Meiji period, the Chūō Railway Line opened, also helping to develop local industry and culture.

Agricultural production in farm towns was small and from the 1910s through the 20’s there was much tenant strife. In 1926, the Minobu Railway Line opened, putting an end to Fuji River transportation.

The capital city, Kōfu, suffered heavy bombing during World War II. In 1945, as part of governmental occupation reforms, agricultural land reforms increased the number of individual farms and introduced fruit farming to the region. Industry and commerce grew at rapid speed during the following periods, and the 1982 opening of the Chūō Expressway lead to a growth of third-sector industries that continues to this day.

Yamanashi Prefecture is bordered by Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Shizuoka, and Nagano. The prefecture is landlocked, with mountains surrounding the central Kōfu Basin. Mount Fuji is located on the southern border with Shizuoka. Mt. Fuji provides rain shadow effects, and as a result, the prefecture receives only about 818 mm of rainfall a year.

As of 1 April 2012, 27% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Chichibu Tama Kai, Fuji-Hakone-Izu, and Minami Alps National Parks; Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park; and Minami Alps Koma and Shibireko Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Towns and Villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Mergers