Country Japan Island Shikoku Districts 6 Area 7,105 km² Capital Kochi | Region Shikoku Area rank 14th Municipalities 34 Population 759,680 (31 Mar 2012) ISO 3166 code Japan | |
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Weather 11°C, Wind NE at 14 km/h, 59% Humidity Destinations Shimanto, Kochi, Tosashimizu, Muroto, Tosa, Sukumo Points of interest Katsurahama, Kōchi Castle, Makino Botanical Garden, Katsurahama Aquarium, Sakamoto Ryōma Memorial Colleges and Universities Kōchi University, Kochi University of Techno, University of Kochi, Kochi Gakuen College, Kochi Junior College | ||
Kōchi Prefecture (高知県, Kōchi-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.
Contents
- Map of Kochi Prefecture Japan
- History
- Geography
- Cities
- Towns and villages
- Tourism
- Media
- Sports
- Baseball
- Football
- Food
- References
Map of Kochi Prefecture, Japan
History
Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.
Kōchi City is also the birthplace of noted revolutionary Sakamoto Ryōma.
Geography
Kōchi Prefecture comprises the southwestern part of the island of Shikoku, facing the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Ehime to the north-west and Tokushima to the north-east. It is the largest but least populous of Shikoku's four prefectures. Most of the province is mountainous, and in only a few areas such as around Kōchi and Nakamura is there a coastal plain. Kōchi is famous for its many rivers. Inamura-yama in Tosa-cho is the highest peak in Kōchi prefecture with an altitude of 1,506 meters above sea level.
As of April 1, 2012, 7% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park; Ishizuchi, Muroto-Anan Kaigan, and Tsurugisan Quasi-National Parks; and eighteen Prefectural Natural Parks.
Cities
Eleven cities are located in Kōchi Prefecture:
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district:
Tourism
Media
The 2013 movie Hospitality Department (Kencho Omotenashi Ka) is set in Kōchi. The film shows views of Kōchi Prefecture.
Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Kōchi.
Baseball
Football
Food
Like most areas of Japan, Kōchi advertises itself as specialising in a major food item, in this case, Katsuo no Tataki. Katsuo no Tataki is Skipjack Tuna or Bonito, lightly seared. Traditionally this is done over the straw generated as a by-product of the rice harvest.