Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture
岐阜県
Japanese transcription(s)
 • Japanese岐阜県
 • RōmajiGifu-ken
Spring Festival in Takayama
A monument in Battle of Sekigahara
Usuzumi cherry-blossom in Motosu
Flag of Gifu Prefecture
Official logo of Gifu Prefecture
Anthem: Gifu kenmin no uta
Location of Gifu Prefecture
Country Japan
RegionChūbu (Tōkai)
IslandHonshu
CapitalGifu
SubdivisionsDistricts: 9, Municipalities: 42
Government
 • GovernorHajime Furuta
Area
 • Total10,621.29 km2 (4,100.90 sq mi)
 • Rank7th
Population
 (June 1, 2019)
 • Total1,991,390
 • Rank17th
 • Density190/km2 (490/sq mi)
GDP
 • TotalJP¥7,937 billion
US$72.8 billion (2019)
ISO 3166 codeJP-21
Websitewww.pref.gifu.lg.jp/English
Symbols of Japan
BirdRock ptarmigan
(Lagopus muta)
FishAyu
(Plecoglossus altivelis)
FlowerChinese milk vetch
(Astragalus sinicus)
TreeJapanese yew
(Taxus cuspidata)
= Panoramic view of the Nōbi Plain with Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture seen from the top of Gifu Castle

Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県, Gifu-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu.[2]: 246 [3]: 126  Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 (as of 1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 10,621 square kilometres (4,101 sq mi). Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, Fukui Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture to the west, Mie Prefecture to the southwest, Aichi Prefecture to the south, and Nagano Prefecture to the east.

Gifu is the capital and largest city of Gifu Prefecture, with other major cities including Ōgaki, Kakamigahara, and Tajimi.[4]: 246 

Gifu Prefecture is located in the center of Japan, one of only eight landlocked prefectures, and features the country's center of population. Gifu Prefecture has served as the historic crossroads of Japan with routes connecting the east to the west, including the Nakasendō, one of the Five Routes of the Edo period. Gifu Prefecture was a long-term residence of Oda Nobunaga and Saitō Dōsan, two influential figures of Japanese history in the Sengoku period, spawning the popular phrase "control Gifu and you control Japan" in the late Medieval era.[5] Gifu Prefecture is known for its traditional Washi paper industry, including Gifu lanterns and Gifu umbrellas, and as a center for the Japanese swordsmithing and cutlery industries. Gifu Prefecture is home to Gifu Castle, the 1,300-year-old tradition of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River, and the site of the Battle of Sekigahara.

  1. ^ "2020年度国民経済計算(2015年基準・2008SNA) : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府". 内閣府ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Gifu-ken" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 246, p. 246, at Google Books
  3. ^ Nussbaum, "Chūbu" in p. 126, p. 126, at Google Books
  4. ^ Nussbaum, "Gifu" in p. 246, p. 246, at Google Books
  5. ^ Instant Gifu. Gifu International Center, 1995.