Gunma Prefecture

Japanese: 群馬[県] - ぐんま

A prefecture in the northwest of the Kanto region. The prefectural capital is Maebashi City. ^{6,362.28 km2} . 2,008,068 people (2010). [History] In ancient times, this area, along with Tochigi Prefecture, was called Keno no Kuni, which was divided into Kamitsuke no Kuni and later Kozuke no Kuni. In ancient times, the Tosando road passed through the area, and it was the base of the Yamato Imperial Court in the eastern provinces. In the Middle Ages, the Nitta clan ruled the area. During the Edo period, the shogunate set up many checkpoints and subdivided the area into daimyo territories, hatamoto territories, and tenryo territories, and all of the feudal domains were small domains except for the Sakakibara clan of Tatebayashi. In 1871, the three counties of Oura, Yamada, and Nitta belonged to Tochigi Prefecture, and the rest became Gunma Prefecture, and in 1876 the entire area of Kozuke Province became Gunma Prefecture. [Nature] The prefecture is mostly mountainous and inland. The northeast is the Ashio Mountains and the Nikko Volcano Group, the northwest is the Mikuni Mountains that form the watershed between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, and the southwest is the northern end of the Kanto Mountains. Mount Akagi and Mount Haruna tower in the central part. In the south and southeast, rivers flowing down from the various mountains join the Tone River to form an alluvial plain. The climate is inland, with large temperature differences, and the mountainous areas in the north and west receive a lot of snowfall. The so-called "dry winds" blow from autumn to spring, late frosts in spring, and thunderstorms and hail in summer. [Industry] The population composition by industry is primary 6.5%, secondary 32.8%, and tertiary 60.0% (2005). Flat land is scarce, and fields predominate. Most orchards are mulberry fields, which account for 28% of the national total (1993). Many of the fields are double-cropped, with wheat being the most common secondary crop, and the prefecture is fourth after Hokkaido in wheat yields (2003). Shimonita is famous for its konjac and green onions, while the cold areas of Tsumagoi Village are famous for its cabbage (second in the nation, 2003) and Chinese cabbage. In recent years, sericulture and konjac cultivation have stagnated, but the prefecture still ranks first in the nation, with 45% of the nation's cocoon yield and 78% of the nation's konjac yam yield (both in 2003). In recent years, fruit cultivation in the lowlands, such as pears, grapes, and apples, has expanded. Cows are raised in the foothills of Mt. Akagi, Mt. Asama, and Mt. Arafune, and produce a lot of milk. Forestry produces timber in Tone and Agatsuma counties and in the Kanto Mountains, and there is also a lot of shiitake mushroom production. Since the Edo period, the area has been centered on silk-reeling and silk-weaving industries, such as silk-reeling in Maebashi, Takasaki, and Tomioka, meisen in Isesaki, and silk-weaving in Kiryu, but these industries have been stagnating. In recent years, with the development of electricity and drainage channels in the Tone River system, the Kan'etsu and Joshin'etsu Expressways have been opened, and industries such as transportation machinery, electrical appliances, steel, chemicals, and metals have developed in Shibukawa, Maebashi, Takasaki, Ota, Isesaki, and Ojima, and the construction of industrial parks has also been remarkable. In terms of the value of manufactured goods shipped, it was 7,285.5 billion yen (2003), ranking sixth out of the seven Kanto prefectures. There are Nikko National Park, Oze National Park, Joshin'etsu Kogen National Park, and Myogi-Arafune-Saku Kogen Quasi-National Park, and there are many hiking and sightseeing spots such as Oze, Tanigawadake, Mt. Asama, the Jomo Sanzan mountains, and the hot springs of Ikaho, Kusatsu, and Minakami. [Transportation] The prefecture's major cities are concentrated in the plains of the south and southeast, and are connected by the Joetsu Shinkansen, Takasaki Line, Shinetsu Main Line, Ryomo Line, Hachiko Line, Tobu Railway, Jomo Electric Railway, Kan'etsu Expressway, and national highways 17, 18, and 50. The Joetsu Line extends into Niigata Prefecture via the Shimizu Tunnel, and the Agatsuma Line, Joshin Dentetsu Railway, and Joshin'etsu Expressway connect the prefecture to the west, and the Watarase Keikoku Railway to the east.
→Related topicsOkkirikomi｜Kanto region

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

関東地方北西部の県。県庁所在地は前橋市。6362.28km²。200万8068人（2010）。〔沿革〕　古くは栃木県とともに毛野国(けののくに)と称し，分かれて上毛野国(かみつけののくに)，のち上野(こうずけ)国となった。古代は東山道が通じ，大和朝廷の東国における拠点であった。中世には新田氏が一円を支配した。江戸期，幕府は多くの関所を設け，大名領，旗本領，天領に細分，藩は館林(たてばやし)の榊原氏以外はすべて小藩であった。1871年邑楽(おうら)・山田・新田３郡は栃木県に属し，他は群馬県となり，1876年上野国全域が群馬県となった。〔自然〕　大部分が山地の内陸県で，北東部は足尾山地，日光火山群，北西部は太平洋側と日本海側の分水界をなす三国山脈，南西部は関東山地の北端。中部には赤城山，榛名(はるな)山がそびえる。南部と南東部は各山地から流下する諸河川が利根川に合して沖積平野を形成している。気候は内陸性で，気温の差が激しく，北部と西部の山間部は降雪量が多い。秋〜春にいわゆる〈からっ風〉が吹き，春に晩霜，夏に雷雨，雹(ひょう)が著しい。〔産業〕　産業別人口構成は第１次6.5％，第２次32.8％，第３次60.0％（2005）。平地は乏しく，畑が卓越，樹園地の多くは桑園，桑園面積は全国の28％（1993）を占める。二毛作田が多く，裏作は麦作が多く，小麦の収穫量では北海道に次いで４位（2003）である。下仁田を中心とするコンニャクとネギ，嬬恋(つまごい)村などの寒冷地でキャベツ（全国２位，2003），ハクサイの栽培が有名である。近年は養蚕，コンニャク栽培は停滞してはいるが，収繭量で全国の45％，コンニャク芋の収穫量で全国の78％（ともに2003）を上げ，全国一である。また近年低地でのナシ，ブドウ，リンゴなどの果樹栽培が伸長している。赤城・浅間・荒船山麓では牛を飼育，牛乳を多産する。林業は利根・吾妻(あがつま)両郡と関東山地で用材を産し，シイタケの生産も多い。工業の中心は江戸時代以来の，前橋・高崎・富岡の製糸，伊勢崎の銘仙，桐生の絹織物に代表される製糸，絹織物工業であったが，停滞してきている。近年は利根川水系の電力，用排水路整備を背景に，関越・上信越両自動車道も開通して渋川，前橋，高崎，太田，伊勢崎，尾島などで輸送用機械，電気器具，鉄鋼，化学，金属などの工業が発展，工業団地の造成も著しい。製造品出荷額では７兆2855億円（2003）で関東７県のうち６位に位置する。日光国立公園，尾瀬国立公園，上信越高原国立公園，妙義荒船佐久高原国定公園があり，尾瀬，谷川岳，浅間山，上毛三山，温泉の伊香保・草津・水上など登山・行楽地が多い。〔交通〕　南部・南東部の平野部に県の主要都市が集中し，上越新幹線，高崎線，信越本線，両毛線，八高線，東武鉄道，上毛電鉄，関越自動車道，国道17，18，50号線などで結ばれる。新潟県へ清水トンネルにより上越線が延び，西部に吾妻線・上信電鉄，上信越自動車道，東部にわたらせ渓谷鉄道が通じる。
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