Kamikita District, Aomori

Location of Kamikita District in Aomori Prefecture.
Location of Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture, highlighted in green; with former areas in yellow.
Colored areas are in the district.

Kamikita District (上北郡, Kamikita-gun) is a district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the east-central portion of the prefecture, south of Shimokita Peninsula.

As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 100,526 and a density of 78.5 persons per km2. The total area was 1281.05 km2.

Politics

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In terms of national politics, the district is represented in the Diet of Japan's House of Representatives as a part of the Aomori 1st district and the Aomori 2nd district.[1]

Towns and villages

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The district consists of six towns and one village. The cities of Towada and Misawa were formerly part of the district.

History

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Kamikita District was part of ancient Kita County (北郡, Kita-gun), established by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Edo period, the area was part of the Morioka han feudal domain of the Nanbu clan, with daikansho located in Noheji and Shichinohe.

The Nanbu clan sided with the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration and were punished by the new Meiji government by loss of their northern territories. In November 1869, Kita-gun and neighboring Sannohe District became part of the newly created Tonami Domain (斗南藩, Tonami-han), a 30,000 koku holding created to resettle the dispossessed Matsudaira clan from Aizu-Wakamatsu. In July 1871, with the abolition of the han system, Tonami Domain became Tonami Prefecture, and was merged into the newly created Aomori Prefecture in September 1871.

During the early Meiji period administrative reorganization of Japan on July 22, 1878, Kamikita and Shimokita were divided from former Kita County, and Kamikita was divided into 50 villages. In the cadastral reform of April 1, 1889, the number of villages was reduced through consolidations and mergers to sixteen.

District Timeline

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  • On September 27, 1897, the village of Noheji was elevated to town status.
  • On September 1, 1902, the village of Shichinohe was elevated to town status.
  • On September 1, 1910, the village of Sanbongi was elevated to town status.
  • On April 20, 1929, the village of Momoishi was elevated to town status.
  • On February 1, 1948, several villages or portions of villages were merged to create the town of Omisawa.
  • On February 1, 1956, the town of Sanbongi was elevated to city status.
  • On April 1, 1956, the village of Towada was elevated to town status.
  • On October 1, 1957, the village of Rokunohe was elevated to town status.
  • On April 1, 1958, the village of Yokohama was elevated to town status.
  • On September 1, 1958, the town of Omisawa was elevated to city status and became the city of Misawa.
  • On September 1, 1958, the village of Uranodate was elevated to town status and became the town of Kamikita.
  • On August 1, 1969, the village of Shimoda was elevated to town status.
  • On April 1, 1975, the town of Towada was renamed as the town of Towadako.

District Background

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pre-1889 April 1, 1889 1889–1949 1950–1989 1989–present present
Yokohama-mura Yokohama-mura Yokohama-mura April 1, 1958
Yokohama-machi
Yokohama-machi Yokohama-machi Yokohama
Noheji-mura September 27, 1897
Noheji-machi
Noheji-machi Noheji-machi Noheji-machi Noheji-machi Noheji
Uranodate-mura Uranodate-mura Uranodate-mura September 1, 1958
renamed as
Kamikita-machi
Kamikita-machi March 31, 2005
Tōhoku-machi
Tōhoku
Kachiji-mura Kachiji-mura Kachiji-mura November 1, 1963
renamed as
Tōhoku-machi
Tōhoku-machi
Shichinohe-mura September 1, 1902
Shichinohe-machi
Shichinohe-machi Shichinohe-machi Shichinohe-machi March 31, 2005
Shichinohe-machi
Shichinohe
Tenmabayashi-mura Tenmabayashi-mura Tenmabayashi-mura Tenmabayashi-mura Tenmabayashi-mura
Sanbongi-mura September 1, 1910
Sanbongi-machi
Sanbongi-machi February 1, 1955
Sanbongi-shi
October 10, 1956
renamed as
Towada-shi
Towada-shi January 1, 2005
Towada-shi
Towada
Ofukanai-mura Ofukanai-mura Ofukanai-mura
Fujisaka-mura Fujisaka-mura Fujisaka-mura
Yotsuwa-mura Yotsuwa-mura Yotsuwa-mura March 1, 1956
merged into
Misawa-shi
Hookusawa-mura September 7, 1931
merged into
Towada-mura
Towada-mura April 1, 1956
Towada-machi
April 1, 1976
renamed as
Towadako-machi
Rokkasho-mura Rokkasho-mura Rokkasho-mura Rokkasho-mura Rokkasho-mura Rokkasho-mura Rokkasho
Misawa-mura Misawa-mura February 1, 1948
Omisawa-machi
(part of Rokunohe, Shimoda
Uranodate merged)
September 1, 1958
renamed as
Misawa-shi
Misawa-shi Misawa-shi Misawa
Momoishi-mura April 20, 1929
Momoishi-machi
Momoishi-machi Momoishi-machi Momoishi-machi March 1, 2005
Oirase-machi
Oirase
Shimoda-mura Shimoda-mura Shimoda-mura Shimoda-mura August 1, 1969
Shimoda-machi
Rokunohe-mura Rokunohe-mura Rokunohe-mura October 1, 1957
Rokunohe-machi
Rokunohe-machi Rokunohe-machi Rokunohe

Recent mergers

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  • On January 1, 2005 - The town of Towadako was merged into the expanded city of Towada.
  • On March 1, 2005 - The towns of Shimoda and Momoishi were merged to form the town of Oirase.

References

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  1. ^ "青森県の衆議院小選挙区の区割りについて(平成29年以降)" [About the division of Aomori Prefecture's House of Representatives single-member constituency (2017-)] (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 May 2020.

40°46′26″N 141°15′39″E / 40.77389°N 141.26083°E / 40.77389; 141.26083