The land area that makes up modern-day Gifu became part of theYamato Court around the middle of the fourth century. Because it is in the middle of the island ofHonshu, it has been the site of many decisive battles throughout Japan's history, the oldest major one being theJinshin War in 672, which led to the establishment ofEmperor Tenmu as the 40th emperor of Japan.
The area of Gifu Prefecture consists of theold provinces ofHida andMino, as well as smaller parts ofEchizen andShinano.[8] The name of the prefecture derives from its capital city,Gifu, which was named byOda Nobunaga duringhis campaign to unify all of Japan in 1567.[9] The first character used comes from Qishan (岐山), a legendary mountain from which most of China was unified, whereas the second character comes fromQufu (曲阜), the birthplace ofConfucius.[10] Nobunaga chose those characters because he wanted to unify all of Japan and he wanted to be viewed as a great mind.
Historically, the prefecture served as the center of swordmaking for the whole of Japan, withSeki being known for making the best swords in Japan. More recently, its strengths have been in fashion (primarily in the city of Gifu) and aerospace engineering (Kakamigahara).
One of the few landlocked prefectures in Japan, Gifu shares borders with seven other prefectures:Toyama,Ishikawa,Fukui,Shiga,Mie,Aichi, andNagano. Japan'spostal codes all start with a three-digit number, ranging from 001 to 999. Part of Gifu has the 500 prefix, reflecting its location in the center of Japan.Thecenter of Japanese population is currently located in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture. The center of population is a hypothetical point at which a country is perfectly balanced assuming each person has a uniform weight. The spot was calculated using the 2005 census.
Gifu has five unofficial regions, which allows local municipalities to work together to promote the surrounding area. The five regions areSeinō,[13]Gifu,[14]Chūnō,[15]Tōnō[16] andHida.[17] The borders of the regions are loosely defined, but they are usually delineated among major cities.
The northernHida region is dominated by tall mountains, including parts of theJapanese Alps. The southernMino region is mostly parts of the fertileNōbi Plain, a vast plains area with arable soil. Most of the prefecture's population lives in the southern part of the prefecture, near thedesignated city ofNagoya.
Because the Mino region is surrounded by low mountains, the temperature fluctuates through the year, from hot summers to cold winters. The eastern city ofTajimi, for example, often records the hottest temperature in Japan each year and is considered to be the hottest city within Honshu boasting an average daytime high of 34.1 °C (93.4 °F) during the peak of summer. On August 16, 2007, Tajimi set the record for the hottest day recorded in Japan's history—40.9 °C (105.6 °F).[18] Summers are hotter, as the landlocked area becomes a heat island, and the temperature rises even further when hot, dryfoehn winds blow over the Ibuki Mountains from theKansai region. The Hida region, with its higher elevation and northerly latitude, is significantly cooler than the Mino region, although there are sometimes extremely hot days there too. The Hida region is more famous for its harsh winters, bringing extremely heavy snowfall, especially in the northwestern areas. Gifu boasts a high amount of skiing locations.Shōkawa-chō, part of the city ofTakayama, is up in the mountains, and its location has led it to be called the coldest inhabited place on Honshū.
Traditional industries such as paper-making and agriculture are found in Gifu, but its economy is dominated by the manufacturing sector including aerospace and automotive, with industrial complexes extending from the Nagoya area. A wealth of small component manufacturing is also found, such as precision machines, dye and mold making, and plastic forming.
Gifu is famous forcormorant fishing, which has a history of over 1,300 years. Agriculture is also a major industry because of Gifu's vast, arable plains. The forests in the north provide materials for woodworking and for the viewing boats used in cormorant fishing.
The Mino region has long been known for its high-quality paper calledMino washi, which is stronger and thinner than most other papers in Japan, and was used by the Japanese military during World War II.[25] Other paper-based products includeGifu Lanterns andGifu Umbrellas, made in the prefectural capital ofGifu. Other traditional goods includemino-yaki pottery inTajimi,Toki, andMizunami,cutlery inSeki, andlacquerware inTakayama.Sake is often brewed with clear water from the rivers.
Information technology (IT) is gaining a foothold in the prefecture with bothSoftopia Japan inŌgaki and VR Techno Japan (part of Techno Plaza) in Kakamigahara. The capital city of Gifu, located between Ōgaki and Kakamigahara, is also working to strengthen its IT fields, too.
Gifu has many popular tourist attractions, bringing visitors to all parts of the prefecture. The most popular places are Gifu,Gero,Shirakawa andTakayama. Gero is known for its relaxinghot springs, which attract visitors throughout the year. Shirakawa'shistoric villages are a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. Takayama is famous for retaining its original appearance and is often referred to asLittleKyoto.
The Kamioka area of the city ofHida is home to theKamioka Observatory underground laboratory. Located 1,000 m (3,281 ft) underground in Kamioka Mining and Smelting Co.'s Mozumi Mine, theSuper-Kamiokande experiment searches for neutrinos from the high atmosphere, the sun and supernovae, while theKamLAND experiment searches for antineutrinos from regional nuclear reactors. The Super-Kamiokande consists of a cylindrical stainless steel tank that is 41.4 m (136 ft) tall and 39.3 m (129 ft) in diameter holding 50,000 tons of ultra-pure water. Some of the 11,146 photomultiplier tubes are on display at theMiraikan in Tokyo. The same facility also hosts theCLIO prototype andKAGRA gravitational wave detector.
The prefecture's population was 2,04,000, as of 1 April 2025,[update][5] with approximately 1.8 million people in the cities and the rest in towns and villages.[26] The percentage of male and female residents is 48.4% and 51.6%, respectively.[26] 14.4% of the population is no more than 14 years old, with 22.1% of the population being at least 65 years old.[26]
According to Japan'scensus, the country'scenter of population is located in Gifu Prefecture. In 2000, it was located in the former town of Mugi, which has since merged withSeki. In the most recent census in 2005, the center of population has moved slightly more to the east but is still located within Gifu.
Gifu's symbol comes from the first charactergi (岐) of its Japanese name, written in a stylized script, surrounded by a circle, which represents the peace and harmony of the prefectural citizen. It was chosen by contest in 1932.[27]
The prefectural logo (see right) expands from the red dot into the center to the outer two lines and, finally, the yellow plain. This symbol was chosen in 1991 for the development and expansion of the prefecture.[27]
The prefecture also has two plants (themilk vetch (renge) and theJapanese yew) and two animals (thesnow grouse and theayu) as symbols. The milk vetch was chosen in 1954, because the prefecture is well known for its abundance of blooming milk vetch each spring. The yew was chosen in 1966, because it is the tree used to make ornamental scepters for the emperor, many of which came from the Hida district. The snow grouse was chosen in 1961, as the birds live up in the Japanese alps and is a nationally protected species. Ayu were chosen in 1989, because the fish is found in many prefectural rivers and is prized for its sweet taste.[27]
^ab"Japan's Regional Strength"(PDF). Gifu Prefectural Government official website.Archived(PDF) from the original on October 12, 2025. RetrievedOctober 12, 2025.
^自然公園都道府県別面積総括 [General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture](PDF) (in Japanese).Ministry of the Environment. March 31, 2019. RetrievedJuly 22, 2019.
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