The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to theJōmon period (around 400 BCE). About 3,000 years ago,Mount Hakone produced a volcanic explosion which resulted inLake Ashi on the western area of the prefecture.[7][8]
In medieval Japan, Kanagawa was part of the provinces ofSagami andMusashi.[9]Kamakura in central Sagami was the capital of Japan during theKamakura period (1185–1333).
CommodoreMatthew Perry landed in Kanagawa in 1853 and 1854 and signed theConvention of Kanagawa to force open Japanese ports to the United States.Yokohama, the largest deep-water port inTokyo Bay, was opened to foreign traders in 1859 after several more years of foreign pressure, and eventually developed into the largest trading port in Japan. NearbyYokosuka, closer to the mouth of Tokyo Bay, developed as a naval port and now serves as headquarters for theU.S. 7th Fleet and the fleet operations of theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force. After theMeiji period, a number of foreigners lived in Yokohama City, and visitedHakone. TheMeiji government developed the first railways in Japan, fromShinbashi (in Tokyo) to Yokohama in 1872.[citation needed]
The epicenter of the1923 Great Kantō earthquake was deep beneathIzu Ōshima (island) in Sagami Bay. It devastated Tokyo, the port city ofYokohama, surrounding prefectures ofChiba,Kanagawa, andShizuoka, and caused widespread damage throughout theKantō region.[10] The sea receded as much as 400 metres from the shore atManazuru Point, and then rushed back towards the shore in a great wall of water which swamped Mitsuishi-shima.[11] AtKamakura, the total death toll from earthquake, tsunami, and fire exceeded 2,000 victims.[12] AtOdawara, ninety percent of the buildings collapsed immediately, and subsequent fires burned the rubble along with anything left standing.[13]
Kanagawa is a relatively small prefecture located at the southeastern corner of theKantō Plain[15] wedged between Tokyo on the north, the foothills ofMount Fuji on the northwest, and theSagami Bay[15] andTokyo Bay on the south and east. The eastern side of the prefecture is relatively flat and heavily urbanized, including the large port cities ofYokohama and Kawasaki.
The southeastern area nearby theMiura Peninsula is less urbanized, with the ancient city ofKamakura drawing tourists to temples and shrines. The western part, bordered byYamanashi Prefecture andShizuoka Prefecture on the west,[16] is more mountainous and includes resort areas likeOdawara andHakone. The area, stretching 80 kilometres (50 mi) from west to east and 60 kilometres (37 mi) from north to south, contains 2,400 square kilometres (930 sq mi) of land, accounting for 0.64% of the total land area of Japan.[16]
Topographically, the prefecture consists of three distinct areas. The mountainous western region features theTanzawa Mountain Range and the volcanoMount Hakone. The hilly eastern region is characterized by theTama Hills andMiura Peninsula. The central region, which surrounds the Tama Hills and Miura Peninsula, consists of flat stream terraces and low lands around major rivers including theSagami River,Sakai River,Tsurumi River, andTama River.[16]
TheTama River forms much of the boundary between Kanagawa and Tokyo. TheSagami River flows through the middle of the prefecture. In the western region, the Sakawa runs through a small lowland, the Sakawa Lowland, between Mount Hakone to the west and the Ōiso Hills to the east, and flows into Sagami Bay.[15]
The Tanzawa Mountain Range, part of the Kantō Mountain Range, containsMount Hiru (1,673 m or 5,489 ft), the highest peak in the prefecture. Other mountains measure similar mid-range heights: Mount Hinokiboramaru (1,601 m or 5,253 ft),Mount Tanzawa, (1,567 m or 5,141 ft),Mount Ōmuro (1,588 m or 5,210 ft), Mount Himetsugi (1,433 m or 4,701 ft), andMount Usu (1,460 m or 4,790 ft). The mountain range is lower in height southward leading to Hadano Basin to the Ōiso Hills. At the eastern foothills of the mountain range lies the Isehara Plateau and across the Sagami River theSagamino plateau.[15]
In 1945, Kanagawa was the 15th most populous prefecture in Japan, with a population of about 1.9 million. In the years after the war, the prefecture underwent rapid urbanization as a part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The population as of September 1, 2014[update] is estimated to be 9.1 million.[19] Kanagawa became the second most populous prefecture in 2006.
Kanagawa's transport network is heavily intertwined with that of Tokyo (see:Transportation in Greater Tokyo).Shin-Yokohama andOdawara stations on theTōkaidō Shinkansen are located in the prefecture, providing high-speed rail service to Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and other major cities.
TheKanagawa Prefectural Board of Education manages and oversees individual municipal school districts. The board of education also directly operates most of the public high schools in the prefecture.
Hakone Ekiden Course—from Tokyo toHakone, 108.0 km, mostly onJapan National Route 1 andRoute 15. Runners run on the divided route for ten parts on January 2 (to Hakone) and January 3 (to Tokyo) every year.
Shonan Bellmare (Hiratsuka,Odawara and some cities and towns in central and western area of Kanagawa)—Hiratsuka Athletic Stadium (football) and Odawara Arena (futsal)
The Japanese anime and manga seriesBungo Stray Dogs is set in Yokohama.
The Japanese manga seriesElfen Lied takes place in Kanagawa, mainly in Kamakura and Enoshima (Fujisawa).
The Japanese anime seriesGundam Wing's early episodes feature Kanagawa prominently, mainly Yokohama and Yokosuka.
The Japanese anime and manga seriesHamatora takes place in Kanagawa, mainly in Yokohama.
The Japanese anime and manga seriesHis and Her Circumstances takes place in Kanagawa Prefecture, mainly in Kawasaki city and Yokohama.
The Japanese anime and manga seriesInitial D Fifth Stage is set in Kanagawa, and Final Stage is set inHakone.
The Japanese manga and anime seriesKenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō takes place in the fictional Kanagawa city of Umineko.
The Japanese anime and manga seriesThe Knight in the Area takes place in Kanagawa, mostly Kamakura.
It's never been said, but the Japanese manga seriesKomi Can't Communicate is set in Kanagawa. One of the characters lives in a building complex in the city ofChigasaki that exists in real life.
A team from the Japanese anime and manga seriesKuroko's Basketball, Kaijo, is from Kanagawa.
The Hinata Inn and surrounding town from the manga and anime seriesLove Hina are located in Kanagawa.
Hammer, Joshua (2006).Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II. New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN9780743264655.OCLC67774380.
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