Nagasaki Prefecture
- Co-ordinates: : 32°58′N 129°48′E
- Island: Kyushu
- Region: Kyushu Region
- Capital: Nagasaki
- See also: Iki Province, Tsushima Province, Hizen Province.
- See also: List of Prefectures.
Table of Contents
Nagasaki Prefecture
Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県 – Nagasaki-ken) is located on the island of Kyushu. It is bordered by the Genkai Sea and Tsushima Strait on its northern edge, by Saga Prefecture and the Ariake Sea on its east, the Amakusa Sea on the south and the East China Sea on the west. It’s capital city is called Nagasaki.
Establishment
After the Taika Reforms in AD645, and the establishment of the ritsuryō system, this area was split into several different provinces. The island of Iki and Tsushima became island Provinces, and the prefectures peninsula area became Hizen Province. Nagasaki Prefecture’s present boundaries were established in 1833 after the Meiji Restoration.
History
This area was long known for its connections to the outside world and it is this prefecture where Christian Missionaries first began to visit Japan after the arrival of St. Francis Xavier in 1550 in Hirado. Eventually this led to the Shimbara Uprising in the Shimbara Peninsula in 1637 which followed from Christian oppression by the Tokugawa Shogunate.1
Islands in this Prefecture
Footnotes
1. Kodansha. (1993) ”Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia”. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast
Follow us on social media
Twitter: @japanarchives Instagram: @nexus_travels