Yamamoto District, Akita

File:Akita Yamamoto-gun.png

Map showing original extent of Yamamoto District in Akita Prefecture

green - current
yellow - former extent in early Meiji period

1. - Fujisato
2. - Happō
3. - Mitane

Yamamoto District (山本郡, Yamamoto-gun) is a rural district located in Akita Prefecture, Japan.

At present time (as of August 2013), the district has an estimated population of 29,254 and an area of 764.27 km². All of the city of Noshiro was formerly part of Yamamoto District.

Towns and villages

• Fujisato
• Happō
• Mitane

History

The area of Yamamoto District was formerly part of Dewa Province, and came under the new province of Ugo Province on January 19, 1869 following the Meiji restoration. At the time, the area consisted of 2 towns and 72 villages formerly under the control of Kubota Domain, based at Akita. The area became part of Akita Prefecture in 1871, and was organized as Yamamoto District in 1878.

File:Akita Yamamoto-gun 1889.png

Historic Map of Yamamoto District:

Purple - Noshiro-shi

1. Noshiroko
2. Hiyama
3. Futatsui
4. Niageba
5. Sakaki
6. Asanai
14. Ogifuchi
15. Tsurugata
16. Toyone
17. Hibiki
20. Taneume
21. Tokiwa
22. Shinonome
23. Hanawakawa (southwest portion)

Salmon - Happō-machi

23. Hanawakawa (northeast portion, most)
24. Sawame
25. Hachimori
26. Iwadate

Pink - Mitane-machi

7. Hamaguchi
8. Kamogawa
9. Kado
10. Kamiiwakawa
11. Shimoiwakawa
12. Morioka
13. Kaneoka

Orange - Fujisato-machi

18. Fujikoto
19. Kasuge

With the establishment of the municipality system on April 1, 1889, two towns (Noshiroko and Hiyama) and 24 villages were established. Futatsui was raised to town status on June 4, 1902, followed by Kado on January 1, 1932. Noshiroko became the city of Noshiro on October 1, 1940.

Hachimori was raised to town status on October 1, 1954. Hiyama was absorbed into Noshiro on April 1, 1955, and the town of Kado was renamed Kotooka. The village of Yamamoto gained town status on September 1, 1962, followed by Fujisato on November 1, 1963 and Hachiryū on September 1, 1965.

In 2006, as part of the Heisei period Municipal mergers and dissolutions in Japan, all of the district except for the town of Fujisato was scheduled to merge with Noshiro to form the new city of Shirakami. However, the residents of Noshiro were opposed to this name and left the merger conference. The remaining six towns and villages tried to merge, but this plan failed as the merger would turn Hachimori and Minehama into an exclave of the new city. Noshiro delegates attempted to return to the conference, but the other conference members rejected their participation and the meeting split into the three different merger conferences of "Noshiro-Futatsui," "Southern Three Towns," and "Northern Two Towns and Villages." As a result:

• On March 20, 2006 - The towns of Hachiryū, Koto'oka, and Yamamoto were merged to create the town of Mitane.

• On March 21, 2006 - The town of Futatsui was merged with the expanded city of Noshiro, although Futatsui wanted the new city's name to be Yoneshiro (米代市).

• On March 27, 2006 - The town of Hachimori, and the village of Minehama were merged to create the town of Happō.