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53-494: The Satsumon culture ( 擦文文化 , Satsumon Bunka , lit. "brushed pattern") is a partially agricultural, archeological culture of northern Honshu and southern Hokkaido (700–1200 CE) that has been identified as Emishi , as a Japanese -Emishi mixed culture, as the incipient modern Ainu , or with all three synonymously. Scholars frequently equate Satsumon people with the Emishi , a culture that emerged in northern Honshu as early as

106-664: A merger of the Yayoi – Kofun and the Jōmon cultures. The Satsumon culture appears to have spread from northeastern Honshu into southern Hokkaido. The Satsumon culture is regarded to be ancestral to the later Ainu culture, under some influence of the Okhotsk culture. Iron tools seem to have prevailed around the end of Epi-Jomon, so that stone tools disappeared in the Satsumon period. Among subsistence activities, hunting, gathering and fishing continued to be

159-562: A population density of 1,300 persons per km . There were 160,242 households residing in Nara. The highest concentration of both households and population, respectively about 46,000 and 125,000, is found along the newer bedtown districts, along the Kintetsu line connecting to Osaka . There were about 3,000 registered foreigners in the city, of which Koreans and Chinese are the two largest groups with about 1,200 and 800 people respectively. According to

212-536: A population of 104 million as of 2017 , constituting 81.3% of the entire population of Japan, and mostly concentrated in the coastal areas and plains. Approximately 30% of the total population resides in the Greater Tokyo Area on the Kantō Plain . As the historical center of Japanese cultural and political power, the island includes several past Japanese capitals, including Kyōto , Nara , and Kamakura . Much of

265-691: A quarter of all paddy fields in Japan. Chiba Prefecture is famous for its peanuts, also being the largest producer in Japan. Rare species of the lichen genus Menegazzia are found only in Honshu. Most of Japan's tea and silk is from Honshu. Japan's three largest industrial regions are all located on Honshu: the Keihin region , the Hanshin Industrial Region , and the Chūkyō Industrial Area . Honshu

318-517: A reactionary expression to the political centralization of China, the city of Nara (Heijō) was modeled after the Tang capital at Chang’an . Nara was laid out on a grid—which was based upon the Handen system —whereby the city was divided by four great roads. Likewise, according to Chinese cosmology, the ruler's place was fixed like the pole star. By dominating the capital, the ruler brought heaven to earth. Thus,

371-613: A time of penal and administrative legal order. The Taihō Code called for the establishment of administrative sects underneath the central government, and modeled many of the codes from the Chinese Tang dynasty. The code eventually disbanded, but its contents were largely preserved in the Yōrō Code of 718. Occupants of the throne during the period gradually shifted their focus from military preparation to religious rites and institutions, in an attempt to strengthen their divine authority over

424-458: Is 276.84 km (106.89 sq mi). Nara city, as well as several important settlements (such as Kashihara , Yamatokōriyama , Tenri , Yamatotakada , Sakurai and Gose ), are located in the Nara Basin . This makes it the most densely-populated region of Nara Prefecture. The downtown of Nara is on the east side of the ancient Heijō Palace site, occupying the northern part of what

477-420: Is among the heaviest in Japan and indeed in the world outside the equatorial zone. Spring and fall temperatures are temperate and comfortable. The mountainous region of Yoshino has been long popular for viewing cherry blossoms in the spring. In autumn, the southern mountains are also a popular destination for viewing fall foliage. As of April 1, 2017 , the city has an estimated population of 359,666 and

530-463: Is home to a large portion of Japan's minimal mineral reserves, including small oil and coal deposits. Several coal deposits are located in the northern part of the island, concentrated in Fukushima Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture , though Honshu's coal production is negligible in comparison to Hokkaido and Kyushu . Most of Japan's oil reserves are also located in northern Honshu, along

583-513: Is roughly 1,300 km (810 mi) long and ranges from 50 to 230 km (31 to 143 mi) wide, and its total area is 227,960 km (88,020 sq mi), making it slightly larger than the island of Great Britain . Its land area has been increasing with land reclamation and coastal uplift in the north due to plate tectonics with a convergent boundary . Honshu has 10,084 kilometres (6,266 mi) of coastline. Mountainous and volcanic, Honshu experiences frequent earthquakes (such as

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636-412: Is seismically active, and is home to 40 active volcanoes. In 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0–9.1 occurred off the coast of Honshu, generating tsunami waves up to 40.5 meters (133 ft) high and killing 19,747. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan , and the fourth most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began in 1900. The tsunami subsequently led to

689-532: The Great Kantō earthquake , which heavily damaged Tokyo in September 1923; and the earthquake of March 2011 , which moved the northeastern part of the island by varying amounts of as much as 5.3 m (17 ft) while causing devastating tsunamis). The highest peak is the active volcano Mount Fuji at 3,776 m (12,388 ft), which makes Honshu the world's 7th highest island . There are many rivers, including

742-564: The Heijō Palace , together with Kasugayama Primeval Forest , collectively form the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . By the Heian period , a variety of different characters had been used to represent the name Nara: 乃楽 , 乃羅 , 平 , 平城 , 名良 , 奈良 , 奈羅 , 常 , 那良 , 那楽 , 那羅 , 楢 , 諾良 , 諾楽 , 寧 , 寧楽 and 儺羅 . A number of theories for

795-644: The Kansai region of Honshu . Nara is a core city located in the northern part of Nara Prefecture bordering the Kyoto Prefecture . Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara period from 710 to 794 as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Kyoto . Nara is home to eight temples, shrines, and ruins, specifically Tōdai-ji , Saidai-ji , Kōfuku-ji , Kasuga Shrine , Gangō-ji , Yakushi-ji , Tōshōdai-ji , and

848-699: The Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge ; Shimotsui-Seto Bridge , Hitsuishijima Bridge , Iwakurojima Bridge , Yoshima Bridge , Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge , and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge ), the Seikan Tunnel connects Honshu with Hokkaidō, and the Kanmonkyo Bridge and Kanmon Tunnel connect Honshu with Kyūshū . These are notable flora and fauna of Honshu. Being on the Ring of Fire , the island of Honshu

901-532: The Ogasawara Islands , Sado Island , Izu Ōshima , and Awaji Island . The regions and their prefectures are: Nara (city) Nara ( 奈良市 , Nara-shi , [naꜜɾa] ) is the capital city of Nara Prefecture , Japan . As of 2022 , Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in

954-521: The Shinano River , Japan's longest. The Japanese Alps span the width of Honshu, from the 'Sea of Japan' coast to the Pacific shore. The climate is generally humid subtropical in western Japan and humid continental in the north. Honshu has a total population of 104 million people, according to a 2017 estimate, 81.3% of the entire population of Japan. The largest city is Tokyo (population: 13,988,129),

1007-497: The Unification Church . The city of Nara lies in the northern end of Nara Prefecture , directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture to its north. The city is 22.22 km (13.81 mi) from North to South, from East to West. As a result of the latest merger, effective April 1, 2005, that combined the villages of Tsuge and Tsukigase with the city of Nara, the city now borders Mie Prefecture directly to its east. The total area

1060-669: The 5th century CE, and in being ancestral to the Ainu people. This proposition is based on similarities between Ainu and Emishi skeletal remains as well as a number of place names across Honshu that resemble Ainu words. It is possible that the emergence of Satsumon culture in Hokkaido was triggered by immigration of Emishi people from Honshu. However, there are many differences between Emishi and Satsumon. For instance, horse riding and rice agriculture, neither of which were present in ancient Hokkaido, were both central to Emishi lifestyle. It may have arisen as

1113-738: The Edo and Meiji periods to a modern tourist city, due to its large number of historical temples, landmarks and national monuments. Nara was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in December 1998. The architecture of some shops, ryokans and art galleries has been adapted from traditional merchant houses. Nara holds traditional festivals every year, including the Neri-Kuyo Eshiki, a spring festival held in Todaiji temple for over 1,000 years; and

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1166-526: The Edo period, during which several visitors' maps of Nara were widely published. During the Meiji Period, the Kofukuji Temple lost some land and its monks were converted into Shinto priests, due to Buddhism being associated with the old shogunate. Although Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 794, it was not designated a city until 1 February 1898. Nara has since developed from a town of commerce in

1219-527: The Kemari Festival, in which people wear costumes ranging across 700 years and play traditional games). In 1909, Tatsuno Kingo designed the Nara Hotel , whose architecture combined modern elements with traditional Japanese style. At a 2022 campaign event in Nara, former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe was shot and killed with a homemade firearm by Tetsuya Yamagami , who resented Abe's ties to

1272-459: The Satsumon culture adapted to a new environment. Unlike their mainland counterparts who combined farming with hunting and gathering, the Satsumon people on Rebun Island appear to have relied more heavily on exploiting marine resources like fish and shellfish. This shift in subsistence strategy suggests that the island's ecosystem wasn't ideal for their established practices of mixed farming and hunting. The focus on marine resources may also explain why

1325-422: The Satsumon presence on Rebun seems to have been relatively short-lived. Even the largest Satsumon settlements show scarce evidence of social stratification. The "Hokkaido-type kofun", which have been discovered in several sites in southwestern Hokkaido, are very important in this context. They are at the end of the "Final Kofun" of northern Tōhoku , which themselves were late, extreme reductions of normal kofun of

1378-534: The capital of Japan and part of the Greater Tokyo Area , the most populous metropolitan area in the world. Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku by tunnels and bridges. Three bridge systems have been built across the islands of the Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku ( Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and the Ōnaruto Bridge ; Shin-Onomichi Bridge , Innoshima Bridge , Ikuchi Bridge , Tatara Bridge , Ōmishima Bridge , Hakata–Ōshima Bridge , and

1431-401: The central area which had fallen into disuse by the time of the Hokkaido type. There are various opinions about the status of those buried in Hokkaido type kofun. Some see them as immigrants from Tōhoku, others as indigenous chiefs who had a special relationship with the government of the mainland, and that such a scale of tomb could be made by normal heads of family. Honshu Honshu had

1484-422: The city of Nara. Nara Women's University is one of only two national women's universities in Japan. Nara Institute of Science and Technology is a graduate research university specializing in biological, information, and materials sciences. Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city of Nara. Public high schools are operated by the Nara Prefecture. Private high schools in Nara include

1537-456: The court to relocate to the new capital, Nara. Once known as Heijō or Heijō-kyō , the city was established as Japan's first permanent capital in 710 CE; it was the seat of government until 784 CE, albeit with a five-year interruption, lasting from 741 to 745 CE. Heijō, as the ‘penultimate court’, however, was abandoned by the order of Emperor Kammu in 784 CE in favor of the temporary site of Nagaoka , and then Heian-kyō (Kyoto) which retained

1590-512: The deer lack fiber and other nutrients deer require, so when the deer eat too many rice crackers it causes the gut microbiome in the deer to become unbalanced, among other problems. 7 out of 8 deer dissected had a “kidney fat index” (which measures how much fat has attached to the kidneys) below 40%, which indicates malnutrition in the deer. And of those 7, some had kidney fat below 10%, which indicates starvation. Compared to male shika deer outside of Nara park, which weigh about 50 kilograms on average,

1643-459: The deer. Some deer have learned to bow in order to receive senbei from people. A 2009 study by Harumi Torii (who is the assistant professor of wildlife management at Nara University of Education,) in which necropsies of deceased shika deer in Nara park were conducted, found that the deer in Nara park were malnourished from not having enough grass to eat, and eating too many rice crackers and other human food. The rice crackers commonly fed to

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1696-507: The island's southern shore forms part of the Taiheiyō Belt , a megalopolis that spans several of the Japanese islands. Honshu contains Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, and its largest lake, Lake Biwa . Most of Japan's industry is located in a belt running along Honshu's southern coast, from Tokyo to Nagoya , Kyōto , Osaka , Kobe , and Hiroshima ; by contrast, the economy along

1749-559: The legendary history of Kasuga Shrine , the god Takemikazuchi arrived in Nara on a white deer to guard the newly built capital of Heijō-kyō . Since then, the deer have been regarded as heavenly animals, protecting the city and the country. Tame sika deer (also known as spotted deer or Japanese deer) roam through the town, especially in Nara Park . In 2015, there were more than 1,200 sika deer in Nara. Snack vendors sell sika senbei (deer crackers ) to visitors so they can feed

1802-416: The like today, and it is regarded as the most likely. There are a number of megalithic tombs or kofun in Nara, including Gosashi Kofun , Hishiage Kofun ( ヒシアゲ古墳 ) , Horaisan Kofun ( 宝来山古墳 ) , Konabe Kofun ( コナベ古墳 ) , Saki Ishizukayama Kofun ( 佐紀石塚山古墳 ) , Saki Misasagiyama Kofun ( 佐紀陵山古墳 ) , and Uwanabe Kofun ( ウワナベ古墳 ) . By decree of an edict on March 11, 708 AD, Empress Genmei ordered

1855-626: The lowest is in Ikeda-cho district, with an altitude of 56.4 m (185.04 ft). The climate of Nara Prefecture is generally temperate, although there are notable differences between the north-western basin area and the rest of the prefecture which is more mountainous. The basin area climate has an inland characteristic, as represented in the higher daily temperature variance, and the difference between summer and winter temperatures. Winter temperatures average approximately 3 to 5 °C (37 to 41 °F), and from 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82 °F) in

1908-510: The mainland or, if cultivated at all, grown in dry fields. Opinions divide among those who, taking Satsumon culture as the periphery of the Kofun culture of the mainland, argue that such crops supplied a large portion of the diet, and those who think it provided only a small part and the culture was basically a continuation of the Epi-Jomon. A study of pottery residue on Rebun Island sheds light on how

1961-461: The male shika deer in Nara park only weigh 30 kilograms on average. The color of the femoral marrow in Nara park’s deer was also abnormal, indicating malnourishment. When living deer in Nara park were observed during the study, it was discovered that rice crackers made up about one third of the average deer’s diet in Nara park, with grass making up about two thirds. The deer have become so excessively numerous in Nara park, that there isn’t enough grass in

2014-597: The meltdown of 3 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant , leading to the Fukushima nuclear disaster . Honshu island generates around US$ 3.5 trillion or more than 80% of Japan's GDP . Fruit, vegetables, grains, rice and cotton make up the main produce grown in Honshu. The Tohoku region, spanning the north-eastern part of the island, is notable for its rice production, with 65% of cultivated land being rice paddy fields – almost

2067-747: The migration of ice age megafauna . Surviving artifacts from this period include finely-crafted stone blades, similar to those found in Siberia . Honshu was the target of devastating air raids during the Pacific War of World War II . The first air raid to strike Honshu and the other home islands was the Doolittle Raid . With the introduction of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress , the firebombing of Tokyo culminated in Operation Meetinghouse ,

2120-621: The most destructive air raid in human history, which destroyed 16 square miles (41 km ; 10,000 acres) of central Tokyo , leaving an estimated 100,000 civilians dead, and over one million homeless. The war ended with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shortly before Japan's surrender and signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945, on board the USS ; Missouri  (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay . The island

2173-716: The most heavily used. The San'yō Shinkansen , connects the two largest cities in western Japan, Shin-Osaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka . Both the Tokaido Shinkansen and the Sanyo Shinkansen help form a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt megalopolis. The island is divided into five nominal regions and contains 34 prefectures, including metropolitan Tokyo. Administratively, some smaller islands are included within these prefectures, notably including

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2226-436: The most important. Locations of large settlements at estuaries indicate the importance of salmon . Although cultivation of buckwheat and barley is presumed for the Epi-Jomon, reliable evidence increases for the Satsumon as follows: buckwheat, rice , barley, wheat , sorghum , foxtail millet , barnyard millet , Chinese millet , green gram , perilla , melon , adzuki bean and hemp . The rice may have been imported from

2279-429: The move of the political capital to Heian-kyō in 794, thus giving Nara a synonym of Nanto ( 南都 "the southern capital"). On December 2, 724 AD, in order to increase the visual "magnificence" of the city, an edict was ordered by the government for the noblemen and the wealthy to renovate the roofs, pillars, and walls of their homes, although at that time this was unfeasible. Sightseeing in Nara city became popular in

2332-696: The northwestern Sea of Japan coast is largely based on fishing and agriculture. The island is linked to the other three major Japanese islands by a number of bridges and tunnels. The island primarily shares two climates, with Northern Honshu having a mainly humid continental climate while the south has a humid subtropical climate . The name of the island, Honshū ( 本州 ) , directly translates to "main province" or "original land" in English. Humans first arrived in Honshu approximately 37,000 years ago, and likely earlier. The first humans to arrive in Honshu were Stone Age hunter-gatherers from Northeast Asia, likely following

2385-404: The origin of the name "Nara" have been proposed, and some of the better-known ones are listed here. The second theory in the list, from the notable folklorist Kunio Yanagita (1875–1962), is most widely accepted at present. The "flat land" theory is adopted by Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (the largest dictionary of Japanese language), various dictionaries for place names, history books on Nara, and

2438-455: The park for all of them to live entirely on grass, creating a dependency on humans for rice crackers. This lack of grass also causes the deer to resort to eating garbage and plants that they would not normally eat. The deer in Nara park have become overpopulated due to being fed by people frequently, and having few predators. And the deer have caused extensive damage to trees (by feeding on bark,) bamboo (by eating their shoots,) and other plants in

2491-454: The park. Additionally, the deer have become aggressive towards humans in their solicitation of food (which leads to people getting injured by deer,) aggressive towards each other in competition for rice crackers, and have lost their fear of predators in general. For these reasons, tourists may want to consider not feeding the deer in Nara park, and simply observe them instead. As of 2005 , there are 16 high schools and 6 universities located in

2544-506: The population. With the establishment of the new capital, Asuka-dera , the temple of the Soga clan , was relocated within Nara. The Emperor Shōmu ordered the construction of Tōdai-ji Temple (largest wooden building in the world) and the world's largest bronze Buddha statue. The temples of Nara, known collectively as the Nanto Shichi Daiji , remained spiritually significant even beyond

2597-451: The south-facing palace centered at the north, bisected the ancient city, instituting ‘Right Capital’ and ‘Left Capital’ zones. As Nara came to be a center of Buddhism in Japan and a prominent pilgrimage site, the city plan incorporated various pre-Heijō and Heijō period temples, of which the Yakushiji and the Todaiji still stand. A number of scholars have characterized the Nara period as

2650-466: The status of capital for 1,100 years, until the Meiji Emperor made the final move to Edo in 1869 CE. This first relocation was due to the court's transformation from an imperial nobility to a force of metropolitan elites and new technique of dynastic shedding which had refashioned the relationship between court, nobility, and country. Moreover, the ancient capital lent its name to Nara period. As

2703-522: The summer with highest readings reaching close to 35 °C (95 °F). There has not been a single year since 1990 with more than 10 days of snowfall recorded by Nara Local Meteorological Observatory. The climate in the rest of the prefecture is that of higher elevations especially in the south, with −5 °C (23 °F) being the extreme minimum in winter. Heavy rainfall is often observed in summer. The annual accumulated rainfall totals as much as 3,000 to 5,000 mm (118.11 to 196.85  in ), which

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2756-404: The west coast, spanning Niigata, Yamagata , and Akita Prefectures. Most of Japan's copper, lead, zinc and chromite is located on Honshu, along with smaller, scattered deposits of gold, silver, arsenic, sulfur and pyrite . The Tokaido Shinkansen , opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka , is Japan's first high-speed rail line. It is the world's oldest high-speed rail line and one of

2809-713: Was called the Gekyō ( 外京 ) , literally the outer capital area. Many of the public offices (e.g. the Municipal office, the Nara Prefectural government, the Nara Police headquarters, etc.) are located on Nijō-ōji ( 二条大路 ) , while Nara branch offices of major nationwide banks are on Sanjō-ōji ( 三条大路 ) , with both avenues running east–west. The highest point in the city is at the peak of Kaigahira-yama at an altitude of 822.0 m (2,696.85 ft) (Tsugehayama-cho district), and

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