Year of Prefecture: 1873
Prefectural Capitol : Utsunomiya
Population: 2,000,078 (1997)
Area: 6,408 square kilometers
Prefectural Flower: Azalea
Prefectural Tree: Japanese Horse Chestnut
Prefectural Bird: Oruri
Prefectural Animal: Kamo Deer
Main Products: Strawberries, Dried gourd shavings, Mashiko Pottery
Tochigi Prefecture, located in the north of the Kanto region, borders on Fukushima on the north, Ibaraki on the southeast, and Gunma and Saitama on the southeast. Tochigi, landlocked, contains the mountain systems of Nikko and Nasu in the north and the Kanto Heiya plains in the southeast. The prefecture as well as Gunma was called Kenokuni long ago, and has been rich in cereals and other daily commodities.
Tochigi, which lies in the north of the Temperate Zone and is separated from the sea by the Yamizo Mountains, has an inland climate: the daily and yearly changes in temperature is very marked. In winter blow northwesterly winds like Nantai-Oroshi, Akagi-Oroshi, and Nasu-Oroshi which once caused derailment. In summer, thunderstorms called Nikko-Kaminari often break over the basin-like areas in the center of the prefecture such as Kanuma, Utsunomiya and Imaichi.
In the northwest range the Ashio and Taishaku mountains and the Nikko and Nasu volcanoes, and in the east, north and south stretch the Yamizo Mountains. Gently sloping tablelands like Nasu Kogen are surrounded by these mountains, and in the south is the Shi iotsuke Heiya plain, the northern part of the Kanto Heiya plains. The Kinu-gawa the Naka-gawa, the Watarase-gawa and their tributary streams run through the mountainous region and the plain.
In 1616, Nikko Toshogu Shrine was built as the mausoleum of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Tokugawa shogun, through the good offices of Tenkai, the fifty-third priest of a temple in Nikko. After its completion, highways, for example Nikko-kaido, Reiheishi-kaido and Aizu-nishi-kaido, were laid out, and the whole district made great strides. Nikko became the entrance into the Kanto region, and the number of people who came from the Tohoku region increased.
Futara-san Jinja in Nikko celebrates its annual Yayoi Matsuri on April 17. The Kaisan-sai, a festival commemorating the foundation of a temple, takes place on April 1. Ennen-no-Mai, a traditional performing art of priests, is shown May 17. In Mashiko-cho, there are more than 150 kilns of Mashiko-yaki, pottery decorated with simple patterns, which traces its history back 140 years.
Tochigi has had a flourishing agriculture; it produces the largest amount of strawberries as a secondary crop in Japan. Pine, sugi (Japanese cedar) and hinoki (Japanese cypress) are the main trees harvested in the Ashio, Taishiku and Yamizo mountains. The traditional craft items in Tochigi include Mashiko pottery, the lacquer ware and woodwork of Nikko. Textile industry centers in Ashikaga and Sano. The southern part of the prefecture within the National Capital region has been rapidly industrialized.
Above all, Tochigi features two shrines and one temple in Nikko: Rinno-ji Temple, Toshogu Shrine, and Futarasan Jinja, a shrine with 1200s tradition. You can enjoy camping and skiing in the beautiful nature of Oku Nikko where are Mt. Nantai, the tableland of Senjogahara and Lake Chuzenji-ko. Kinugawa Onsen, Nasu Onsen and Shiobara Onsen (a scenic spot to view the scarlet maple leaves) are popular hot-spring resorts.