Ashigarakami District, Kanagawa

Map of Ashigarakami District with Meiji period area in yellow, modern area in green

1 - Nakai, 2 - Ōi, 3 - Matsuda, 4 - Yamakita, 5 - Kaisei

Ashigarakami District (足柄上郡, Ashigarakami-gun) is a district located in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Most of the mountainous district is sparsely populated, and is part of the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park. Parts of the cities of Hadano and Odawara, and the entire city of Minamiashigara were formerly part of Ashigarakami District.

As of 2009, the district had an estimated population of 67,954 and a density of 224 persons per km². The total area was 303.44 km².

Towns and villages

• Kaisei
• Matsuda
• Nakai
• Ōi
• Yamakita

History

Historic Map of Ashigarakami District

Ashigarakami District was one of the ancient subdivisions of Sagami Province, per the Nara period Ritsuryō system, under the name as Ashinokami District (足上郡, Ashinokami-gun). The area was under control of the later Hōjō clan in the Sengoku period, and part of Odawara Domain during the Edo period. Following disasters caused by eruptions of nearby Mount Fuji, a portion also came to be held as tenryō territory administered by the Tokugawa shogunate.

Timeline

After the Meiji Restoration, it initially formed part of the short-lived Ashigara Prefecture, before was established as a district of Kanagawa Prefecture under the cadastral reform of 1878. In 1889, it was administratively divided into 26 villages.

On April 1, 1972, part of Ashigarakami District became the city of Minamiashigara.

Merger table

pre-1889	April 1, 1889	1889–1926		1926–1944		1945 - 1954	1955–1989			1989–Present
	Kamihadano village	Kamihadano village		Kamihadano village	Kamihadano village		July 28, 1955 Naka District, Nishihadano town	January 1, 1963 merged with Hadano city	Hadano city	Hadano
	Yamada village	Yamada village		Yamada village	November 3, 1946 Aiwa village	June 20, 1951 merged with Nishihadano village (Tochikubo area)
	Kaminaka village	Kaminaka village		Kaminaka village		Aiwa village	April 1, 1956 Ōi town		Ōi town	Ōi
	Kaneda village	Kaneda village		Kaneda village	Kaneda village
	Soga village	Soga village		Soga village	Soga village		April 1, 1956 Ōi town (Nishiōi・Kamiōi areas)
							April 1, 1956 merged with Odawara city (except Nishiōi, Kamiōi areas)		Odawara city	Odawara
	Sakurai village	Sakurai village		Sakurai village	December 18, 1950 merged with Odawara city		Odawara city
	Naka village	April 1, 1908 Nakai village		Nakai village	Nakai village		December 1, 1963 Nakai town		Nakai town	Nakai
	Inokuchi village
	Sakata village	Sakata village		Sakata village	Sakata village		February 1, 1955 Kaisei town		Kaisei town	Kaisei
	Yoshidajima village	Yoshidajima village		Yoshidajima village	Yoshidajima village
	Matsuda village	April 1, 1909 Matsuda town		Matsuda town	Matsuda town		Matsuda town		Matsuda town	Matsuda
	Yadoriki village	Yadoriki village		Yadoriki village	Yadoriki village		April 1, 1955 merged with Matsuda town
	Minamiashigara village	Minamiashigara village		April 1, 1940 Minamiashigara town	Minamiashigaru town		April 1, 1955 Minamiashigara town	April 1, 1972 Minamiashigara city	Minamiashigara city	Minamiashigara
	Fukuzawa village	Fukuzawa village		Fukuzawa village	Fukuzawa village
	Okamoto village	Okamoto village		Okamoto village	Okamoto village
	Kitaashigara village	Kitaashigara village		Kitaashigara village	Kitaashigara village		April 1, 1955 Minamiashigara town (except Hirayama area)
							April 1, 1955 merged with Yamakita town (Hirayama area)		Yamakita town	Yamakita
	Kawa village	Kawa village		April 1, 1933 Yamakita town	Yamakita town		February 1, 1955 Yamakita town
	Kyowa village	Kyōwa village		Kyōwa village	Kyōwa village
	Kawanishi village	April 1, 1911 Kawanishi village	April 1, 1923 Shimizu village	Shimizu village	Shimizu village
	Yubure village
	Yaga village	Yaga village
	Yamaichiba village	Yamaichiba village
	Kaminawa village	Kaminawa village	February 1, 1925 merged with Shimizu village (Kaminawa area)
			February 1, 1925 merged with Miho village (Kamioda area)	Miho village	Miho village
	Nakakawa village	April 1, 1909 Miho village
	Kurokura village
	Yozuku village