The capital is the city of Okayama.[2][3][4]
Prior to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the area of present-day Okayama Prefecture was divided between Bitchū, Bizen and Mimasaka provinces. Okayama Prefecture was formed and named in 1871 as part of the large-scale administrative reforms of the early Meiji period (1868 – 1912), and the borders of the prefecture were set in 1876.[3][5]
Okayama Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture.[3] It faces Kagawa Prefecture in Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea and includes 90 islands in the sea.
Okayama Prefecture is home to the historic town of Kurashiki.
Most of the population is concentrated around Kurashiki and Okayama. The small villages in the northern mountain region are aging and declining in population - more than half of the prefectures municipalities are officially designated as depopulated.[6]
Culture
- Bizen-yaki (Bizen pottery)
- Bizen Osafune/Bitchu Aoe swords
Assocation with Momotarō legend
Okayama Prefecture is closely associated with the folklore hero, Momotarō. This tale is said to have roots in the legendary story of Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto and Ura which explains that the Prince Ura of Kudara used to live in Kinojo (castle of the devil) and was a cause of trouble for the people living in the village. The emperor's government sent Kibitsuhiko-no-mikoto(Momotarō) to defeat Ura. The city of Okayama holds an annual Momotarō-matsuri, or Momotarō Festival.[4][7]Kurashiki (倉敷市 Kurashiki-shi) is a historic city located to the west of Okayama Prefecture, Japan, sitting on the Takahashi River, on the coast of the Inland Sea.
Kibitsu-hiko-no-mikoto (吉備津彦命), also known as Hiko Isuseri-hiko no mikoto, was a legendary Japanese prince. According to the Nihon Shoki, he was the son of Emperor Korei.[1] His kami is enshrined at Shinto shrines in Okayama Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture.[2]
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