Shiwa District, Iwate


Shiwa is a rural district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
As of June 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 59,822 and a density of 195 persons per km². The total area was 306.30 km².
The district consists of two towns:

Under Mutsu Province

Shiwa District was one of the six districts of northern Mutsu Province, followed by the Kiyohara clan until the Gosannen War and the Northern Fujiwara until 1189. During the Muromachi period, the area was claimed by the Nanbu clan of northern Mutsu, but was ruled by the local Shiba clan until that clan was destroyed by the Nanbu in 1588.
Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Shiwa county consisted of 71 villages under the control of Morioka Domain and 4 villages under the control of Hachinohe Domain.

Early Meiji period

Following the Meiji restoration, Shiwa District came under Rikuchū Province and became part of Morioka Prefecture in 1871, with the exception of 4 villages which briefly became an exclave of Hachinohe Prefecture until absorbed into Morioka Prefecture as Shiwa Village a few months later. Morioka Prefecture became Iwate Prefecture in 1872.

District Timeline