Hyōgo兵庫県
Hyōgo-ken, ひょうごけん. The name ends in 県 (ken), prefecture.
Hyōgo is the only Kansai prefecture that touches both the Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan. It includes Awaji Island.
Facts
- Japanese name
- 兵庫県
- Reading
- Hyōgo-ken / ひょうごけん
- Region
- Kansai / Kinki 関西・近畿
- Capital
- Kobe 神戸市
- Population
- 5,465,002 (2020 census)
- Area
- 8,401 km²
- Density
- 651 people per km²
- Municipalities
- 41: 29 cities and 12 towns
- Designated cities
- Kobe City
- Districts (郡)
- 8
- Codes
- JIS 28, ISO 3166-2 JP-28
- Website
- web.pref.hyogo.lg.jp
- Tree
- camphor tree クスノキ
- Flower
- Nojigiku chrysanthemum ノジギク
- Bird
- oriental stork コウノトリ
The tree, flower, and bird are the prefectural symbols, chosen by ordinance. Every prefecture has all three.
The most populous municipalities
| Municipality | Population | km² | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe City神戸市 | 1,525,152 | 557.02 | 27.9% |
| Himeji City姫路市 | 530,495 | 534.56 | 9.7% |
| Nishinomiya City西宮市 | 485,587 | 99.96 | 8.9% |
| Amagasaki City尼崎市 | 459,593 | 50.72 | 8.4% |
| Akashi City明石市 | 303,601 | 49.42 | 5.6% |
| Kakogawa City加古川市 | 260,878 | 138.48 | 4.8% |
| Takarazuka City宝塚市 | 226,432 | 101.8 | 4.1% |
| Itami City伊丹市 | 198,138 | 25 | 3.6% |
| Kawanishi City川西市 | 152,321 | 53.44 | 2.8% |
| Sanda City三田市 | 109,238 | 210.32 | 2.0% |
2020 census. Share is the municipality's part of the prefecture's population. The other 31 are listed below.
How an address here begins
兵庫県神戸市…
Hyōgo-ken, Kōbe-shi, …
The prefecture name is written first, then the municipality name, then the name of one of Kobe's 9 wards. The guide explains the rest of the address, and the map finds any address you paste into it.
Neighbouring prefectures
Every municipality in Hyōgo市区町村
41 local governments, each with its own mayor and assembly. Each has a page with its population, area, neighbours, and boundary on the map.
Designated city政令指定都市
A designated city is divided into wards. The wards are offices of the city, not governments.
Other cities市
- Himeji City姫路市
- Amagasaki City尼崎市
- Akashi City明石市
- Nishinomiya City西宮市
- Sumoto City洲本市
- Ashiya City芦屋市
- Itami City伊丹市
- Aioi City相生市
- Toyoka City豊岡市
- Kakogawa City加古川市
- Ako City赤穂市
- Nishiwaki City西脇市
- Takarazuka City宝塚市
- Miki City三木市
- Takasago City高砂市
- Kawanishi City川西市
- Ono City小野市
- Sanda City三田市
- Kasai City加西市
- Tambasasayama City丹波篠山市
- Yabu City養父市
- Tamba City丹波市
- Minamiawaji City南あわじ市
- Asago City朝来市
- Awaji City淡路市
- Shiso City宍粟市
- Kato City加東市
- Tatsuno Cityたつの市
Districts, with their towns and villages郡 町 村
A district is a name that groups towns and villages in an address. It has no office and no election. Each town and village in it is a government.
Questions about Hyōgo
- What is the capital of Hyōgo?
- Kobe (神戸市). The prefectural office is there. It is also the largest municipality in the prefecture. It is a designated city, divided into wards.
- What does 県 mean in 兵庫県?
- 県 (ken) means prefecture. It is the ordinary word for prefecture, used by 43 of the 47. The other four are Tokyo (都), Hokkaidō (道), Osaka, and Kyoto (府), which are the same kind of government with a different word at the end of the name.
- How many municipalities are in Hyōgo?
- 41: 29 cities and 12 towns. Each is a local government with its own mayor and assembly. One of them is a designated city, divided into wards: Kobe City (9 wards). The wards are offices of the city, not governments. The towns and villages are grouped into eight districts (郡), names used in addresses, not governments.
- What is the population of Hyōgo?
- 5,465,002 at the 2020 census, on 8,401 km², which is 651 people per km². Hyōgo is the 7th most populous of the 47 prefectures and the 12th largest by area.
- Which prefectures border Hyōgo?
- Four prefectures: Kyoto (京都府), Osaka (大阪府), Tottori (鳥取県), and Okayama (岡山県). Borders across water are not counted.
- What region is Hyōgo in?
- Kansai / Kinki (関西・近畿). A region is a customary grouping of prefectures, not a government, so Hyōgo elects a governor and an assembly but the region elects nothing.
- How is Hyōgo written in Japanese?
- 兵庫県, read Hyōgo-ken and written ひょうごけん in hiragana. The last character, 県, is the word for prefecture, and the name is often used without it in English.
- How does an address in Hyōgo begin?
- With the prefecture name, then the municipality name: 兵庫県神戸市… (Hyōgo-ken, Kōbe-shi, …). In Kobe the ward name is written after the city name, since it is a designated city. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.
- What is the largest city in Hyōgo?
- Kobe City (神戸市), with 1,525,152 people at the 2020 census. It is also the capital. The three most populous municipalities are Kobe City (神戸市, 1,525,152), Himeji City (姫路市, 530,495), and Nishinomiya City (西宮市, 485,587).
- What are the symbols of Hyōgo?
- The prefectural tree is the camphor tree (クスノキ), the flower the Nojigiku chrysanthemum (ノジギク), and the bird the oriental stork (コウノトリ). Hyōgo chose them by ordinance, as every prefecture has.
Boundaries: MLIT 国土数値情報. Population: 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査). Area: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (全国都道府県市区町村別面積調, 2020). Municipality counts are from the boundary data on the map. Website and symbols: the prefecture's Japanese Wikipedia article, read in September 2026.