is an administrative district of Japan

Districts of Japan

The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above city, town or village. As of 2008, cities belong directly to prefectures and are independent from...

 located in western Kanagawa Prefecture

Kanagawa Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...

. Most of the mountainous district is sparsely populated, and is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

is a national park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It consists of Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands....

.

Towns and villages

• Hakone
  Hakone, Kanagawa
  is a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 13,339 and a density of 144 persons per km². The total area was 92.82 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Yugawara
  Yugawara, Kanagawa
  is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 26,729 and a density of 655 persons per km²...
  
  
• Manazuru
  Manazuru, Kanagawa
  is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 8,235 and a density of 1,180 persons per km²...
  
  

History

Ashigarashimo District was one of the ancient subdivisions of Sagami Province

Sagami Province

was an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...

, per the Nara period

Nara period

The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...

 Ritsuryō

Ritsuryo

is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei"...

 system, under the name as . The area was under control of the late Hōjō clan

Late Hojo clan

The ' was one of the most powerful warrior clans in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region.The clan is traditionally reckoned to be started by Ise Shinkurō, who came from a branch of the prestigious Ise clan, a family in the direct employment of the Ashikaga...

 in the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, and part of Odawara Domain

Odawara Domain

was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in western Sagami Province. It was centered on Odawara Castle in what is now the city of Odawara.-History:...

 during the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. Following disasters caused by eruptions of nearby Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...

, a portion also came to be held as tenryō territory administered by the Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

.

After the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

, it initially formed part of the short-lived Ashigara Prefecture, before was established as a district

Districts of Japan

The was most recently used as an administrative unit in Japan between 1878 and 1921 and is roughly equivalent to the county of the United States, ranking at the level below prefecture and above city, town or village. As of 2008, cities belong directly to prefectures and are independent from...

 of Kanagawa Prefecture under the cadastral reform of 1878. In 1889, it was administratively divided into two towns (Odawara and Hakone) and 30 villages. On December 20, 1940, Odawara was elevated to city status. A planned merger of Yugawara into Odawara in 2005 was rejected by local voters in an August 8 2004 referendum

Referendum

A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...

.

As of 2009, the district had an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 48,713 and a density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 346 persons per km². The total area was 140.73 km².

before 1889	April 1, 1889	1889 - 1926	1926 – 1944		1945 - 1954		1955 - 1989		1989 - Present	Present
	Shimonaka village	Shimonaka village	Shimonaka village		Shimonaka village		April 1, 1955 Tachibana town	April 1, 1971 merged with Odawara city	Odawara city	Odawara Odawara, Kanagawa is a city located in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 198,466 with a population density of 1,740 persons per km² . The total area was .-Geography:...
	Maeha village	Maeha village	Maeha village		Maeha village
	Shimofuchu village	Shimofuchu village	Shimofuchu village		April 1, 1948 merged with Odawara city		Odawara city
	Kamifuchu village	Kamifuchu village	Kamifuchu village		December 1, 1954 merged with Odawara city
	Shimosoga village	Shimosoga village	Shimosoga village
	Toyokawa village	Toyokawa village	Toyokawa village		July 15, 1954 merged with Odawara city
	Tajima village	Tajima village	Tajima village		April 1, 1948 merged with Kōzu town	December 1, 1954 merged with Odawara city
	Kōzu village	April 1, 1924 Kōzu town	Kōzu town		Kōzu town
	Sakawa village	Sakawa village	Sakawa village	April 1, 1942 Sakawa town	Sakawa town
				December 20, 1940 Odawara city （Amiisshiki・Sannohara area）	Odawara city
	Odawara town	Odawara town	Odawara town	December 20, 1940 Odawara city
	Ashiko village	April 1, 1908 Ashigara village	February 11, 1940 Ashigara town
	Futakawa village
	Kuno village
	Tomizu village
	Ōkubo village	Ōkubo village	Ōkubo village
	Hayakawa village	Hayakawa village	Hayakawa village
	Ishibashi village	April 1, 1913 Kataura village	Kataura village		December 1, 1954 merged with Odawara city
	Yonegami village
	Nebukawa village
	Enoura village
	Yumoto village	Yumoto village	October 1, 1927 Yumoto town		Yumoto town		September 30, 1956 Hakone town		Hakone town	Hakone Hakone, Kanagawa is a town in Ashigarashimo District in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 13,339 and a density of 144 persons per km². The total area was 92.82 km².-Geography:...
	Onsen village	Onsen village	Onsen village		Onsen village
	Miyagino village	Miyagino village	Miyagino village		Miyagino village
	Sengokubara village	Sengokubara village	Sengokubara village		Sengokubara village
	Hakone town	Hakone town	Hakone town		January 1, 1954 Hakone town
	Motohakone village	Motohakone village	Motohakone village
	Ashinoyu village	Ashinoyu village	Ashinoyu village
	Manazuru village	Manazuru village	October 1, 1927 Manazuru town		Manazuru town		September 30, 1956 Manazuru town		Manazuru village	Manazuru Manazuru, Kanagawa is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 8,235 and a density of 1,180 persons per km²...
	Iwa village	Iwa village	Iwa village		Iwa village
	Doi village	July 1, 1926 Yugawara town	Yugawara town		Yugawara town		April 1, 1955 Yugawara town		Yugawara town	Yugawara Yugawara, Kanagawa is a town located in Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 26,729 and a density of 655 persons per km²...
	Yoshihama village	Yoshihama village	April 1, 1940 Yoshihama town		Yoshihama town
	Fukuura village	Fukuura village	Fukuura village		Fukuura village