View source for Gunma Prefecture

{{Short description|Prefecture of Japan}}
{{Redirect2|Gunma|JP-10|other uses|Gunma (disambiguation)|fuel|JP-10 (fuel)}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Gunma Prefecture
| native_name             = {{nobold|{{lang|ja|群馬県}}}}
| settlement_type         = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| translit_lang1          = Japanese
| translit_lang1_type     = [[Japanese language|Japanese]]
| translit_lang1_info     = {{lang|ja|群馬県}}
| translit_lang1_type1    = [[Romanization of Japanese|Rōmaji]]
| translit_lang1_info1    = {{lang|ja-Latn|Gunma-ken}}
| image_skyline           = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/2/2/1
| total_width = 260
| align = center
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Tanigawadake Ropeway.jpg
| caption1 = [[Mount Tanigawa]] and [[Tanigawadake Ropeway|its cable car line]]
| image2 = 如月の榛名.jpg
| caption2 = [[Mount Haruna|Winter view of Mount Haruna and Lake]]
| image3 = Oze National Park (84225329).jpeg
| caption3 = [[Oze National Park]]
| image4 = Tsumagoi Cabbage&Asamayama.JPG
| caption4 = [[Tsumagoi, Gunma|A highland cabbage field in Tsumagoi]] and [[Mount Asama]]
| image5 = Tomioka Silk Mill West Building.JPG
| caption5 = A heritage site of Tomioka Silk Mill
| image6 = Daruma dolls at Daruma-ji (Takasaki) 2010-04-01 01.jpg
| caption6 = Takasaki Daruma
| image7 = 第一展望台からの浅間山と赤城山.jpg
| caption7 = [[Mount Asama]] and [[Mount Akagi]]
| image8 = 草津温泉の湯畑02.jpg
| caption8 = [[Kusatsu Onsen|Kusatsu Spa]]
  }}
| image_flag              = Flag of Gunma Prefecture.svg
| flag_size               = 100px
| image_blank_emblem      = Emblem of Gunma Prefecture.svg
| blank_emblem_size       = 80px
| blank_emblem_type       = Symbol
| image_map               = Map_of_Japan_with_highlight_on_10_Gunma_prefecture.svg
| coordinates             = {{Coord|36.39|N|139.06|E|scale:500000|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|Japan}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Kantō region|Kantō]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[List of islands of Japan|Island]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Honshu]]
| seat_type               = [[List of capitals in Japan|Capital]]
| seat                    = [[Maebashi]]
| seat1_type              = Largest city
| seat1                   = [[Takasaki]]
| parts_type              = Subdivisions
| parts_style             = para
| p1                      = [[Districts of Japan|Districts]]: 7
| p2                      = [[Municipalities of Japan|Municipalities]]: 35
| leader_title            = [[List of prefectural governors in Japan|Governor]]
| leader_name             = [[Ichita Yamamoto]]
| area_total_km2          = 6362.28
| area_water_percent      = 0.2
| area_rank               = [[List of Japanese prefectures by area|21st]]
| population_footnotes    = 
| population_total        = 1937626
| population_as_of        = October 1, 2019
| population_rank         = [[List of Japanese prefectures by population|18th]]
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_blank2_title = Dialect
| population_blank2       = [[Gunma dialect]]
| demographics_type2              = GDP 
| demographics2_footnotes         = <ref>{{Cite web |title=2020年度国民経済計算（2015年基準・2008SNA） : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府 |url=https://www.esri.cao.go.jp/jp/sna/data/data_list/kakuhou/files/2020/2020_kaku_top.html |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=内閣府ホームページ |language=ja}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1            = Total
| demographics2_info1   = [[JP¥]] 9,308 billion<br />[[US$]] 85.4 billion (2019)
| anthem                  = {{Interlanguage link|Gunma-ken no uta|ja|群馬県の歌}}
| iso_code                = JP-10
| website                 = {{URL|http://www.pref.gunma.jp/}}
| module                  = {{Infobox place symbols
 |embedded = yes
 |country  = Japan
 |bird     = Copper pheasant (''[[Phasianus soemmerringii]]'')
 |fish     = [[Sweetfish]] (''[[Plecoglossus altivelis]]'')
 |flower   = Japanese azalea (''[[Rhododendron japonicum]]'')
 |tree     = Japanese black pine (''[[Pinus thunbergii]]'')
 }}
}}

{{Nihongo|'''Gunma Prefecture'''|群馬県|Gunma-ken|{{IPA|ja|ɡɯꜜm.ma, ɡɯm.maꜜ.keɴ}}<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典|publisher=NHK Publishing|editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute|date=24 May 2016|lang=ja}}</ref>}} is a landlocked [[Prefectures of Japan|prefecture]] of [[Japan]] located in the [[Kantō region]] of [[Honshu]].<ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Gumma-ken" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 267|page=267}}; "Kantō" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 479|page=479}}.</ref> Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of {{convert|6,362|km2|sqmi}}. Gunma Prefecture borders [[Niigata Prefecture]] and [[Fukushima Prefecture]] to the north, [[Nagano Prefecture]] to the southwest, [[Saitama Prefecture]] to the south, and [[Tochigi Prefecture]] to the east.

[[Maebashi]] is the capital and [[Takasaki]] is the largest city of Gunma Prefecture, with other major cities including [[Ōta, Gunma|Ōta]], [[Isesaki, Gunma|Isesaki]], and [[Kiryū, Gunma|Kiryū]].<ref>Nussbaum, "Maebashi" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 600|page=600}}.</ref> Gunma Prefecture is one of only eight [[landlocked]] prefectures, located on the northwestern corner of the [[Kantō Plain]] with 14% of its total land being designated as [[List of national parks of Japan|natural parks]].

== History ==
{{See also|Historic Sites of Gunma Prefecture}}

The ancient province of Gunma was a center of horse breeding and trading activities for the newly immigrated continental peoples (or [[Toraijin]]). The arrival of horses and the remains of horse tackle coincides with the arrival of a large migration from the mainland. From this point forward, the horse became a vital part of Japanese military maneuvers, quickly displacing the older Yayoi tradition of fighting on foot.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

When [[Mount Haruna]] erupted in the late 6th century, Japan was still in the pre-historical phase (prior to the importation of the Chinese writing system during the Nara period). The Gunma Prefectural archaeology unit in 1994 was able to date the eruption through zoological anthropology at the corral sites that were buried in ash.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

In the past, Gunma was joined with [[Tochigi Prefecture]] and called ''[[Kenu Province]]''. This was later divided into ''Kami-tsu-ke'' (Upper Kenu, Gunma) and ''Shimo-tsu-ke'' (Lower Kenu, Tochigi). The area is sometimes referred to as Jomo (上毛, ''Jōmō''). For most of Japanese history, Gunma was known as the province of [[Kozuke Province|Kozuke]].<ref>Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 470|page=470}}.</ref>

In the early period of contact between western nations and Japan, particularly the late Tokugawa, it was referred to by foreigners as the "Joushu States", inside (fudai, or loyalist) Tokugawa retainers and the Tokugawa family symbol is widely seen on public buildings, temples, and shrines.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

The [[Tenmei eruption]] of [[Mount Asama]] occurred in 1783, causing enormous damage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=天明3年（1783年）浅間山噴火 |url=https://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/tonesui/tonesui00023.html |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=www.ktr.mlit.go.jp |language=ja |archive-date=2022-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120084022/https://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/tonesui/tonesui00023.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=天明浅間山噴火とは |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A4%A9%E6%98%8E%E6%B5%85%E9%96%93%E5%B1%B1%E5%99%B4%E7%81%AB-156279 |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=[[Kotobank]] |language=ja |archive-date=2021-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214164552/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A4%A9%E6%98%8E%E6%B5%85%E9%96%93%E5%B1%B1%E5%99%B4%E7%81%AB-156279 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first modern silk factories were built with Italian and French assistance at [[Annaka, Gunma|Annaka]] in the 1870s. Known for their handy work in factories, the Yara Milano were renowned for their crafts. 

In the early Meiji period, in what was locally called the Gunma Incident of 1884, a bloody struggle between the idealistic democratic [[Westernization|Westernisers]] and the conservative [[Prussian education system|Prussian-model]] nationalists took place in Gunma and neighboring Nagano. The modern Japanese army gunned down farmers with new repeating rifles built in Japan. The farmers in Gunma were said to be the first victims of the [[Murata rifle]].{{cn|date=August 2022}}

In the twentieth century, the Japanese aviation pioneer Nakajima Chikushi of Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, founded the [[Nakajima Aircraft Company]]. At first, he produced mostly licensed models of foreign designs, but beginning with the all-Japanese [[Nakajima Type 91 fighter|Nakajima 91]] fighter plane in 1931, his company became a world leader in aeronautical design and manufacture, with its headquarters at Ota, Gunma Ken. The factory now produces [[Subaru]] motorcars and other products under the name of [[Subaru]] née Fuji Heavy Industries.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.subaru.co.jp/press/news-en/2017_03_31_3889/ |title=FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD. CHANGES COMPANY NAME TO SUBARU CORPORATION |date=March 31, 2017 |access-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-date=April 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415162219/https://www.subaru.co.jp/press/news-en/2017_03_31_3889/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 1930s, German architect [[Bruno Taut|Bruno Julius Florian Taut]] lived and conducted research for a while in Takasaki.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bruno Taut |url=https://architectuul.com/architect/bruno-taut |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=Architectuul |archive-date=2023-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318075856/https://architectuul.com/architect/bruno-taut |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Girard incident]], which disturbed US-Japanese relations in the 1950s, occurred in Gunma in 1957, at {{ill|Sōmagahara Base|ja|相馬原駐屯地}} near [[Shibukawa, Gunma|Shibukawa]].

Four modern prime ministers are from Gunma, namely, [[Takeo Fukuda]], [[Yasuhiro Nakasone]], [[Keizo Obuchi]], and [[Yasuo Fukuda]], the son of Takeo.

== Geography ==
[[File:Akagiyama ono.jpg|thumb|left|Ono Lake, Jizō-dake]]
[[File:Mt.Nakanodake from Mt.Shibutsu 01.jpg|thumb|right|Mount Nakanodake viewed from Mount Shibutsu]]

One of only eight landlocked prefectures in Japan, Gunma is the northwesternmost prefecture of the Kantō plain. Except for the central and southeast areas, where most of the population is concentrated, it is mostly mountainous. To the north are [[Niigata Prefecture|Niigata]] and [[Fukushima Prefecture|Fukushima]] prefectures, while to the east lies [[Tochigi Prefecture]]. To the west lies the [[Nagano Prefecture]], and the [[Saitama Prefecture]] is to the south.

Some of the major mountains in Gunma are [[Mount Akagi]], [[Mount Haruna]], [[Mount Myōgi]], [[Mount Nikkō-Shirane]] and [[Mount Asama]], which is located on the Nagano border. Major rivers include the [[Tone River]], the [[Agatsuma River]], and the [[Karasu River (Gunma)|Karasu River]].

As of 1 April 2012, 14% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as [[List of national parks of Japan#History|Natural Parks]], namely [[Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park|Jōshin'etsu-kōgen]], [[Nikkō National Park|Nikkō]], and [[Oze National Park|Oze]] National Parks and [[Myōgi-Arafune-Saku Kōgen Quasi-National Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/doc/files/np_6.pdf |title=General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture |publisher=[[Ministry of the Environment (Japan)|Ministry of the Environment]] |date=1 April 2012 |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=21 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421180819/http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/doc/files/np_6.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
[[File:Map of Gunma Prefecture Ja.svg|thumb|Map of Gunma Prefecture {{legend0|#EAB|City}} {{legend0|#ED9|Town}} {{legend0|#BFE|Village}}]]

==== Cities ====
{{See also|List of cities in Gunma Prefecture by population}}
Twelve cities are located in Gunma Prefecture:

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Annaka, Gunma|Annaka]]
*[[Fujioka, Gunma|Fujioka]]
*[[Isesaki, Gunma|Isesaki]]
*[[Kiryū, Gunma|Kiryū]]
*[[Maebashi, Gunma|Maebashi]] (capital)
*[[Midori, Gunma|Midori]]
*[[Numata, Gunma|Numata]]
*[[Ōta, Gunma|Ōta]]
*[[Shibukawa, Gunma|Shibukawa]]
*[[Takasaki, Gunma|Takasaki]]
*[[Tatebayashi, Gunma|Tatebayashi]]
*[[Tomioka, Gunma|Tomioka]]
{{div col end}}

==== Towns and villages ====
These are the towns and villages in each [[Districts of Japan|district]]:

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*[[Agatsuma District, Gunma|Agatsuma District]]
**[[Higashiagatsuma, Gunma|Higashiagatsuma]]
**[[Kusatsu, Gunma|Kusatsu]]
**[[Naganohara, Gunma|Naganohara]]
**[[Nakanojō, Gunma|Nakanojō]]
**[[Takayama, Gunma|Takayama]]
**[[Tsumagoi, Gunma|Tsumagoi]]
*[[Kanra District, Gunma|Kanra District]]
**[[Kanra, Gunma|Kanra]]
**[[Nanmoku, Gunma|Nanmoku]]
**[[Shimonita, Gunma|Shimonita]]
*[[Kitagunma District, Gunma|Kitagunma District]]
**[[Shintō, Gunma|Shintō]]
**[[Yoshioka, Gunma|Yoshioka]]
*[[Ōra District, Gunma|Ōra District]]
**[[Chiyoda, Gunma|Chiyoda]]
**[[Itakura, Gunma|Itakura]]
**[[Meiwa, Gunma|Meiwa]]
**[[Ōizumi, Gunma|Ōizumi]]
**[[Ōra, Gunma|Ōra]]
*[[Sawa District, Gunma|Sawa District]]
**[[Tamamura, Gunma|Tamamura]]
*[[Tano District, Gunma|Tano District]]
**[[Kanna, Gunma|Kanna]]
**[[Ueno, Gunma|Ueno]]
*[[Tone District, Gunma|Tone District]]
**[[Katashina, Gunma|Katashina]]
**[[Kawaba, Gunma|Kawaba]]
**[[Minakami, Gunma|Minakami]]
**[[Shōwa, Gunma|Shōwa]]
{{div col end}}
{{-}}
<gallery mode="packed">
File:View from Gunma Prefectural Government Building east.jpg|Maebashi
File:Karasu River and Usui River survey.jpg|Takasaki
File:View from Ota city office south.jpg|Ōta
File:桐生市街地と茶臼山丘陵.jpg|Kiryū
</gallery>
<!-- ǂ Scheduled to be dissolved following mergers. -->
==== Mergers ====
{{main|List of mergers in Gunma Prefecture}}

=== Climate ===
{{unreferencedsect|date=August 2022}}

Because Gunma is situated in inland Japan, the difference in temperature in the summer compared to the winter is large, and there is less precipitation. This is because of the [[karakkaze]] ("empty wind"), a strong, dry wind that occurs in the winter when the snow falls on the coasts of Niigata. The wind carrying clouds with snow are obstructed by the [[Echigo Mountains]], and it also snows there, although the high peaks do not let the wind go past them. For this reason, the wind changes into the ''kara-kaze''. On August 5th 2025, [[Isesaki]] 
a city located in Gunma Prefecture recorded a temperature of 41.8°C, the hottest temperature ever registered in Japanese history.
<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/japan-sets-record-high-temperatures-worries-mount-over-rice-crops-2025-08-05/ | title = Japan sets record high temperatures, worries mount over rice crops | publisher = [[Reuters]] | date = 5 Aug 2025 | access-date = 5 Aug 2025 | language = en}}</ref>

*Climate in [[Maebashi]]
**Average yearly precipitation: 1,163&nbsp;mm (approx. 45.8in)
**Average yearly temperature: 14.2 degrees Celsius (approx. 57.6 degrees Fahrenheit)

== Demographics ==
[[File:Gunma prefecture population pyramid in 2020.svg|thumb|Gunma prefecture population pyramid in 2020]]
{{historical populations|
|align=none|cols=2|
19=1920|20=1,052,610|21=1925|22=1,118,858|23=1930|24=1,186,080|25=1935|26=1,242,453|27=1940|28=1,299,027|29=1945|30=1,546,081|31=1950|32=1,601,380|33=1955|34=1,613,549|35=1960|36=1,578,476|37=1965|38=1,605,584|39=1970|40=1,658,909|41=1975|42=1,756,480|43=1980|44=1,848,562|45=1985|46=1,921,259|47=1990|48=1,966,265|49=1995|50=2,003,540|51=2000|52=2,024,852|53=2005|54=2,023,996|55=2010|56=2,008,068|57=2015|58=1,973,115|59=2020|60=1,939,110|percentages=pagr|source=Censuses<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stat.go.jp/english/index.html|title=Statistics Bureau Home Page|website=www.stat.go.jp}}</ref>}}

== Economy ==
Gunma's modern industries include transport equipment and electrical equipment, concentrated around [[Maebashi, Gunma|Maebashi]] and the eastern region nearest [[Tokyo]]. More traditional industries include [[sericulture]] and [[agriculture]]. Gunma's major agricultural products include [[cabbage]]s and [[konnyaku]]. Gunma produces over 90% of Japan's konnyaku, and two-thirds of the farms in the village of [[Tsumagoi, Gunma|Tsumagoi]] are cabbage farms.<ref>{{cite web |title=こんにゃくをめぐる事情 |url=https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisan/tokusan/attach/pdf/konnyaku-15.pdf |website=農林水産省の公式HP |publisher=Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |access-date=8 June 2022 |archive-date=27 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227045611/https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisan/tokusan/attach/pdf/konnyaku-15.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Also, the city of [[Ōta, Gunma|Ōta]] is famous for the car industry, notably the [[Subaru]] factory.

== Culture ==
There is a [[Gunma dialect|local dialect]], known in Japanese as '<nowiki/>''gunma-ben''<nowiki/>' or '''jōshū-ben''<nowiki/>'.

Gunma has a traditional card game called {{Nihongo|''[[Jomo Karuta]]''|上毛かるた}}. It features people, places, and things of regional and/or cultural importance.

=== Famous foods ===
In 2007, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries held an event to find the top 100 best local dishes across all of Japan. Three dishes were featured from Gunma; yaki-manju, [[okkirikomi]], and [[Konjac|konnyaku]].<ref>{{cite web |title=JAPAN'S TASTY SECRETS |url=https://www.maff.go.jp/j/nousin/kouryu/kyodo_ryouri/190131.html |website=農林水産省の公式HP |publisher=The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |access-date=8 June 2022 |archive-date=8 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608071049/https://www.maff.go.jp/j/nousin/kouryu/kyodo_ryouri/190131.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Melody roads ===
As of 2018, Gunma is home to eleven of Japan's over thirty [[Musical road#Japan|Melody roads]]. 2,559 grooves cut into a 175-meter stretch of the road surface in transmit a [[Touch|tactile]] [[oscillation|vibration]] through the wheels into the [[car body]].<ref name="GuardianJP">{{cite news |first=Bobbie |last=Johnson |title=Japan's melody roads play music as you drive |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/13/japan.gadgets |work=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=[[Guardian Media Group|GMG]] |location=[[Farringdon Road]], [[London]], England |page=19 (International section) |date=13 November 2007 |access-date=20 October 2008 |archive-date=1 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901025639/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/13/japan.gadgets |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Noise">{{cite web |url=http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/09/car-musical-instrument-melody-roads-japan/ |title=Your car as a musical instrument – Melody Roads |access-date=20 October 2008 |date=29 September 2008 |publisher=Noise Addicts |archive-date=13 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913223414/http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2008/09/car-musical-instrument-melody-roads-japan/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ITN">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/yTsoP3WWgU4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110331034022/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTsoP3WWgU4 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite news |title=Singing Roads – Take a Musical Trip in Japan |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTsoP3WWgU4 |publisher=[[ITN]] |date=5 December 2007 |access-date=20 October 2008}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The roads can be found in Katashina, Minakami, Takayama, Kanna, Ueno, Kusatsu, Tsumagoi, Nakanojo, Takasaki, Midori, and Maebashi. Each is of a differing length and plays a different song. Naganohara also used to be home to a Melody Road playing "[[Aj lučka, lučka široká]]", though the road in question was paved over in 2013 due to noise complaints.

==== Songs ====
*Kusatsu - "Kusatsu-Bushi"
*Takayama - "When You Wish Upon a Star"
*Tsumagoi - "Oh My Darling Clementine"
*Nakanojo - "Always With Me" (Japanese title: いつも何度でも, ''itsumo nando demo'') from [[Spirited Away]] when driven at 40&nbsp;km/h
*Katashina - "[[Memories of Summer]]" when driven over at 50&nbsp;km/h

== Government ==
===List of governors of Gunma Prefecture (1947–present)===

{|class="wikitable"
! Governor
! Term start
! Term end
|-
|[[Shigeo Kitano]] (北野重雄)
|align=center|12 April 1947
|align=center|25 June 1948
|-
|Yoshio Iyoku (伊能芳雄)
|align=center|10 August 1948
|align=center|4 July 1952
|-
|Shigeo Kitano
|align=center|2 August 1952
|align=center|1 August 1956
|-
|Toshizo Takekoshi (竹腰俊蔵)
|align=center|2 August 1956
|align=center|1 August 1960
|-
|Konroku Kanda (神田坤六)
|align=center|2 August 1960
|align=center|1 August 1976
|-
|Ichiro Shimizu (清水一郎)
|align=center|2 August 1976
|align=center|12 June 1991
|-
|Hiroyuki Kodera (小寺弘之)
|align=center|28 July 1991
|align=center|27 July 2007
|-
|[[Masaaki Osawa]] (大澤正明)
|align=center|28 July 2007
|align=|27 July 2019
|-
|[[Ichita Yamamoto]] (山本一太)
|align=center|28 July 2019
|align=|present
|}

== Education ==

=== Universities ===
*Isesaki
**[[Jobu University]] – Isesaki Campus
**[[Tokyo University of Social Welfare]] – Isesaki Campus
*Maebashi
**[[Gunma University]]
**[[Maebashi Institute of Technology]]
*Midori
**[[Kiryu University]]
*Ota
**[[Kanto Gakuen University]]
*Takasaki
**[[Gunma Paz College]]
**Jobu University -Takasaki Campus
**[[Takasaki City University of Economics]]
**[[Takasaki University of Commerce]]
**[[Takasaki University of Health and Welfare]]
*Tamamura
**[[Gunma Prefectural Women's University]]

== Sports ==
[[File:Shikishima rikujo 2.JPG|thumb|[[Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma]], home of [[Thespa Gunma]].]]
The sports teams listed below are based in Gunma.

===Baseball===
*[[Gunma Diamond Pegasus]]

===Association football===
*[[Thespa Gunma]] ([[Maebashi]])
*[[Tonan Maebashi]] (Maebashi)

===Rugby===
*[[Panasonic Wild Knights]] ([[Ota, Gunma|Ota]])

===Basketball===
*[[Gunma Crane Thunders]]
Gunma is also famous for its ski resorts in the mountains.

Gunma was the only prefecture in Japan to have all 4 legal types of gambling on races: [[Horse racing|horse]], [[Keirin|bicycle]], [[Auto Race (Japanese sport)|auto]] and [[Kyōtei|boat]]. This changed with the closing of the last horse race track in Takasaki in 2004.

== Tourism ==
Gunma has many [[onsen|hot spring resorts]] and the most famous is [[Kusatsu Onsen]]. Another draw to the mountainous Gunma is the [[Skiing|ski]] resorts.

Other attractions include:
*[[Fukiware Falls]]
*[[Hara Museum Arc]]
*[[Ikaho Sistina Trick Art Museum]]
*[[Kusatsu Alpine-Plant Museum]]
*[[Kusatsu Hot-Spring Museum]]
*[[Konnyaku Park]]
*[[Lake Nozori]]
*[[Mount Akagi]]
*[[Mount Haruna]]
*[[Mount Kusatsu-Shirane]]
*[[Mount Myōgi]]
*[[Mount Tanigawa]]
*[[The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma]]
* {{translit|ja|[[Sankenkyō]]}}
*[[Shorinzan Daruma Temple]]
<gallery>
File:kiryu yagi bushi festival vehicle-free promenade 2.jpg|Kiryū Yagi-bushi Festival, held every year in early August.
File:IMG E0946 富岡製糸場.jpg|A Tomioka Silk Mill, a World Heritage cultural property site.
File:達磨寺 - panoramio (1).jpg| Daruma dolls at Shorinzan Daruma Temple in Takasaki
File:毛無峠 Gunmmer empire border.jpg|Kenashi Pass on the border of Nagano Prefecture is famous on the internet
</gallery>

== Transportation ==

=== Rail===
*[[Jomo Line|Jomo Electric Railway]] (Chuo Maebashi-Nishi Kiryu)
*[[Joshin Dentetsu Joshin Line|Joshin Electric Railway]] (Takasaki-Shimonita)
*[[JR East]]
**[[Agatsuma Line]]
**[[Hachiko Line]] (Kuragano-{{STN|Hachioji|x}})
**[[Hokuriku Shinkansen]]
**[[Joetsu Line]]
**[[Joetsu Shinkansen]]
**[[Ryomo Line]]
**[[Shinetsu Line]] (Takasaki-Yokokawa)
**[[Takasaki Line]]
*[[Tobu Railway]]
**[[Tobu Isesaki Line|Isesaki Line]]
**[[Tobu Kiryu Line|Kiryu Line]]
**[[Tobu Nikko Line|Nikko Line]] ([[Itakura Tōyōdai-mae Station]])
**[[Tobu Sano Line|Sano Line]]
*[[Watarase Keikoku Railway Watarase Keikoku Line]]

===Roads===

====Expressways====
*[[Jōshin-etsu Expressway]]
*[[Kan-Etsu Expressway]]
*[[Kita-Kantō Expressway]] ([[Takasaki]]-[[Hitachinaka]])
*[[Tōhoku Expressway]]

====National highways====
*[[Japan National Route 17|National Route 17]] ([[Nihonbashi]] of Tokyo-[[Saitama, Saitama|Saitama]]-[[Kumagaya]]-Takasaki-Shibukawa-[[Ojiya, Niigata|Ojiya]]-[[Nagaoka, Niigata|Nagaoka]])
*[[Japan National Route 18|National Route 18]] (Takasaki-Annaka-[[Karuizawa]]-[[Komoro, Nagano|Komoro]]-[[Nagano, Nagano|Nagano]]-[[Myōkō, Niigata|Myoko]]-[[Joetsu, Niigata|Joetsu]])
*[[Japan National Route 50|National Route 50]] (Maebashi-Isesaki-[[Oyama, Tochigi|Oyama]]-[[Yūki, Ibaraki|Yuki]]-Mito)
*[[Japan National Route 120|National Route 120]]
*[[Japan National Route 122|National Route 122]]
*[[Japan National Route 144|National Route 144]]
*[[Japan National Route 145|National Route 145]]
*[[Japan National Route 146|National Route 146]]
*[[Japan National Route 254|National Route 254]]
*[[Japan National Route 291|National Route 291]]
*[[Japan National Route 292|National Route 292]]
*[[Japan National Route 299|National Route 299]]
*[[Japan National Route 353|National Route 353]]
*[[Japan National Route 354|National Route 354]]
*[[Japan National Route 405|National Route 405]]
*[[Japan National Route 406|National Route 406]]
*[[Japan National Route 407|National Route 407]]
*[[Japan National Route 462|National Route 462]]

== Prefectural symbols ==
The prefectural symbol consists of the first [[kanji]] of the word 'Gunma' surrounded by three stylized mountains symbolizing the three important mountains of Gunma Prefecture: [[Mount Haruna]], [[Mount Akagi]], and [[Mount Myōgi]].

For marketing, the Prefectural Government also uses [[Gunma-chan]], a small [[super deformed]] drawing of a horse character wearing a green cap. It is used on promotional posters, banners, and other notable printed materials from the Prefectural Government. Other agencies and companies formally or informally use variations of its likeness and other horse-shaped characters when making signs or notices for work on buildings, roads, and other public notices.

== In popular culture ==
There are various manga and anime that have based their settings in Gunma, such as:

*''[[A Place Further than the Universe]]''
*''[[The Flowers of Evil (manga)|The Flowers of Evil]]''
*''[[Initial D]]''
*''[[Maebashi Witches]]''
*''[[Nichijou]]''
*''[[You Don't Know Gunma Yet]]''

In ''[[Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead]]'', the main character Akira Tendo is from Gunma Prefecture.

==See also==
*[[2022 Japan heatwave]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC ''Japan encyclopedia.''] Cambridge: [[Harvard University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-674-01753-5}}; [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58053128?referer=di&ht=edition OCLC 58053128]
*{{cite web |title=Gunma Prefecture: Location and Topography |work=Gunma Prefecture HomePage |url=http://www.pref.gunma.jp/english/location/index.htm |date=October 2006 |access-date=2006-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016053754/http://www.pref.gunma.jp/english/location/index.htm |archive-date=2006-10-16 |url-status=dead}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Gunma}}
{{Commons category|Gunma prefecture}}
*[http://www.pref.gunma.jp/ Gunma Prefecture Official Website] {{in lang|ja}}
*[http://www.pref.gunma.jp/foreign/foreign_English.html Gunma Prefecture Official Website] {{in lang|en}}

{{Gunma}}

{{Regions and administrative divisions of Japan}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gunma Prefecture| ]]
[[Category:Kantō region]]
[[Category:Prefectures of Japan]]