Motoyoshi District, Miyagi

Motoyoshi (本吉郡, Motoyoshi-gun) is a rural district in Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.

At present, the district consists only of the town of Minamisanriku with a combined population (As of 2017[update]) of 11,860 people, a population density of 72.6 people per km2 and an area of 163.4 square kilometres (63.1 sq mi).

Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the district was within Mutsu Province and was under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain.

In the establishment of the modern municipalities system, the district was organized into one town (Kesennuma (気仙沼)) and sixteen villages (Nusazaki (麻崎村), Yokoyama (横山村), Jusanhama (十三浜村), Tokura (戸倉村), Iriya (入谷村), Motoyoshi (本吉村), Utatsu (歌津町), Koizumi (小泉村), Mitake (御嶽村), Oya (大谷村), Hashigami (階上村), Matsuiwa (松岩村), Niizuki (新月村), Shishiori (鹿折), Karakura (唐桑村), Oshima (大島村)).

Motoyoshi District was devastated by the magnitude 9.0 March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami which occurred off the coast of Japan; an estimated 9,500 people are reported missing from the town of Minamisanriku alone.

Map showing original extent of Motoyoshi District in Miyagi Prefecture

colored area=original extent in Meiji period; green=present area
1. Nusazaki; 2. Yokoyama; 3. Jusanhama; 4. Tokura; 5. Iriya; 6. Shizugawa; 7. Utatsu; 8. Koizumi; 9. Mitake; 10. Oya; 11. Hashigami; 12. Matsuiwa; 14. Kesennuma; 15. Shishiori; 16. Karakuwa; 17. Oshima; Purple = Ishinomaki City; Red= Tome City; Orange = Minamisanriku Town; Violet = Kesennuma City