Shiwa District, Iwate

Shiwa (紫波郡, Shiwa-gun) 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 district consists of two towns: Shiwa District was one of the six districts of northern Mutsu Province (六奥郡) created in the early Heian period after the conquest of the Kitakami River Valley from the Emishi tribes by the Japanese army led by General Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.

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.

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.