Maniwa
city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Maniwa (真庭市, Maniwa-shi) is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2023, the city had an estimated population of 42,477 in 17568 households and a population density of 51 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 828.53 square kilometres (319.90 sq mi).
Geography
Maniwa is located in north-central Okayama Prefecture and is approximately in the center of the Chūgoku Mountains, which forms its northern border with Tottori Prefecture. Occupying 11.6% of Okayama Prefecture, it has the largest area of any municipality in the prefecture. It measures roughly 55 km from North to South, and 35 km from east to west. The mountainous part of the city to the north is dominated by Mount Hiruzen (1,202 m (3,944 ft)) and the Hiruzen Highlands, which is the source of the Asahi River, emerges from Mount Hiruzen in Maniwa, and its upper reaches are located within the town. The river has approximately 146 tributaries and a length of 142 kilometres (88 mi). Major tributaries of the Asahi in Maniwa include the Bitchū, Nakazui, Kōchi, Meki, and the Shinjō rivers. The Hiruzen Highlands sit at an elevation of 500–600 meters above sea-level, and is part of the Daisen-Oki National Park.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Maniwa” is city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Maniwa, city and Okayama, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q861230. VIAF identifies the subject as 254287955. Authority coordinates are 35.076, 133.753. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2023.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Maniwa”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Maniwa primary sources, Maniwa archive and Maniwa research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Maniwa”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Maniwa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.