is 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...

 located in Chiba Prefecture

Chiba Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. As of September 2010, the district has 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 63,382 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 279 persons per km². The total area was 226.97 km². The district formerly included all of the city of Mobara

Mobara, Chiba

is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city has an estimated population of 92,449 and a population density of 924 persons per km². The total area is 100.01 km².-Geography:...

 and a small portion of the city of Isumi

Isumi, Chiba

is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of March 1, 2010, the city has a population of 41,014 in an area of 157.50 km².Tōkyō Station is reached from Isumi by express train in 1 hour and 10 minutes via Ōhara Station on the JR East Sotobō Line.-Geography:...

.

Towns and villages

• Chōnan
  Chonan, Chiba
  is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan.As of 2010 estimates, the town had a population of 9,154 and a density of 140 persons per km². The total area was .- Geography :...
  
  
• Chōsei
  Chosei, Chiba
  is a village located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan. As of 2010, the village had an estimated population of 14,547 and a density of 514 persons per km². The total area was 28.32 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Ichinomiya
  Ichinomiya, Chiba
  is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 12,079and a density of 525 persons per km². The total area was 23.02 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Mutsuzawa
  Mutsuzawa, Chiba
  is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan.As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 7,419 and a density of 208 persons per km². The total area is 35.59 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Nagara
  Nagara, Chiba
  is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan. As of Mar. 1, 2010, the town had an estimated population of 8,117 and a density of 172 persons per km². The total area is 47.20 km².- Geography :...
  
  
• Shirako
  Shirako, Chiba
  is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010 data, the town had an estimated population of 12,222 and a density of 445 persons per km². The total area was 27.46 km².-Geography:...
  
  

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....

, almost all of the area present-day Chōsei District was tenryō under direct control of the central government and administered by various hatamoto

Hatamoto

A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...

, with the exception of Ichinomiya

Ichinomiya, Chiba

is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 12,079and a density of 525 persons per km². The total area was 23.02 km².-Geography:...

, most of which was under the rule of Ichinomiya Domain

Ichinomiya Domain

was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Ichinomiya jin'ya in what is now the town of Ichinomiya, Chiba.-History:...

, a minor feudal domain of 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...

 ruled by the Kano clan.
Chōsei District was created on April 1, 1889 out of the merger of the short-lived early Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

 districts of Nagara (3 towns, 17 villages) and Kamihabu (1 town, five villages).
Shirakata Village was elevated to town status on February 11, 1940. Mobara

Mobara, Chiba

is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city has an estimated population of 92,449 and a population density of 924 persons per km². The total area is 100.01 km².-Geography:...

 was elevated to city status on April 1, 1952. Nagara

Nagara, Chiba

is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan. As of Mar. 1, 2010, the town had an estimated population of 8,117 and a density of 172 persons per km². The total area is 47.20 km².- Geography :...

 was raised to town status on April 29, 1955, and Honnō Town merged into the city of Mobara on May 1, 1972.
Mutsuzawa

Mutsuzawa, Chiba

is a town located in Chōsei District, Chiba, Japan.As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 7,419 and a density of 208 persons per km². The total area is 35.59 km².-Geography:...

was raised to town status on April 1, 1983.