is the southwestern portion of Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

 in the Chūbu region

Chubu region

The is the central region of Honshū, Japan's main island. Chūbu has a population estimate of 21,886,324 as of 2008.Chūbu, which means "central region", encompasses nine prefectures : Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, Yamanashi, and often Mie.It is located directly...

 of 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...

. Before Gifu became a prefecture, the area was part of Mino Province

Mino Province

, one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces....

. The Seinō region received its name as a combination of the kanji

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

for "west" (西) and "Mino" (美濃) and is sometimes referred to by the unabbreviated name of Nishi Mino. The borders of this region are not officially set, but it generally consists of the following cities and towns: Ōgaki

Ogaki, Gifu

is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1918. As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 160,999 and a total area of .Ōgaki was the final destination for the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō...

, Kaizu

Kaizu, Gifu

is a city located in the southwest portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Most of the city is located at sea level and is well-known for levees surrounding the area. The city was formed on March 28, 2005 through a merger of the towns of Kaizu, Hirata and Nannō, all belonging to Kaizu...

, Gōdo

Godo, Gifu

is a town located in Anpachi District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the southwestern portion of the prefecture and is well-known for its various flora, including roses and pines., the town has an estimated population of 19,902...

, Wanouchi

Wanouchi, Gifu

is a small town located in Anpachi District, Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 9,976. The total area is 22.36 km².- History :...

, Anpachi

Anpachi, Gifu

is a town located in the Anpachi District, Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 15,274. The total area of the town is 18.19 km². The Solar Ark, an over 300m long photovoltaic power generation facility is located in the town....

, Ibigawa

Ibigawa, Gifu

is a town located in Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.On January 31, 2005 the former villages of Fujihashi, Kasuga, Kuze, Sakauchi, and Tanigumi merged with Ibigawa, resulting in a nearly 20-fold increase in area....

, Ōno

Ono, Gifu

is a town located in Ibi District, Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 23,796. The total area is 34.18 km².-External links:*...

, Ikeda

Ikeda, Gifu

is a town located in Ibi District, Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 24,915. The total area is 38.79 km².- Railway :*Yōrō Railway** Yōrō Line: - - -External links:*...

, Yōro

Yoro, Gifu

is a town located in Yōrō District, Gifu, Japan, on the eastern side of the Yōrō Mountains.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 31,058. The total area is 72.14 km²...

, Tarui

Tarui, Gifu

is a town located in Fuwa District, Gifu, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 28,461. The total area is 57.14 km².- Railroad :*JR Tōkai**Tōkaidō Main Line - Tarui Station-External links:*...

 and Sekigahara

Sekigahara, Gifu

is a town located in Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.As of July 2011, the town has an estimated population of 7,965. The total area is 49.29 km².In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara took place here.-History:...

.

Geography

The northern part of the region is separated from Fukui Prefecture

Fukui Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Fukui.- Prehistory :The Kitadani Dinosaur Quarry, on the Sugiyama River within the city limits of Katsuyama, has yielded the Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis and Fukuisaurus tetoriensis as well as an unnamed...

 by mountain peaks that reach over 1000 m (3,281 ft) high, whereas the western part is separated from Mie

Mie Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....

 and Shiga

Shiga Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...

 prefectures by Mount Ibuki

Mount Ibuki

is a high mountain, on the border of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, and Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and is also included on the lists of the 100 Kinki Mountains the 50 Shiga Mountains...

 and the Ibuki Mountains

Ibuki Mountains

The are a mountain range straddling the border between Gifu and Shiga prefectures in Japan. After lowering and nearly disappearing in Shiga Prefecture, the range continues as the Suzuka Mountains...

. The southern part of the region lays at sea level and connects to Aichi

Aichi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

 and Mie prefectures. The Kiso Three Rivers

Kiso Three Rivers

The refers to the three major rivers that make up the alluvial plain area of the Nōbi Plain of Japan. The three rivers are the Kiso River, the Ibi River and the Nagara River...

 flow through the eastern part of the region and connect Seinō with the Gifu region

Gifu (region)

is the southcentral portion of Gifu Prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan. It shares its name with the prefecture and the capital city of Gifu. The borders of this region are not officially set, but it generally consists of the following cities and towns: Gifu, Kakamigahara, Hashima, Mizuho,...

 and Aichi Prefecture.

Population

Approximately 300,000 people live in the Seinō region. Of those, about half live in the main city of Ōgaki.

Industries

The towns of Ibigawa, Ōno and Ikeda, as well as the city of Ōgaki, are known for their production of Fuyu (富有 Fuyū), a type of persimmon

Persimmon

A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...

.

Ōgaki is also the home to major companies such as Ibiden Co., Seino Co., Pacific Industrial Co. and Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank. Other companies, including Seria Co., a 100-yen shop, also have a strong presence in the region.