Editing Nara Prefecture (section)

=== From the establishment of Nara Prefecture to the present===
A first prefecture (briefly ''-fu'' in 1868, but ''-ken'' for most of the time)<ref>[http://www.library.pref.nara.jp/sites/default/files/002_s.pdf 奈良県の誕生 ("The birth of Nara prefecture")], Nara Prefectural Library, retrieved March 15, 2019.</ref> named Nara was established in the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868 as successor to the shogunate administration of the shogunate city and shogunate lands in Yamato. After the 1871 [[Abolition of the han system]], Nara was merged with other prefectures (from former han, see [[List of Han#Yamato Province]]) and cleared of ex-/enclaves to encompass all of Yamato province. In 1876, Nara was merged into [[Sakai Prefecture|Sakai]] which in turn became part of Osaka in 1881. In 1887, Nara became independent again, with [[Saisho Atsushi]] as the first governor.<ref>{{Cite web| title=奈良県のはじまり | language=ja | trans-title=The origins of Nara Prefecture | url=https://www.library.pref.nara.jp/sites/default/files/002_s.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418104730/https://www.library.pref.nara.jp/sites/default/files/002_s.pdf | archive-date=2021-04-18}}</ref><ref name="wwnaraken">Nara Prefecture for children: [http://www.pref.nara.jp/1335.htm ならけんはいつできたのかな (~"When was Nara prefecture created?")], Nara Prefectural Government, retrieved March 15, 2019.</ref> The first prefectural assembly of Nara was elected in the same year and opened its first session in 1888 in the gallery of the main hall of Tōdai temple.<ref name="wwnaraken"/>

In the 1889 Great Meiji mergers which subdivided all (then 45) prefectures into modern [[Municipalities of Japan|municipalities]], Nara prefecture's 16 [[Districts of Japan|districts]] were subdivided into 154 municipalities: 10 [[Towns of Japan|towns]] and 144 [[Villages of Japan|villages]]. The first [[Cities of Japan|city]] in Nara was only established in 1898 when Nara Town from [[Soekami District, Nara|Soekami District]] was made district-independent to become [[Nara, Nara|Nara City]] (see [[List of mergers in Nara Prefecture]] and [[List of mergers in Osaka Prefecture]]).

The economic dependency to Osaka even characterizes today's Nara Prefecture, for many inhabitants commute to Osaka to work or study there.