Gifu, city and prefecture (ken), central Honshu, Japan. It is landlocked and dominated by mountains except in the south, where the inner part of Nōbi Plain is drained by the Nagara, Hida, and Kiso rivers. The plain supports most of the area’s agriculture and contains the prefectural capital, Gifu, and other leading cities (Ōgaki, Seki, Mino). Economic ties with neighbouring Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, are strong, and many industries (producing textiles, pottery, cutlery, automobiles, paper, machinery, and chemicals) are branches or subsidiaries of Nagoya companies. Forestry is the main occupation in the mountains.
Gifu city is noted for paper lantern manufacture and for sweetfish (ayu) fishing with cormorants in the summer. Takayama holds festivals (April and September) during which wheeled floats are paraded to the largest shrines in the town. Gifu University (1949) is located in Kamigahara city. There are numerous spas with hot springs, and recreation is provided at Chubu-sangaku National Park and Hida Kiso-gawa Quasi-national Park. Area 4,092 square miles (10,598 square km). Pop. (2005) city, 413,367; prefecture, 2,107,226.