villages were tenryō under direct control of the central government and administered by various hatamoto, or samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Edo period was marked by the extensive development of rice paddy land in the district. Modern period In the post Meiji Restoration cadastral reform, the area came under the control of Chiba Prefecture and on April 1, 1889, was divided into two towns (Ōtaki and Asahi) and 21 villages. Katsuura was elevated to town status on March 12, 1890, Kuniyoshi (future Chōjamachi) on September 22, 1893, Ōhara on December 2, 1899, Onjuku on April 1, 1914, and Okitsu on January 1, 1921. The town of Isumi was created on April 29, 1954, through the merger of Chōjamachi with neighboring villages, and the town of Taitō was created in December of the same year. Katsuura was elevated to city status on October 1, 1958. Taitō and Chōjamachi merged to form the town of Misaki on August 1, 1961, leaving the district with five towns. On December 5, 2005, the towns of Isumi, Misaki and Ōhara merged to form the city of Isumi, leave the district with only two remaining towns. Notes References Counties of Japan Districts in Chiba Prefecture