栃木県 (Tochigi)
Flag
Not available
Flag
Not available
Prefecture
Tochigi (栃木県, Tochigi-ken) flies a pea-green flag bearing a white canting crest: a stylised rendering of the kanji 栃 (tochi), meaning horse chestnut, with three arrow-like strokes recalling the archaic form of 木 (ki, tree). The emblem was adopted in 1962 and the flag that carries it in 1964, directly echoing the prefecture’s official tree and the origin of its own name.
| Prefecture | Tochigi (栃木県, Tochigi-ken) |
|---|---|
| Type | Ken (県) — ordinary prefecture |
| Region | Kantō |
| Capital | Utsunomiya (seat since 1884; previously Tochigi City) |
| Established | 1871 haihan-chiken reform; modern Tochigi Prefecture formed 1873 by merger with the short-lived Utsunomiya Prefecture |
| Crest (kenshō) | White stylised kanji 栃 (tochi) on pea-green; emblem adopted 1 December 1962, flag adopted 1 March 1964 |
| Official tree | Japanese horse chestnut (tochinoki) |
| Official flower | Yashio tsutsuji azalea (Rhododendron albrechtii) |
| Official bird | Blue-and-white flycatcher (oruri) |
| Official animal | Japanese serow (kamoshika) |
Flag of Tochigi — Pea-green field, white 栃 crest, adopted 1964
The flag of Tochigi is a pea-green field bearing the prefecture’s white crest (県章, kenshō): a stylised abstraction of the kanji 栃 (tochi), the character for horse chestnut that gives the prefecture its name, combined with three arrow-like strokes said to allude to the archaic style of writing 木 (ki), meaning tree or wood. As a design it is a canting emblem — one that visually puns on the place name it represents — and it doubles as a direct reference to the Japanese horse chestnut, the prefecture’s official tree. Vexillological sources describe the design as evoking “improvement and active motion.”
1871 — Haihan-chiken. As part of the Meiji government’s abolition of the han (feudal domain) system and its replacement with prefectures, the region corresponding to the old Shimotsuke Province was reorganised into several short-lived prefectures, including an early Tochigi Prefecture and a separate Utsunomiya Prefecture.
1873 — Formation of modern Tochigi. Utsunomiya Prefecture was merged into Tochigi Prefecture, and the prefectural government was seated in Tochigi City, from which the enlarged prefecture took its name.
1884 — Capital moves to Utsunomiya. The prefectural seat was relocated to the larger city of Utsunomiya, where it remains today — leaving Tochigi Prefecture as one of several Japanese prefectures whose capital city does not share the prefecture’s name.
1962–1964 — Adoption of crest and flag. The prefectural emblem was formally adopted on 1 December 1962, and a dedicated flag bearing the mark followed on 1 March 1964, per prefectural government records compiled by vexillological references such as Flags of the World (FOTW).
A pea-green field with a white crest: a stylised version of the kanji 栃 (tochi, horse chestnut), with three arrow-like strokes recalling the archaic form of 木 (ki, tree). It is a canting design that alludes both to the prefecture’s name and to its official tree.
The prefectural emblem was adopted on 1 December 1962, and the flag bearing it followed on 1 March 1964, according to prefectural government records compiled by vexillological sources such as Flags of the World.
When modern Tochigi Prefecture was formed in 1873 by merging the short-lived Utsunomiya Prefecture into Tochigi Prefecture, the government was initially seated in Tochigi City. In 1884 the capital was moved to the larger city of Utsunomiya, where it has remained since, even as the prefecture kept its original name.
The Japanese horse chestnut (tochinoki) is the official tree, directly echoed in the prefectural crest. The yashio tsutsuji azalea (Rhododendron albrechtii) is the official flower, the blue-and-white flycatcher (oruri) is the official bird, and the Japanese serow (kamoshika) is the official animal.
Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on 2026-07-04.