The area of present-day Ishikawa was part of ancient
Mutsu Province. During the
Edo period, the area was
tenryō under the direct control of the
Tokugawa shogunate. After the
Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of
Ishikawa District in the
Nakadōri region of
Iwaki Province. The villages of Ishikawa, Sawada, Nogisawa, Bohata, Nakatani and Yamahashi were formed on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Ishikawa was promoted to town status on March 27, 1894. During
World War II, the town had a secret
uranium mine for the
Japanese atomic bomb project. The town expanded by annexing the neighboring villages of Sawada, Nogisawa, Bohata, Nakatani and Yamahashi on March 31, 1955. ==Economy==