is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 224,358 in 109,541 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 1300 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Ōta is located in the extreme southeastern portion of

in the northern Kantō Plains, bordered by

Tochigi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi). Tochigi ...

to the east and

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

to the south. The city is located northwest of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

between the Tone and Watarase

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s. It is located about 80 kilometers northwest of

central Tokyo Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center (disambiguation), center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa ...

, about 30 kilometers east of the prefectural capital at

Maebashi is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It wa ...

, about 40 kilometers east of Takasaki. The elevation of the city ranges from 30–40 meters in lowland in the south, southwest, northeast, and east, to 40–70 meters in the northwest.

Surrounding municipalities

* Isesaki * Kiryū *

Midori Midori (みどり, ミドリ, , , ) is the Japanese word for "green" and may refer to: Places * Midori, Gunma * Midori-ku, Chiba * Midori-ku, Nagoya * Midori-ku, Sagamihara * Midori-ku, Saitama * Midori-ku, Yokohama People Given name * Mi ...

* Ōizumi * Ōra

Ashikaga Ashikaga (足利) may refer to: * Ashikaga clan (足利氏 ''Ashikaga-shi''), a Japanese samurai clan descended from the Minamoto clan; and that formed the basis of the eponymous shogunate ** Ashikaga shogunate (足利幕府 ''Ashikaga bakufu''), a ...

Kumagaya is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kumagaya is one of the largest c ...

Fukaya is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 229,517 in 142,803 households in 60804 households and a population density of 1023 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is famous for a ...

Climate

Ōta has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōta is 14.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1260 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.5 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōta has increased steadily over the past 60 years.

History

During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, the area of present-day Ōta contained two post towns on the

Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō The was established during the Edo period as a subroute to Nikkō Kaidō. It connects the Nakasendō with the Nikkō Kaidō.Nikkō Kaidō which connected the Nakasendō directly with Nikkō, bypassing

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

,Nikkō Reiheishidō
Mainichi Shinbun. Accessed August 29, 2007 the , (from which the city takes its name) and . Ōta Town was created within

Nitta District, Gunma Historic Map of Nitta District:1. Ōta, 2. Kuai, 3.Sawano, 4. Ojima, 5. Serada, 6. Kizaki, 7. Hosen, 8. Torinogo, 9. Godo, 10. Izushina, 11.Watauchi 12. Yabuzukahonmachi, 12.Kasakake was formerly a rural district located in Gunma Prefecture, Japa ...

Prefecture on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. On April 1, 1940, Ōta merged with the villages of Kuai and Sawano from Nitta District, and with the village of Niragawa from Yamada District. On November 1, 1943, Ōta absorbed the village of Shimanogō, also from Nitta District. Ōta was elevated to city status on May 3, 1948. The city expanded on April 1, 1957, by annexing the village of Kyodo (from Nitta District), and the village of Kyūhaku (from Yamada District), and by annexing parts of the village of Yabakawa (Yamada District) on July 1, 1960. On April 1, 1963, Ōta absorbed the village of Hosen (Nitta District), followed by the village of Kesatoda (Yamada District) on December 1, 1963. On March 28, 2005, the old city of Ōta absorbed the towns of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahon (all from Nitta District), and the area became the new city of Ōta. The former city of Ōta had a population of 152,000, with a total area of 97.96 km²; after the merger the total area became 176.49 km², and the population went to 217,000 people. On April 1, 2007, Ōta was designated special city (''tokureishi'') with expanded local autonomy.

Government

Ōta has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 30 members. Ōta contributes five members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Gunma 3rd district is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in south-eastern Gunma and consists of Ota, Tatebayashi and Ōra County. Areas Covered Current District As of 24 January 2023, the areas co ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

During the years before World War II, airplane production by Nakajima Aircraft Company was the industrial mainstay of Ōta. After the war, much of the skills and technology used in the production of aircraft was redirected into the production of automobiles. Ōta's leading industry is manufacturing, centered in the southeast part of the city. Ōta leads the prefecture in manufacturing revenue, which exceeds annually. It is the home of the car manufacturer

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first ...

, a subsidiary of Subaru Corporation, formerly known as and

Hino Motors Hino Motors, Ltd., commonly known as Hino, is a Japanese manufacturer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines (including those for trucks, buses and other vehicles) headquartered in Hino, Tokyo. The company was established in 1942 as a corpora ...

. Subaru-chō is where the Subaru BRZ/Toyota 86 is built, having been re-purposed from ''kei'' car production, Yajima Plant is where all current Subaru cars are built, Otakita Plant is where commercial ''kei'' trucks are built (originally the location of Nakajima Aircraft), and Oizumi Plant is where engines and transmissions are built. The northern part of Ōta is characterized by its farms, most of which produce rice. Also, Ōta is a major transportation hub in the Tomo (Eastern Gunma) region and the home of the

Panasonic Wild Knights Saitama Wild Knights (formerly Panasonic Wild Knights) is a Japanese rugby union team formerly based in Ōta city, Gunma prefecture which plays in the Top League. Inspired by Tony Brown at fly half (though he was not captain), it dominated the l ...

rugby team.

Education

University

Kanto Gakuen University is a private university in Ōta, Gunma is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 224,358 in 109,541 households, and a population density of 1300 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . ...

Primary and secondary schools

Ōta has 26 public elementary schools and 17 public middle schools operated by the city government, and seven public high schools operated by the Gunma Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school and the

Gunma Kokusai Academy The , or GKA, is a private school in Ōta, Gunma, Japan, combining Elementary schools in Japan, elementary school and Secondary education in Japan, secondary school education from grades 1 to 12 with an English language immersion programme. It ...

, a private combined elementary/middle/high school which offers a curriculum in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

International schools

EAS Rede Pitágoras is a network of Brazilian international schools in Japan. It has campuses in Aichi, Gunma, Mie, and Shizuoka prefectures. The campuses, which have about 2,000 students as of 2015,Brazilian schoolEscolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão

Archive
. Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015. - Formerly Colégio Pitágoras Brasil * Escola Paralelo ( エスコーラ・パラレロ太田校) - Brazilian primary school

Transportation

Railway

Tōbu Railway –

Isesaki Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by the private railway company Tobu Railway, extending from Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen Station in Saitama to Isesaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. The Isesaki Line can refer to the entire section between Asakus ...

* - - - - Tōbu Tetsudō Logo

Tōbu Railway – Tōbu Kiryū Line * - - - Tōbu Tetsudō Logo

Tōbu Railway –

Koizumi Line is a Japanese family name. It may describe one of several Koizumi railway stations. It can refer to a number of people, including the following members of the prominent Koizumi family: *, former prime minister of Japan *, a second-generation Di ...

* -

Highway

* – Ōta-Yabuzuka Interchange – Ōta-Gōdo Parking Area and Smart Interchange – Ōta-Kiryū Interchange * * * * *

Local attractions

*Daikoin Temple - Founded in 1618 by

Ieyasu Tokugawa was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fell ...

. Popular with nickname ''Kosodate Donryu'' (meaning kid-raising Saint Donryu). Located 2.4 km northwest of the downtown. *

Kanayama Castle was a Sengoku period ''yamashiro''-style castle located on top of Mount Kanayama in what is now the city Ōta, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 1990. The castle was also known as ''Ōta Kan ...

ruins - A Kamakura period castle on the top of Mt. Kanayama (244 m). Located 3.2 km north of the downtown. Mt. Kanayama is the symbol of Ota City. A National Historic Site *Tenjinyama Kofun - A large ancient burial mound (from around the 5th century). The

haniwa The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique, ...

unearthed in Ota are the only haniwa to be designated as national treasures, and are on display in the National Museum in Tokyo. *Yabuzuka Onsen - Ōta's hot springs; 9.7 km northwest of the downtown. *Snake Center - Located in Yabuzuka Onsen area. Famous for collection of rare kinds of snakes. * Nyotaizan Kofun and Tenjinyama Kofun - Kofun period tumuli, a National Historic Sites * Kōzuke Province Nitta District Offices Site - Nara period ruins, a National Historic Site * Nitta-no-shō - sites and ruins associated with a Heian through Muromachi period manor, a National Historic Site

Sister-city relations

* -

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

, United States; since February 1984. Switching off each year, the two cities send students to each other in order to strengthen relations and teach the next generation about the differing cultures. * - Lafayette,

West Lafayette West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister c ...

and Tippecanoe County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States; memorandum of understanding signed October 1988, agreement signed October 1993. * Imabari, Ehime, Japan; since April 2002. Ota entered into a friendship agreement with Yingkou,

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

, China in September 1987. The city has also commenced an exchange relationship with Guilin, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China in 1997 and signed a friendship agreement with

Hirosaki is a city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. On 1 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 168,739 in 71,716 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Hirosaki developed as a castle town fo ...

city,

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

in November 2006.

Notable people

Masaaki Ōsawa
. Retrieved 1 October 2009. was the

, politician *

Chikuhei Nakajima , was a Japanese naval officer, engineer, and politician, who is most notable for having founded Nakajima Aircraft Company in 1917, a major supplier of airplanes in the Empire of Japan. He also served as a cabinet minister. Biography Nakajim ...

, founder of Nakajima Aircraft, politician *

Aya Uchida is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She played Kotori Minami in ''Love Live! School Idol Project'' and Kaban in '' Kemono Friends''. She released the single "Sign/Candy Flavor", the song "Sign" was used as the ending theme for ''The Quintes ...

, voice actress *

Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he began ...

, actor *

Rentarō Mikuni (also sometimes credited as 三国連太郎) (January 20, 1923 – April 14, 2013) was a Japanese film actor from Gunma Prefecture. He appeared in over 150 films since making his screen debut in 1951, and won three Japanese Academy Awards for ...

, actor *

Itsuki Shoda is a Japanese former professional baseball player. He was originally drafted by the Nippon-Ham Fighters in , playing 5 seasons, before playing for the Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') ar ...

, professional baseball player * Yuki Saito, professional baseball player * Ayumi Morita, tennis player *

Mari Katayama is a Japanese multimedia artist known for her sculpture and photography work. Her work focuses on themes such as body image, identity, and her experience as an amputee. Early life Katayama was born 1987 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. She later m ...

, artist

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ota, Gunma Cities in Gunma Prefecture Ōta, Gunma Subaru