270px, View from the ruins of Ōtawara Castle 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

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 ...

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 72,189 in 30,136 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 210 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city's name may also be spelled "Ohtawara" as indicated by the official city website.

Geography

Ōtawara is located in northeast

in the foothills of the Nasu region. About 50% of Ōtawara is covered by rice fields with about 12% being mountains and forests. The average elevation of Ōtawara is 217.76 meters. Ōtawara is approximately 40 kilometers north of

Utsunomiya is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its ''gyoza'' ...

, the capital of Tochigi, and approximately 50 km east of the historic city of

Nikkō is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,239 in 36,531 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

. The city is long in the east and west direction, and the eastern side of the city is bordered by Ibaraki and Fukushima prefectures. The Yamizo Mountains extend along the prefectural border with Ibaraki Prefecture in the eastern part of the prefecture. Rivers include the Naka River, which runs north–south in the eastern part of the city.

Surrounding municipalities

Nasushiobara 270px, Shiobara Onsen is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 115,794 in 48,437 households, and a population density of 67 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Nasushioba ...

Sakura A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of Prunus, genus ''Prunus'' or Prunus subg. Cerasus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especia ...

* Yaita * Nasu * Nakagawa

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

Daigo Daigo may refer to: Buddhism *Daigo (Zen) (大悟), a Buddhist term meaning ''great enlightenment'' or ''great realization'' *Daigo (Shōbōgenzō) (大悟), or ''Great Realization'', a book in Eihei Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō *Daigo Temple (醍醐寺 ...

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

* Tanagura

Climate

Ōtawara 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 Ōtawara is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1399 mm with June through September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōtawara has been increasing steadily over the past 50 years.

History

During the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the area was controlled by the Ōtawara clan, who built

Ōtawara Castle is a Japanese castle located in Ōtawara, southern Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Ōtawara Castle was home to a branch of the Ōtawara clan, ''daimyō'' of Ōtawara Domain. It was also called the History The Ōtawara cl ...

in 1545. The surrounding ''

jōkamachi The term refers to a type of urban structures in Japan in which the city surrounds a feudal lord's castle. These cities did not necessarily form around castles after the Edo period; some are known as Jin'yamachi, cities that have evolved around J ...

'' was a ''

shukuba were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called ''shuku-eki'' (宿駅). These post stations (or "post towns") were places where travelers could r ...

'' on the

Ōshū Kaidō The was one of the five routes of the Edo period. It was built to connect Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Mutsu Province and the present-day city of Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu for government of ...

highway to northern Japan. 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 ...

Ōtawara Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Shimotsuke Province (modern-day Tochigi Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Ōtawara Castle in what is now part of the city of Ōtawara, Tochigi. Ōtawara was ...

under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

lasted for over 250 years until the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

. Kurobane Domain was another feudal domain which existed within the borders of modern Ōtawara during this time. With the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Ōtawara was created. On December 1, 1954, the town of Ōtawara and the villages of Chikasono and Kaneda combined to form the city of Ōtawara. The city annexed part of Nozaki Town on December 31, 1954 followed by part of Nishinasuno Town on April 1, 1955 and the town of Sakuyama on November 5, 1955. On October 1, 2005, the town of Kurobane, and the village of Yuzukami (both from Nasu District) were merged into Ōtawara.

Government

Ōtawara 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 ...

town council of 21 members. Ōtawara contributes two members to the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Tochigi 3rd district 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

Ōtawara is one of the largest rice producing areas in Tochigi. The city is also home to four

industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

s, and industries include corporations such as

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation Canon Medical Systems Corporation is a medical equipment company based in Ōtawara, Tochigi, Japan. Formerly known as Toshiba Medical, a subsidiary of Toshiba, the company was an early pioneer on X-ray tubes in 1914 in Japan. Canon Medical Sy ...

which sells medical imaging equipment worldwide including CT scans, and Mochida Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. which specializes in the sales of pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and skincare products. Tochigi Nikon Corporation, a member of the Nikon Group that designs and manufactures optical products, electronic imaging equipment, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and optical lenses, is also located in Ōtawara.

Education

Ōtawara has 20 public elementary schools and eight public junior high schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Tochigi Prefectural Board of Education. The

International University of Health and Welfare is a private university in Ōtawara, Tochigi, Japan, established in 1995. Campuses Ohtawara Campus in Tochigi Prefecture * School of Health Sciences * School of Health and Welfare * School of Pharmacy Narita, Chiba, Narita Campus in Chiba Prefe ...

is located in Ōtawara. The university was established in 1995, with the aim of training experts in the field of health and welfare.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

– Tohoku Main Line (

Utsunomiya Line The Utsunomiya Line ( ja, 宇都宮線, ) is the name given to a 163.5 kilometer section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Compan ...

) *

Highway

* – Nishinasuno-Shiobara IC * * *

Local attractions

Ōtawara is home to several historical and cultural assets: * Kasaishi Shrine (笠石神社) dating to the 690s AD has one of the oldest surviving example of writing in Japan *Shino Kura Hall is a

thatched Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

roof style building dating to approximately the late 1850s or early 1860s, the end of 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 Hall displays old equipment and other artifacts dating to that time period such as large carts, a foot

threshing machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, threshi ...

, a packsaddle, and a milk machine. The Hall also serves handmade soba noodles using home-grown buckwheat. *Unganji (雲巌寺), a Buddhist temple in the east side of Ōtawara, is a location where

Matsuo Bashō born then was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative '' haikai no renga'' form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest ma ...

stopped during the journey recorded in ''

The Narrow Road to the Deep North ''Oku no Hosomichi'' (, originally ), translated as ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' and ''The Narrow Road to the Interior'', is a major work of ''haibun'' by the List of Japanese language poets, Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō, considered one ...

'' (

Oku no Hosomichi ''Oku no Hosomichi'' (, originally ), translated as ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'' and ''The Narrow Road to the Interior'', is a major work of ''haibun'' by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō, considered one of the major texts of Japanese l ...

)''.'' A stone engraved with a ''haiku'' he wrote inspired by what he saw there is displayed. *site of Ōtawara Castle *site of Kurobane Castle *Nasunogahara Harmony Hall *Ōtawara Onsen *Kurobane Onsen

Sports and recreation

The largest sporting event the city hosts is the Tabara Hiroshi Marathon which is held annually on November 23, Labor Day. There are ten golf courses in the Ōtawara area, including both public courses and private country clubs such the New St. Andrews Golf Club which is a

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

design course. Ōtawara has a large sports and recreation complex called the Tochigi Prefectural North Gymnasium. The gymnasium has a main arena for general sports and cultural events and includes two basketball and three volleyball courts, 10 badminton courts, 20 ping-pong tables, one handball court, 10 tennis courts, two wrestling and karate rings. The arena can seat up to 1,500 spectators. In addition, there is a separate smaller arena, martial arts area, and training rooms. Several other gymnasiums, community pools, and sports fields are located throughout the Ōtawara area.

External relations

* -

West Covina West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, USA * –

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, UK

Noted people

Kazue Takahashi , known by the stage name , was a Japanese actress and voice actress. Kazue was best known as the voice of Shoutarou Kaneda ("Jimmy Sparks") in ''Tetsujin 28-go'' ("Gigantor"). She debuted in 1949. Kazue was also known for roles in Kaiju Booska a ...

, voice actress * Hokutōriki Hideki, sumo wrestler *

Michio Watanabe was a Japanese political figure. He was born in Ōtawara, Tochigi and graduated from the Tokyo College of Commerce (now Hitotsubashi University) in 1942. He worked as a reporter for the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'', a certified tax accountant, and a mem ...

, politician *

Masakazu Fukuda (May 17, 1972 – April 19, 2000) was a professional wrestler who is best known for his appearances in WAR and NJPW. He also joined a short-lived stable known as ''Fighting Club G-EGGS'', the stable included Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Brian J ...

, professional wrestler
Wrestler Data.com * Yumiko Ōshima, cartoonist * Nasu Sukeharu, Muromachi-era ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

References

External links

Official Website

Ōtawara Tourism Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otawara, Tochigi Cities in Tochigi Prefecture Ōtawara