270px, Awa-no-dochu earthen pillars Natural Monument 270px, Kumadani-ji Sanmon 270px, Yoshino River 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

Tokushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

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 35,631 in 15432 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 190 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Awa is located in the northeastern part of Tokushima Prefecture, between the northern bank of the

Yoshino River The Yoshino River (吉野川 ''Yoshino-gawa'') is a river on the island of Shikoku, Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . It is the second longest river in Shikoku (slightly shorter than the Shimanto), and is the only river whose watershe ...

and

Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

. Parts of the city are within the borders of the

Okumiyagawa-Uchidani Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park in Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1967. See also * National Parks of Japan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is ...

Neighbouring municipalities

Tokushima Prefecture * Mima *

Yoshinogawa 290px, Tokushima Prefectural Road Route 244 in Yoshinogawa 290px, Fujii-dera wisteria is a city located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,150 in 17958 households and a population density of 270 persons ...

* Kamiita Kagawa Prefecture * Sanuki * Higashikagawa

Climate

Awa has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Awa is 14.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1,335 mm with September as the wettest month.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Awa population statistics
/ref> the population of Awa has slowly declined over the past 60 years.

History

As with all of Tokushima Prefecture, the area of Awa was part of ancient Awa Province. The Yoshino River valley was settled since at least the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

, and archaeologists have found many

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s. 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 was part of the holdings of

Tokushima Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Awa Province and Awaji Province in what is now Tokushima Prefecture and Awaji Island of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Tokushima C ...

ruled by the

Hachisuka clan The are descendants of Emperor Seiwa (850-880) of Japan and are a branch of the Ashikaga clan through the Shiba clan (Seiwa Genji). History Ashikaga Ieuji (13th century), son of Ashikaga Yasuuji, was the first to adopt the name Shiba. The Shiba ...

from their seat at

Tokushima Castle was an Edo period Japanese castle located in the city of Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1957. Its Omotegoten Gardens are designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty. Hi ...

. Following 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 ...

, it was organized into villages within Awa District and

Itano District, Tokushima is a district located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 97,263 and a population density of . The total area is . Matsushige is home to Tokushima Airport is a joint civil-militar ...

with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. The villages of Hisakatsu, Isawa and Hayashi were founded within Awa District on October 1, 1889. Hayashi was raised to town status on November 1, 1928 and Hisakatsu on November 3, 1951. Hayashi, Hisakatsu and Isawa merged to form the town of Awa on March 31, 1955. The city of Awa was established on April 1, 2005, from the merger of the former town of Awa, absorbing the town of Ichiba from Awa District, and the towns of Donari and

Yoshino Yoshino may refer to: * Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree * Japanese cruiser Yoshino, Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy Places * Yoshino, Nara, a town ...

(from Itano District).

Government

Awa 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 20 members. Awa contributes two members to the

Tokushima Prefectural Assembly is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Tokushima 2nd district Tokushima 2nd district (徳島県第2区, ''Tokushima-ken dai-niku'' or simply 徳島2区, ''Tokushima-niku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives of Japan, House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan located ...

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

The economy of Awa is primarily agricultural.

Education

Awa has ten public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government and two public middle school and four public high schools operated by the Tokushima Prefectural Department of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Awa has no passenger railway service. Awa-Kawashima Station is closest to the city hall, Awa-Yamakawa Station is close to center of former Awa town, and Kamojima Station is closest to the center of both former Donari and Yoshino towns.

Highways

Tokushima Expressway The is a national Expressways of Japan, expressway in the Shikoku region of Japan. The expressway is numbered E11 between Naruto and Tokushima Junctions and E32 between Tokushima and Kawanoe-Higashi Junctions under the MLIT's "2016 Proposal for Re ...

Local attractions

* Jūraku-ji, 7th temple on the

Shikoku Pilgrimage The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (''Kōbō Daishi'') on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long histor ...

* Kumadani-ji, 8th temple on the

* Hōrin-ji, 9th temple on the

* Kirihata-ji, 10th temple on the

* Awa-no-dochū. Natural Monument *

Noted people from Awa

Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 until 1976. Early life and family Takeo Miki was born on 17 March 1907, in Gosho, Tokushima Prefecture (present-day Awa, Tokushima), the only child of farmer-merchant H ...

, Prime Minister of Japan *

Kazuo Sakamaki was a Japanese naval officer who became the first prisoner of war of World War II to be captured by U.S. forces, and the second to be captured by Americans. Early life and education Sakamaki was born in what is now part of the city of Awa, T ...

, Imperial Japanese Navy officer

References

External links

Awa City official website

Awa Town website
Cities in Tokushima Prefecture {{Tokushima-geo-stub