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
Kyoto Prefecture,
Japan. , 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 31,082 in 13660 households and a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
of 90 persons per km².
The total area of the city is .
Geography
Ayabe is situated in the mountains of Northern
Kyoto Prefecture, with the
Yura River flowing through the center of the city.
Climate
Ayabe has a
Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ayabe is 13.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1639 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.
Neighbouring municipalities
*
Kyoto Prefecture
**
Maizuru
is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Pref ...
**
Fukuchiyama
250px, Fukuchiyama Castle
250px, Fukuchiyama city center
is a city in northern Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,037 in 36412 households and a population density of 140 persons per km². The total area of ...
**
Nantan
**
Kyōtanba
*
Fukui Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 778,943 (1 June 2017) and has a geographic area of 4,190 km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the north, G ...
**
Ōi
**
Takahama
History
Ayabe is part of ancient
Tanba Province
was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima, Wakasa, and Yamashiro Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō sys ...
. Per the ''
Nihon Shoki'' and other historical sources, the area was settled during the
Kofun period by the
Hata clan
was an immigrant clan active in Japan since the Kofun period (250–538), according to the history of Japan laid out in '' Nihon Shoki''.
''Hata'' is the Japanese reading of the Chinese surname ''Qin'' () given to the State of Qin and the Qin ...
, immigrants from mainland Asia who brought with the technology of
sericulture
Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, '' Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively stud ...
and weaving. In the
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
, the area was developed into a number of ''
shōen'' landed estates by the
Five regent houses
The Five Regent Houses (五摂家; ''go-sekke'') is a collective term for the five families of the Fujiwara clan that monopolized the regent position of '' Sekkan'' in Japan from 1252 until 1868. The five houses are Konoe, Takatsukasa, Kujō, Ic ...
in Kyoto. In 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 came under the control of
Akechi Mitsuhide
, first called Jūbei from his clan and later from his title, was a Japanese ''samurai'' general of the Sengoku period best known as the assassin of Oda Nobunaga. Mitsuhide was a bodyguard of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and later a successful general under ...
, and in 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 characte ...
, it was the center of
Ayabe Domain and the small
Yamaga Domain. 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 ...
, the town of Ayabe was established within Ikaruga District, Kyoto on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on August 1, 1950, and the city borders expanded in 1955 and 1956 to encompass all of former Ikaruga District.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Ayabe has declined steadily over the past 60 years.
Government
![Ayabe city-office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Ayabe_city-office.jpg)
Ayabe 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 multi ...
city council of 18 members. Ayabe contributes one member to the
Kyoto Prefectural Assembly
The is the prefectural parliament of Kyoto Prefecture.
Overview
Kyoto Prefecture is a stronghold of the Japanese Communist Party, which continued with the revolutionary government of Torazō Ninagawa over the seventh term over 28 years. The t ...
. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kyoto 5th district of the
lower house of the
Diet of Japan.
Economy
![Gunze head quarters01s3200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Gunze_head_quarters01s3200.jpg)
Ayabe has a mixed economy of agriculture and light manufacturing, with several
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 in the city. The area was known from ancient times for weaving cloth, and the leading apparel manufacturer
Gunze
is a Japanese clothing brand with its registered head office in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, its Osaka head office, and a Tokyo office. It was established on August 10, 1896, by Tsurukichi Hatano, and was originally known as Gunze Silk Manufacturing ...
's registered headquarters are in Ayabe.
It is known for the founding of
Ōmoto
''Chōseiden'' in Ayabe
, also known as , is a religion founded in 1892 by Deguchi Nao (1836–1918), often categorised as a new Japanese religion originated from Shinto. The spiritual leaders of the movement have always been women within ...
.
Education
Ayabe has ten public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Kyoto Prefectural Department of Education. Kyoto Prefectural Agricultural College has a campus in the city.
Transportation
![Ayabe, West Japan Railway, 20080815](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Ayabe%2C_West_Japan_Railway%2C_20080815.jpg)
Railways
Conventional lines
JR West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, an ...
–
San'in Main Line
The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...
* - - -
JR West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, an ...
–
San'in Main Line
The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Kyot ...
* - -
Roads
Expressways
*
Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway
*
Kyoto Jūkan Expressway
The is a national expressway in Kyoto Prefecture. It is owned and operated primarily by the West Nippon Expressway Company (NEXCO West Japan) and the Kyoto Prefecture Road Corporation. The route is signed E9 under Ministry of Land, Infrastructu ...
Japan National Route
*
*
*
Twin towns and sister cities
*
Changshu, China (Friendship city)
*
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
(Friendship city)
[See also Status of Jerusalem]
References
External links
*
*
Ayabe city Tourism Guide
Cities in Kyoto Prefecture
Ayabe, Kyoto
{{Kyoto-geo-stub