240px, Takayama-sha Sericulture school Neko and sakura tree in Fujioka

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 64,539 in 27,616 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 360 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Fujioka is located on the southern border of

, bordered by

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.

Physical features

Mountains

* Nishi-Mikaboyama (西御荷鉾山), 1246m * Higashi-Mikaboyama (東御荷鉾山) 1286m * Amefuriyama (雨降山) * Sakurayama (桜山), 591m * Takayama (高山) * Koshinyama (庚申山)

Rivers

* Karasugawa * Kaburagawa (鏑川) * Ayugawa (鮎川) * Nukuigawa (温井川) * Kannagawa (神流川) * Sannagawa (三名川) * Sasagawa (笹川)

Lakes and marshes

* Kannako (神流湖) * Sannako (三名湖) * Ayugawako (鮎川湖) * Takenuma (竹沼)

Surrounding municipalities

Takasaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of th ...

* Tamamura * Kanna * Shimonita * Kanra

* Chichibu * Kamikawa * Kamisato

Climate

Fujioka 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 Fujioka is 13.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1239 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.5 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fujioka has remained relatively steady over the past 40 years.

History

Fujioka is located within traditional

Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was ran ...

. During the late

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 ...

it developed as a ''

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 ...

'' around Ashida Castle, the center of a 30,000 ''koku'' holding by the Ashida clan, retainers of

Tokugawa Ieyasu 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 fellow ...

. However, the foundation 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 ...

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 ...

, the area ''

tenryō 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 ...

'' territory under the direct control of the shogunate. Fujioka and Onishi towns, and Kanna, Ono, Midori, Mikuri, Hirai, Hino, and Sanbagawa Village were created in Midorino District,

and Mihara village in Minamikanra District, Gunma 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 ...

. In 1896, Minamikanra District was united with Midorino District and Tago District to create Tano District. On April 1, 1954, Fujioka annexed Kanna, Ono, Midori and Mikuri villages and was elevated to city status. On March 1, 1955 Fujioka annexed neighboring Hirai and Sanbagawa villages. On January 1, 2006 Onishi Village was merged into Fujioka City.

Government

Fujioka 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 18 members. Fujioka, together with the town of Kanna, and the village of Ueno contributes two members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Gunma 4th district is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Southern Gunma and consists of the city of Fujioka, the Southern part of Takasaki city (without the former municipalities of Gunma, Misato, ...

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

Education

Fujioka has 11 public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government, and three public high schools operated by the Gunma Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates a special education school for the handicapped.

High schools

* Fujioka Kita (群馬県立藤岡北高等学校) * Fujioka Kogyo (群馬県立藤岡工業高等学校) * Fujioka Chuo (群馬県立藤岡中央高等学校)

Middle schools

* Fujioka Kita (藤岡市立北中学校) * Fujioka Higashi (藤岡市立東中学校) * Fujioka Nishi (藤岡市立西中学校) * Fujioka Ono (藤岡市立小野中学校) * Fujioka Onishi (藤岡市立鬼石中学校)

Elementary schools

* Fujioka Dai-ichi (藤岡第一小学校) * Fujioka Dai-ni (藤岡第二小学校) * Kanna (神流小学校) * Ono (小野小学校) * Midori (美土里小学校) * Mikuri Higashi (美九里東小学校) * Mikuri Nishi (美九里西小学校) * Hirai (平井小学校) * Hino (日野小学校) * Onishi Kita (鬼石北小学校) * Onishi (鬼石小学校)

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 ...

–

Hachikō Line The Hachikō Line is a 92.0 km (57.2 mi) regional railway line owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is located within Tokyo, Saitama, and Gunma Prefectures in Japan. It connects Hachiōji Station in Hachiō ...

* -

Highway

Expressways

Two expressways converge at the Fujioka Junction. *

Kan-etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is the ''kanji'' acronym of and the old comprising modern-day Niigata Prefecture. Officially, the Kan-Etsu consists of two routes. Both ...

- Fujioka Junction *

Jōshin-etsu Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company. Naming is a kanji acronym consisting of 3 characters, each representing the former names of the prefectures that the route traverses. consist ...

- Fujioka Interchange (IC), Fujioka Parking Area (PA)

National highways

* * *

Local attractions

* Sanbaseki Gorge, National Place of Scenic Beauty *Fujioka History Museum *Site of Hirai Castle * Shimokubo Dam * Shinsui Dam *Takenuma Dam

National Historic Sites

* Takayamasha Sericulture School, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site * Nanakoshiyama Kofun * Yuzurihara Stone Age Residence Site * Shiroishi Inariyama Kofun * Hongō Haniwa Kiln ruins

Annual Events

Fujioka Matsuri The Fujioka

Matsuri Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in Traditional Chinese holidays, traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time ...

is a two-day summer festival which is typically held on a weekend in late July. The celebration, which takes place in central Fujioka, features food and entertainment stalls, a flea market, parade, and street dancing. There are many traditional events as well, such as ''

taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

'' performances, ''

mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

'' carrying, and the parading of ''dashi'' floats through the streets. *Fuji Matsuri The Fuji Matsuri ( Wisteria Festival) is a spring festival which takes place at Koshinyama Park every year in late April/early May, to celebrate the blooming of the wisteria flowers. Numerous vendor stalls sell various local products, food, and flowers. The wisteria flowers are illuminated after sunset.

Noted people from Fujioka

Jiro Horikoshi was the chief engineer of many Japanese fighter designs of World War II, including the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. Early life Jiro Horikoshi was born near the city of Fujioka, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, in 1903. Horikoshi graduated from the new ...

- aeronautical engineer, who designed the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and other notable aircraft *

Hideyuki Nakayama is a Japanese ''tarento'', presenter, actor, and comedian. He is nicknamed and . He is represented with Watanabe Entertainment. He dropped out from Tsunamu Elementary School, North Junior High School (up to two semesters for three years), Persi ...

, actor *

Atsushi Sakurai is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He has been the vocalist of the rock band Buck-Tick since 1985, previously being their drummer from 1983. He released the solo album '' Ai no Wakusei'' in 2004 and was also a member of Schwein alongsi ...

- vocalist of the rock band

Buck-Tick Buck-Tick (stylized as BUCK-TICK) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band, formed in Fujioka, Gunma in 1983. The group has consisted of lead vocalist Atsushi Sakurai, lead guitarist Hisashi Imai, rhythm guitarist Hidehiko Hoshino, bassist Yutaka Hig ...

Hisashi Imai is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is known as lead guitarist of the rock band Buck-Tick since 1983. He has also performed in musical side-projects such as Schaft (1991–1994, 2015), Schwein (2001), and more recently Lucy (2004). Car ...

- guitarist of the rock band Buck-Tick *

Hidehiko Hoshino , nicknamed "Hide", is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is known as the rhythm guitarist for the rock band Buck-Tick since 1983. Life and career Buck-Tick In 1985, when Hide and Yutaka Higuchi graduated from high school they moved to Toky ...

- guitarist of the rock band Buck-Tick

Friendship and Sister city relations

Hakui, Ishikawa is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 22,052 in 8566 households, and a population density of 270 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Hakui occupies the southwestern nec ...

, Japan *

Jiangyin Jiangyin (, Jiangyin dialect: ) is a county-level city on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, and is administered by Wuxi, Jiangsu province. Jiangyin is one of the most important transport hubs on the Yangtze River, it is also one of the most d ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, since April 28, 2000 *

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

, Canada, since August 3, 2019

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Gunma Prefecture Fujioka, Gunma