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

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...

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 88,895 in 40,620 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 160 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Iga is located in northwestern Mie Prefecture. The northeastern part of the city is in the Suzuka Mountains, and the northwestern part is in the Shigaraki Plateau. The southwestern of the city is the Yamato Highlands, and the southeastern portion is a basin surrounded by the Nunobiki Mountains. The area is very hilly. Since it is on the upper reaches of the

Kizu River is a river that crosses the prefectures of Kyoto and Mie in Japan, a tributary of the Yodo River. The city of Kizugawa is a city located in southern Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is the southernmost city in the prefecture and it is named afte ...

, which belongs to the

Yodo River The , also called the Seta River (瀬田川 ''Seta-gawa'') and the Uji River (宇治川 ''Uji-gawa'') at portions of its route, is the principal river in Osaka Prefecture on Honshu, Japan. The source of the river is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefectur ...

system, and borders on Shiga, Nara, and Kyoto prefectures, although Mie prefecture is classified as part of the

Tōkai region The is a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region in Japan that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the Tōkaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes. Because Tōkai is a sub-region and is not officially classified, there i ...

, the Iga region, including Nabari city, is designated as part of the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...

Neighboring municipalities

Mie Prefecture * Kameyama * Tsu * Nabari Shiga Prefecture *

Kōka was a after ''Tenpō'' and before ''Kaei.'' This period spanned the years from December 1844 through February 1848. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * December 2, 1844 (): The new era name of ''Kōka'', meaning "Becoming Wide ...

Kyoto Prefecture * Minamiyamashiro Nara Prefecture *

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

* Yamazoe

Climate

Iga 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 Iga is . The average annual rainfall is with June and July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Iga population statistics
/ref> the population of Iga has remained relatively constant over the past 60 years.

History

The area around the modern city of Iga corresponds to a portion of ancient Iga Province. The area was noted 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 ...

as one of the centers for ''

ninjutsu , sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some trad ...

''. The town developed 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 characteriz ...

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 ...

as a

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

under

Iga Ueno Castle , also known as is a Japanese castle located in the city of Iga, Mie Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The castle is also called , or "White Phoenix Castle," because of its beautiful architecture and floor plan. The castle has been prote ...

. Iga is known as the birthplace of the ''

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or se ...

'' poet Matsuo Bashō and the home of the ''

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subje ...

. The town of

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on September 10, 1941. On November 1, 2004 Ueno merged with the towns of Iga and Ayama, the villages of Shimagahara and Ōyamada (all from Ayama District); and the town of Aoyama (from Naga District) to form the city of Iga.

Government

Iga 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 22 members. Iga contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 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

Iga is traditionally known as a center for ''

Kumihimo is a traditional Japanese artform of making braids and cords. Literally meaning "gathered threads", are made by interlacing reels of yarn, commonly silk, with the use of traditional, specialised looms – either a or a (also known as a ). ...

'', a traditional braiding art, with several artisans still in activity. The city is a regional commercial center and the local economy is dominated by agriculture and seasonal tourism. Since Iga is geographically located between Osaka and Nagoya, the number of factories located along the Meihan National Highway is increasing, especially due to the convenience of logistics.

Education

Iga has 19 public elementary schools and ten public middle schools operated by the city government and three public high schools operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. The city also has two private high schools and one combined private middle/high school.

International schools

* Colégio Positivo - Brazilian primary schoolEscolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão

Archive
. Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.

Transportation

Railway

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 ...

–

Kansai Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, which connects Nagoya Station with JR Namba Station in Osaka. It is jointly run by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West), with the boundary between both comp ...

* - - - - JR logo (west)

–

Kusatsu Line The is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Tsuge on the Kansai Main Line with Kusatsu on the Biwako Line The is the nickname used by the operator of the West Japan Railway Compa ...

* 20px

Kintetsu Railway , referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Ky ...

–

Osaka Line is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...

* - - -

Iga Railway The is a railway line in Iga, Mie, Japan, operated by the private railway operator . The line connects Iga-Ueno Station with Iga-Kambe Station. The track and trains are owned by Kintetsu Railway, although the trains are operated by Iga Railway. It ...

–

Iga Line The is a railway line in Iga, Mie, Japan, operated by the private railway operator . The line connects Iga-Ueno Station with Iga-Kambe Station. The track and trains are owned by Kintetsu Railway, although the trains are operated by Iga Railway. ...

* - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Highway

* 24px, link=, alt=E25

Meihan Expressway The is a national expressway in Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture, Japan. The expressway is also known as the Meihan National Highway that is a literal translation of its Japanese name. Together with the Nishi-Meihan Expressway and Higashi-Me ...

* * * * *

Local attractions

Two of Iga's main tourist attractions are the

and the

Iga-ryū Ninja Museum The situated in a forested location in Iga, Mie Prefecture, Japan, is a museum dedicated to the history of the ninja and ninjutsu. It was established in 1964 and is located near Iga Ueno Castle. Jinichi Kawakami, who serves as the honorary dire ...

(the area around the city being the historical home of the famous Iga Ninja). There is also an annual

Iga Ueno Ninja Festa Iga Ueno NINJA Festa ( Jap. 伊賀上野 NINJA フェスタ) is the annual five-week ninja-themed festival in the Japanese city of Iga (in the former province of Iga), from April 1 to May 6. Tens of thousands of ninja fans travel to Iga for ninja- ...

ninja festival (April 1 to May 6). Other not so well known attractions include: * Otogitoge Pass is one pass that Tokugawa Ieyasu passed over as he hurriedly crossed Iga to return to Okazaki, helped along by the people of Iga and Koka, during the Honnoji War. * Momochi Fortress is the fortress of Momochi Tanbanomikami, who is said to be one of the three great ninja, and nearby is Seiunzenji, where his grave is located. * Sainenji Temple is a Jodoshu (Pure Land) temple and is the burial place of Fujibayashi Samujiyasutake, the author of one of the great books of ninjutsu, "Bansenshukai". * Fujiwara no Chikata Kutsu is the castle of Fujiwara no Chikata who appears in the Taiheiki, or Records of Great Peace. * A statue of Sonic the Hedgehog which was erected in the 1990s for a

Sega World Sega World (Japanese: セガワールド, Hepburn: ''Segawārudo''), sometimes stylized as SegaWorld, is a formerly international chain of amusement arcades and entertainment centres created by Sega. Though not the first venues to be developed ...

location in Kadoma. The statue's owner died, and it is now owned by their children. It was deteriorating until 2020, when the owners finally restored it.

International relations

* -

Jurong, Jiangsu Jurong () is a county-level city under the administration of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, China. In 129 BC, the then Prince of Changsha Liu Fa's son, Dang became the Marquis of Jurong. As he died soon, the lands enfeoffed to him became Jurong cou ...

, China

Notable people from Iga

Igano Kabamaru is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Azuki. The eponymous protagonist is a naive young ninja from the Iga province called Kagemaru (absolute shadow), nicknamed Kabamaru (hippo's mouth) for his insatiable appetite. After ...

, ninja *

Wasabi Mizuta is a Japanese voice actress. She was born in Aoyama, Mie, and currently resides in Iga, Mie. Mizuta replaced long-time voice actress Nobuyo Ōyama as the voice of Doraemon, starting with the 2005 TV series. She won the Kids/Family Award at ...

, voice author *

Kazuhiro Yamaji is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with the Seinenza Theater Company. He has been married to Romi Park since 2020. Filmography Live-action films * 2000: '' Whiteout'' (Takayoshi Yoshikane) * 2001: ''Inugami'' (Takanao) * 2004: '' Ka ...

, actor, voice actor *

Akiko Iwasaki is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. She is also a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research interests include innate immunity, autophag ...

, immunologist and professor at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Jirō Kawasaki is a Japanese politician who served as Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare under Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi. Kawasaki was born in Iga, Mie. His father and grandfather were both politicians. He attended Keio University and graduat ...

, politician *

Hakaru Hashimoto was a Japanese doctor and medical scientist of the Meiji and Taishō periods. He is best known for publishing the first description of the disease that was later named Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Biography Hashimoto was born on 5 May 1881, in th ...

, medical scientist * Matsuo Bashō, poet *

Kippei Shiina is a Japanese actor. Career Shiina portrayed John Rain and co-starred in Max Mannix's '' Rain Fall'' (2009) with Gary Oldman. He starred in Takeshi Kitano's '' Outrage'' (2010). Filmography Film *''Wangan Bad Boy Blue'' (1992) *''A Night in Nu ...

, actor *

Chiyonokuni Toshiki is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Iga, Mie. Making his professional debut in May 2006, he reached the top ''makuuchi'' division for the first time in January 2012. He has a highest rank of ''maegashira'' 1, but he has also been rest ...

, sumo wrestler *

Ichizo Nakata is a former Japanese football player and manager. Playing career Nakata was born in Iga on April 19, 1973. He played for many clubs as defensive position, defender and defensive midfielder. After graduating from high school, he joined Yokohama F ...

, professional soccer player *

Koji Nishimura is a former Japanese football player. Playing career Nishimura was released by Nagoya Grampus (formerly known as ) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017. Based in ...