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

Aichi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

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 n ...

. , 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 usi ...

of 47,929 in 21,805 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 RosenberPopu ...

of 4,578 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Iwakura city is famous for its "Cherry Blossom Festival" which mostly takes place around the end of March every year. Iwakura's cherry blossom is located at the symbol of the city "Gojo river" and lists as one of the top 100 best cherry blossom spots in Japan.

Geography

Iwakura is located in the Nōbi Plain region of northwest region of

, in the center of former Owari Province. The beautiful

Gojō River The flows through Gifu and Aichi prefectures in Japan. It empties into the Shin River, which is part of the Shōnai River system. Geography The '' sakura'' on the banks of the river in Ōguchi, Konan, and Iwakura are Japan's Top 100 ''sa ...

flows through the city, which, despite its inland location, has an elevation of only eight to twelve meters above sea level.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Iwakura is 15.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1758 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Iwakura population statistics
/ref> the population of Iwakura has been growing over the past 70 years.

Surrounding municipalities

;

Ichinomiya is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14. The term gave rise ...

* Komaki *

Kitanagoya is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 86,068 in 36,904 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Kitanagoya is a member of the World Health Organization’s Alliance for ...

* Kōnan

History

Origins～Middle Ages

The area of modern Iwakura was settled in the Jōmon period and Yayoi period and was dominated by '' shōen'' feudal estates during the

Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: * Heian period, an era of Japanese history * Heian-kyō, the Heian-period capital of Japan that has become the present-day city of Kyoto * Heian series, a group of karate kata (forms) * ...

and

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle b ...

Early modern period

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 ...

, it was ruled by a branch of the

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, sever ...

. The area is also the ancestral home of the Yamauchi clan, who dominated

Tosa Province was a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Tosa bordered on Awa to the northeast, and Iyo to the northwest. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō syst ...

under 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 character ...

Tokugawa shogunate.

Late modern period

With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of 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 ...

, the village of Iwakura was established within Niwa District,

in 1889. It was raised to town status in 1892, and expanded through merger with three neighboring villages in 1906.

Contemporary history

Iwakura was elevated to city status on December 1, 1971.

Government

Iwakura 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 legislature of 15 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 10 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Iwakura City Hall has been recognized as one of the most prestigious local government organizations in Aichi prefecture.

Economy

Iwakura was traditionally noted for sericulture. Currently, agriculture and light manufacturing dominate the local economy.

Secondary sector of the economy

Manufacturing

Ishizuka Glass Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Iwakura.

Education

Schools

Iwakura has five public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. There is a large amount of residents in Iwakura from Brazil and city hall public information is always distributed in both English and Portuguese. Iwakura has an education system which promotes foreign language and cultures.

Transportation

Railways

Conventional lines

;

Meitetsu * Inuyama Line：- – – -

Roads

Expressways

* Meishin Expressway

Japan National Route

Local attractions

*Iwakura castle *Iwakura city historic park File:Iwakurajo.JPG, Iwakura castle File:Iwakura city historic park-02.jpg, Iwakura city historic park

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Aichi Prefecture