is one of the 18

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

of the city of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

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 ...

. As of 2010, the ward 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 230,401 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 9,650 persons per km². The total area was 23.88 km².

Geography

Kanagawa is located in eastern Kanagawa Prefecture, and northeast of the geographic center of the city of Yokohama.

Surrounding municipalities

* Tsurumi Ward * Nishi Ward * Kōhoku Ward * Midori Ward * Hodogaya Ward

History

Under the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

Ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki'' (� ...

system, the area that is now Kanagawa Ward became part of Tachibana District in

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, 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 ''

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 controlled directly by 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 ...

, but administered through various ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' However ...

''. The area prospered in the

Kanagawa-juku was the third of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It was located in Kanagawa-ku in the present-day city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was close to Kanagawa Port. Many of its historical artifacts were destroyed by the G ...

, a post station on the Tōkaidō connecting Edo with

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. During the

Bakumatsu period was the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunate to the modern empire of the Meiji govern ...

, Kanagawa was the location of the signing of the

Convention of Kanagawa The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty (, ''Kanagawa Jōyaku'') or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity (, ''Nichibei Washin Jōyaku''), was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March ...

, which ended Japan’s national isolation policy and led to the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan. The subsequent

Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Japan) The , also called the Harris Treaty was a treaty signed between the United States and Tokugawa Shogunate, which opened the ports of Kanagawa and four other Japanese cities to trade and granted extraterritoriality to foreigners, among a number ...

led to the establishment of a

treaty port Treaty ports (; ja, 条約港) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Japanese Empire. ...

for foreign commerce and settlement, which was initially stipulated to be Kanagawa. However, for security reasons, the actual settlement was established at neighboring Yokohama (present day Naka Ward). The

Namamugi Incident The , also known as the Kanagawa incident and Richardson affair, was a political crisis that occurred in the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the ''Bakumatsu'' on 14 September 1862. Charles Lennox Richardson, a British merchant, was killed by t ...

, which led to the 1863

Anglo-Satsuma War The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the , was a military engagement fought between Britain and the Satsuma Domain in Kagoshima from 15 to 17 August 1863. The British were attempting to extract compensation and legal justice from ''daimyo ...

, occurred in Kanagawa. 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 area was transferred to the new

in 1868. Kanagawa was connected to Yokohama and Tokyo by train in 1872, and was proclaimed a town on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1901, it was absorbed into neighboring Yokohama. Kanagawa suffered severe damage from the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...

. On October 1, 1927, it became Kanagawa Ward within the city of Yokohama. The area again destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, first being bombed during the

Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japan ...

of 1942, and finally being completely devastated during the massive Yokohama air raid of May 29, 1945. Kanagawa Ward soon rebuilt after the end of the war, although large portions of its territory remained under the control of the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

until the 1970s.

Economy

Kanagawa Ward is a regional commercial center and

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for central Yokohama and Tokyo. The coastal area is part of the Keihin Industrial Zone, and is the most industrialized region within Yokohama. Major factories are operated by

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

JVC JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...

, Nippon Petroleum Refining Co., Ltd.,

Nippon Flour Mills is a Japanese company which derives most of its revenue from milling flour and produces flour related products such as noodles. It was established in 1896 and is a member of the Mitsui is one of the largest ''keiretsu'' in Japan and one o ...

Showa Denko , founded in 1939 by the merger of Nihon Electrical Industries and Showa Fertilizers, both established by a Japanese entrepreneur Nobuteru Mori, is a Japanese chemical company producing chemical products and industrial materials. SDK's products ...

Asahi Glass Co. , formerly Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.'(旭硝子株式会社), is a Japanese global glass manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo. It is the largest glass company in the world and one of the core Mitsubishi companies. The company is listed on ...

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...

has a research and development center in Kanagawa-ku.

Transportation

Railroads

East Japan Railway Company 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 ...

–

Yokohama Line The Yokohama Line ( ja, 横浜線, ) is a Japanese railway line of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) connecting Higashi-Kanagawa Station in Yokohama, Kanagawa and Hachiōji Station in Hachiōji, Tokyo. The line forms part of what JR Ea ...

** – *

- Keihin-Tōhoku Line ** – *

Keihin Electric Express Railway (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. ...

Keikyū Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keikyu. The line connects the Tokyo wards of Minato, Shinagawa, Ōta, and the Kanagawa municipalities of Kawasaki, Yokohama and Yokosuka. The Keikyu Main Line began as ...

** - - - - *

Tokyu Corporation The is a Japanese multinational ''keiretsu'' ( conglomerate) holding company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Its main operation is , a wholly owned subsidiary operating railways in the Greater Tokyo Area. History The oldest predecessor ...

Tōkyū Tōyoko Line The is a major railway line connecting Tokyo (Shibuya) to Yokohama. The line is owned and operated by the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation. The name of the line, ''Tōyoko'' (東横), is a combination of the first characters of ''Tōky ...

** - - *

Yokohama City Transportation Bureau The Yokohama City Transportation Bureau, legally the is the local government administrative agency in charge of public transport services in the city of Yokohama, Japan. Subway operations The Yokohama Municipal Subway consists of the following ...

– Blue Line ** – –

Highways

* Daisan Keihin *

Shuto Expressway is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade-separated (elevated roads or tunnels) and central routes have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that requi ...

* Route 1 * Route 15

Prefecture roads

* Kanagawa Prefecture Road 2 *Kanagawa Prefecture Road 21 *Kanagawa Prefecture Road 13 *Kanagawa Prefecture Road 111

Education

Colleges and universities

* Kanagawa University * Institute of Information Security

Primary and secondary schools

The

Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education The is the board of education for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. The board consists of six members; one of them is elected as the chair, and one of them is appointed by the board as the superintendent. The board administers municipal education and ...

operates prefectural high schools. Public senior high schools: * Yokohama Suiran High School * Kanagawa Sohgoh High School * * The operates public elementary and junior high schools. Public junior high schools: *Kanagawa ( 神奈川) *Kuritaya ( 栗田谷) *Matsumoto ( 松本) *Nishikidai ( 錦台) *Rokkakubashi ( 六角橋) *Sugeta ( 菅田) *Urashimaoka ( 浦島丘) Additionally, Karuisawa Junior High School (軽井沢中学校), outside of Kanagawa-ku, serves a part of Kanagawa-ku. Public primary schools:
From this link
/ref> *Aoki ( 青木) *Futatsuya (二谷) *Hazawa (羽沢) *Kamihashi ( 神橋) *Kanagawa (神奈川) *Kandaiji (神大寺) *Kōgaya ( 幸ケ谷) *Koyasu ( 子安) *Minami-Kandaiji ( 南神大寺) *Mitsuzawa ( 三ツ沢) *Nakamaru ( 中丸) *Nishiterao (西寺尾) *Nishiterao-Daini (No. 2) (西寺尾第二) *Ōguchidai ( 大口台) *Saitobun ( 斎藤分) *Shirahata ( 白幡) *Sugetanooka ( 菅田の丘) *Urashima ( 浦島) Additionally the zones of Higashi Hongo Elementary School (東本郷小学校), Kamihoshikawa Elementary (上星川小学校), Kohoku Elementary (港北小学校), Miyagaya Elementary ( 宮谷小学校), Shirosato Elementary ( 城郷小学校), Terao Elementary (寺尾小学校), and Tokiwadai Elementary (常盤台小学校), all with campuses located outside of Kanagawa-ku, include portions of Kanagawa-ku. Municipal special schools: * Yokohama Municipal Special Needs School for the Blind (横浜市立盲特別支援学校) Former municipal schools: *Ikeue (池上) and Sugeta (菅田) Elementaries merged into Sugetanooka on April 1, 2021 (

Reiwa is the current Japanese era name, era of Japan's official calendar. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's elder son, Naruhito, Enthronement of the Japanese emperor, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. The ...

3). International schools: * Kanagawa Korean Jr./ Sr. High School – North Korean schoolThe Education System and Schools
"

. Government of Kanagawa Prefecture. Retrieved on October 13, 2015. *Yokohama Korean Primary School ( 横浜朝鮮初級学校) - Also a North Korean school – Kindergarten and primary schoolInternational schools
". City of Yokohama. Retrieved on October 13, 2015. Private Schools: Private schools: *

Asano High School , often referred to as "Asano", is a private boys' school located in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan General , often referred to as "Asano", is a private boys' school located in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Asano Sōichirō (the founder of Asano ...

Local attractions

* Hama Wing *

Mitsuzawa Stadium The is an association football stadium in Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It serves as a home ground of Yokohama FC and, on occasion, Yokohama F. Marinos. Until 1999 it had been the home of Yokohama FC's spiritual predecessor, Yokohama Flügels, a ...

Noted people from Kanagawa Ward

* Hiroshi Abe, actor * Tetsurō Degawa, comedian *

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

, ex-AKB48 *

Keiko Kishi is a Japanese actress, writer, and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. Life and career She made her acting debut in 1951. In the 1950s, David Lean had proposed her for the main role in ''The Wind Cannot Read'', which is about a Japanese language instru ...

, actress * Kaori Takahashi, actress *

Junichi Tazawa is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for ENEOS of the Japanese Industrial League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. He also played in the Chinese Professional Baseba ...

, professional baseball player *

Tetsuya Yamaguchi is a former Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Central League. Career He was playing in the Missoula Osprey (Advanced Rookie level under Arizona Diamondbacks) before he was drafted by the Giants in 2 ...

, professional baseball player

References

* Kato, Yuzo. ''Yokohama Past and Present''. Yokohama City University (1990).

External links

Kanagawa Ward Office

Kanagawa Ward Office

* {{Authority control Wards of Yokohama