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 southern Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is the southernmost city in the prefecture and it is named after the Kizu River, a tributary of 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 ...

, which runs through the city. Kizugawa City is a part of the

Kansai Science City is an unincorporated city located in the , a border region between Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara Prefectures in Kansai region, Japan. The name is commonly shortened to or . The name Keihanna is constructed by extracting a representative kanji from ...

project and houses research facilities of several corporations, including Rohto Pharmaceutical and Omron. the city has an estimated population of 79,171. Kizugawa City is one of the few

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in Japan with a growing population. In a population estimate released by the Japan Policy Council, Kizugawa City is the only

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in Kyoto Prefecture predicted to have a positive population growth rate by 2040.

History

The modern city was established on March 12, 2007, from the merger of the towns of

Kamo The name Kamo may refer to the following: Places Japan (Note: ''kamo'' ( 鴨), is the common word for ''duck'' in Japanese, but the following names do not necessarily mean ''duck'' and are not necessarily written with that character.) *Kamo, Ni ...

, Kizu and Yamashiro (all from Sōraku District). In 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 c ...

Emperor Shōmu was the 45th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period. Traditional narrative ...

moved the capital from

Heijō-kyō was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient ...

to Kuni-kyō, which was located on Kizugawa City's ground. Kuni-kyō served as the capital for 5 years from 740 to 744. Its ruins can be found in

area. Now, Kizugawa City is a part of the national

project.

Geography

Kizugawa city center area Aerial photograph 2021

Kizugawa City is located on the southern border of Kyoto Prefecture. The

Kizu River is a river that crosses the prefectures of Kyoto and Mie in Japan, a tributary of 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 principa ...

, from which the city inherits its name, runs through the city.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Kizugawa population statistics
/ref> the population of Kizugawa has grown in recent decades.

Business

Kansai Science City and Enterprises

Being a part of the

project, Kizugawa City houses over 20 enterprises and research facilities including: * Rohto Pharmaceutical (ロート製薬) * Omron (オムロン) * Sekisui House (積水ハウス) *Fukujyuen (福寿園) *Ataka Daiki Engineering (アタカ大機) *Tatsuta Electric Wire Cable Co. (タツタ電線) *M-system (エム・システム) *Manyo Tools (マンヨーツール) *Mizuho Co. (株式会社ミズホ) *Solno Leaves Co. (ソルノリーブス) *Kyoto Press Industrial Co. (京都プレス工業) Also, Doshisha University Gakkentoshi Campus(学研都市キャンパス), which focuses on graduate studies in biomedicine, and Doshisha International School, Kyoto (DISK) are also located in Kizugawa City. Other public and private research organizations in Kizugawa City include: * International Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS, 国際高等研究所) * Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE, 地球環境産業技術研究機構) * Japan Atomic Energy Agency Kansai Photochemistry Research Center (日本原子力研究開発機構関西光化学研究所)

Transportation

Kizugawa City serves as a commuter town for

Osaka City 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 ...

Kyoto City 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 c ...

, and

Nara City is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2022, Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is ...

and

are both within an hour by car or train, and

is reachable in 15 minutes. Kizugawa city currently have JR and Kintetsu railways running through the city and a growing community bus system.

Rail

Kizugawa City is a key stop in railway system in Kansai. The JR

Nara Line The is a commuter rail line in the Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto metropolitan area, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Its official termini are Kizu Station in Kizugawa and Kyōto Station in Kyoto, within Kyoto Prefecture; howe ...

Gakkentoshi Line The , officially nicknamed the , is a commuter rail line and service in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area of Japan, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line connects Kizu Station in Kyoto Prefecture and Kyōb ...

, and

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 compan ...

converge at Kizu Station. Also in the west part of the city runs Kintetsu Kyoto Line.

Bus

Kizugawa City Community Bus (木津川市コミュニティバス) and Nara Kotsu Bus (奈良交通バス) run in Kizugawa City. All Kizugawa City Community Bus buses, excluding Tono Line (当尾線), have a fixed fare. Kizugawa City Community Bus 1-Day Tickets are available at the city hall, branch offices, and on Kizugawa City Community Buses. They are useful for residents and visitors for traveling to several locations in the city.

Tourism

Kizugawa City is the home of several famous temples including: *

Jōruri-ji is a temple of the Shingon Ritsu school with an historic Japanese garden located in Kizugawa, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the few remaining examples of a Paradise Garden of the early Heian period. The three-storied pagoda, the main ...

(): Main Hall, main Buddha image, and 3-story

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

listed as National Treasures *Kaijyusen-ji (): 5-story

listed as a National Treasure *Gansen-ji (): 3-story

listed as an Important Cultural Property *Kaniman-ji (): main Buddha image listed as a National Treasure Other attractions include: * Kuni-kyō Ruins *The Kids' Science Museum of Photons () *Yamashiro Local History Museum () *Tono Stone Buddha Path()

Education

Postsecondary

* Doshisha University, Gakkentoshi Campus

High schools

*Nanyō High School *Kizu High School

Junior high schools

*Kizu Junior High School *Kizu Daini Junior High School *Kizu Minami Junior High School *Izumigawa Junior High School *Yamashiro Junior High School

Elementary schools

*Kizu Elementary School *Saganaka Elementary School *Takanohara Elementary School *Kizugawadai Elementary School *Saganakadai Elementary School *Umemidai Elementary School *Kunimidai Elementary School *Shiroyamadai Elementary School *Kamo Elementary School *Kuni Elementary School *Minami Kamodai Elementary School *Kamikoma Elementary School *Tanakura Elementary School *Doshisha International Academy Elementary School

Friendship cities

* Kyōtango, Kyoto (since Jan 11, 2008) *

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, U.S.A. (since 2017)

Notable people

* Yui Yokoyama, ex-member of

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with i ...

* Hiroyasu Tanaka,

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consi ...

baseball player

References

External links

*
Kizugawa City official website

Kizugawa City official website

Kizugawa City Living Guide
{{Authority control Cities in Kyoto Prefecture