is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , 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 117,811 in 57351 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

of 7100 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Matsubara is located in the center of Osaka Prefecture. The city measures approximately 5.8 kilometers east-west by 5.1 kilometers north-south, and is mostly flatland.

Neighboring municipalities

Osaka Prefecture *

Osaka 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 ...

( Sumiyoshi-ku, Higashi Sumiyoshi-ku, Hirano-ku) *

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...

( Kita-ku, Mihara-ku) * Yao *

Fujiidera 270px, The temple of Fujii-dera, after which the city is named is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 63,446 in 29501 households and a population density of 7100 persons per km². The total area ...

Habikino 270px, Habikino city office is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,479 in 50918 households and a population density of 4100 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is known ...

Climate

Matsubara has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Matsubara is 14.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1475 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.5 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Matsubara population statistics
/ref> the population of Matsubara has increased rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, and has since leveled off.

History

The area of the modern city of Matsubara was within ancient Kawachi Province. Per the '' Kojiki'' and the '' Nihon Shoki'', in the 5th century AD,

Emperor Hanzei was the 18th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 反正天皇 (18) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' p. 38. ...

had a palace, , in the area. 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 characte ...

, Matsubara was the administrative center of the

Tannan Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Kawachi Province in what is now the southeastern portion of modern-day Osaka Prefecture. It was centered around Tannan ''jin'ya'' in what is now the city of Mats ...

. The villages of Matsubara, Amami, Nunose, Miyake, and Ega were established within Tanboku District, Osaka with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Tannan District became part of Naka-Kawachi District on April 1, 1896. Matsubara was elevated to town status on July , 1942, followed by Amami on January 1, 1947. Matsubara and Amami merged with the villages of Nunose, Miyake, and Ega on February 1, 1950 to form the city of Matsubara.

Government

Matsubara 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 council of 18 members. Matsubara contributes one member to the

Osaka Prefectural Assembly The is the legislature of Osaka Prefecture. As in all prefectures, it is elected to four-year terms by single non-transferable vote in multi- and single-member districts and is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural by-laws, approving t ...

. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Osaka 15th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Matsubara was traditionally known for its production of

hanko Hanko may refer to People *August Hanko (military personnel), August Hanko, German First World War flying ace Places *Hanko, Finland, town and municipality *Hanko Peninsula, Finland *Hankø, an island in the Oslo Fjord in Norway *The asteroid ...

signature stamps. Modern industries are centered around the wire mesh industry. Due to its proximity to the large metropolis of Sakai and Osaka, ease of transportation and the development of large housing projects in the 1960s and 1970s, Matsubara has increasing evolved into a

commuter town 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 ...

Education

Matsubara has 15 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the city government and three public high schools operated by the Osaka Prefectural Department of Education. There is also one private high school. Hannan University is located in Matsubara. Hannan University is a mid-sized liberal arts university with a focus on business and technology.

Transportation

Railway

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 ...

Kintetsu Minami Osaka Line * - - -

Highway

Kinki Expressway is a national expressway in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company. In conjunction with the Chūgoku Expressway and the Osaka Chūō Kanjōsen of Osaka Prefectural Road 2, it will form a full out ...

Hanwa Expressway * E26 Expressway (Japan)

Nishi-Meihan Expressway is a national expressway in the Kinki region of Japan. It is owned and operated by West Nippon Expressway Company. Naming Meihan is a kanji acronym of two characters. The first character represents Nagoya (名古屋) and the second characte ...

Hanshin Expressway Route 14 Matsubara Route *

References

External links

* Cities in Osaka Prefecture {{Osaka-geo-stub