Mito Station outskirts looked at icyouzaka crossing 2009-06-25

is the capital

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 ...

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

, in the northern

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

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 269,330 in 123,282 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 1239 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 27.1%. The total area of the city is .

Geography

Mito is located in central Ibaraki Prefecture. Mito Station is about 10 km inland from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

which Naka River, flowing from the north to the east of the city, pours into. Immediately south is

Lake Senba is a lake in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. The lake is part of Senba Park. It is located next to Kairaku-en, a large park built in the Edo period known for its large number of plum blossoms. The Ibaraki Prefectural Cultural Center is also located nearby ...

, a recreational area. A main street extends from Mito Station to the west, and residential areas to the south and the west in particular.

Surrounding municipalities

Ibaraki Prefecture *

Hitachinaka file:Hitachinaka Town Hall2.JPG, 250px, Hitachinaka city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 154,663 in 64,900 households and a population density of 1547 persons per km2 ...

* Kasama * Naka * Ibaraki * Ōarai * Shirosato

Climate

Mito 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 cold winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mito is 13.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1353.8 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Mito population statistics
/ref> the population of Mito has steadily increased over the past century.

History

The

Yamato people The (or the )David Blake Willis and Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu''Transcultural Japan: At the Borderlands of Race, Gender and Identity,'' p. 272: "“Wajin,” which is written with Chinese characters that can also be read “Yamato no hito” (Ya ...

settled in Mito around the 4th century CE. Around the end of the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

Baba Sukemoto Baba and similar words may refer to: Places * Baba mountain range, also known as ''Koh-i-Baba'', in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan * Baba Canton, a canton in Los Ríos Province, Ecuador * Baba, Iran, a village in Kurdistan Province * Baba, K ...

, a warlord of the Heike clan, moved to Mito and built a castle there.

Mito Castle Mito Castle was a 12th-century Japanese castle with an extensive history, now in ruins, located in what was Hitachi Province."Mito Castle" Japanese Castle Explorer http://www.japanese-castle-explorer.com/castle_profile.html?name=Mito The castle r ...

changed hands several times after that; coming under the control of the

Satake clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. Its first power base was in Hitachi Province. The clan was subdued by Minamoto no Yoritomo in the late 12th century, but later entered Yoritomo's service as vassals ...

won it in

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 ...

, but the Satake were forced to surrender it to

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

in 1603 after the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

. Ieyasu's son

Tokugawa Yorifusa , also known as Mito Yorifusa, was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Biography Known in his childhood as Tsuruchiyomaru (鶴千代丸), he was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun with his concubine, Ka ...

was then given Mito Castle, becoming head of one of the three "

gosanke The , also called simply , or even , were the most noble three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan: Owari, Kii, and Mito, all of which were descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu, and Yorifusa ...

" branches of the clan qualified to provide a new

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

should the main family line fail. During this period, Mito was the seat of the so-called

Mito School refers to a school of Japanese historical and Shinto studies that arose in the Mito Domain (modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture). Early The school had its genesis in 1657 when Tokugawa Mitsukuni (1628–1700), second head of the Mito Domain, commissio ...

, a congregation of nativist scholars of

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

persuasion led by

Aizawa Seishisai , born , was a Japanese samurai (retainer of the Mito Domain) and a nationalist thinker of the Mito school during the late shogunate period. In 1799 he became involved in the compilation of the ''Dai Nihon-shi'' (Great History of Japan) being un ...

, who during the 18th and 19th centuries advocated Western learning as a means not only to further Japanese technological development and international strength, but as means to prove Japanese uniqueness and superiority among nations. The Kōdōkan was the largest of the

han schools The was an educational institution in the Edo period of Japan, originally established to educate children of ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) and their retainers in the domains outside of the capital. These institutions were also known as ''hangaku ...

. The capital of Edo was directly connected to Mito by the

Mito Kaidō was an old road, '' kaidō,'' in Japan starting from the center of Edobashi (today’s Nihonbashi). It was built to connect Edo with Mito in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Travelers from Edo called it the Mito Kaidō, but travelers from Mito called ...

.Chiba Kokaidō Rekishi Sanpo
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Accessed December 28, 2007. The Tokugawa ruled Mito until 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 city of Mito was formed on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was one of the first 31 cities to be established in Japan. With a population of 25,000, it was designated as the prefectural capital of Ibaraki Prefecture. By 1900, the

Jōban Line The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...

connected Mito to Tokyo, and by 1910, telephones and electric lighting were available throughout the city. More than three-quarters of the city was burned to the ground during the Mito air raid of August 2, 1945, just before the end of

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 ...

. The borders of Mito expanded in 1955 through 1958 through the annexation of the neighboring villages of Kamiono, Watari, Yoshida, Sakedo, Kawawada, Yanagawa, Kunita and Iitomi and Akatsuka. The village of Tsunezumi was annexed in 1992. In 2001, Mito was designated a special city with increased local autonomy. The neighboring town of Uchihara was annexed in 2005. The city suffered from severe damage in the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

with 25,982 houses completely or partially destroyed; however, there were only two fatalities. Mito was designated a

core city In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city i ...

, with further increases in local autonomy on April 4, 2020.

Government

Mito 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 28 members. Mito contributes six members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the

Ibaraki 1st district Ibaraki 1st district (茨城県第1区, ''Ibaraki-ken dai-ikku'' or simply 茨城1区, ''Ibaraki-ikku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. It is located in the central region of Ibaraki ...

and the

Ibaraki 2nd district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional ...

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

Mito is primarily a regional commercial center and administrative city as most industry in Ibaraki is concentrated around the nearby cities of

Tsukuba is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 244,528 in 108,669 households and a population density of 862 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 20.3%. The total ar ...

and

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

. Mito has a modest but thriving tourism industry, centered on the Kairaku-en gardens and local museums dedicated to the Tokugawa family.

Education

Ibaraki University , Japan, is a national university located in Ibaraki Prefecture, with campuses in the cities of Mito, Ami and Hitachi. It was established on May 31, 1949, integrating these prewar institutions: Mito High School (Mito Kōtō-Gakkō), Ibaraki No ...

Tokiwa University is a private university in Mito, Ibaraki is the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 269,330 in 123,282 households and a population density of 1239 persons per ...

Tokiwa Junior College is located in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushim ...

*Mito has 32 public elementary schools and 15 public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the national government. The city also has one private elementary school and two private middle schools. Mito has seven public high school operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education and seven private high schools, as well as one public and one private high school which offers only night and correspondence courses. The prefecture also operates six special education schools for the handicapped. * Ibaraki Korean Primary, Middle and High School, a North Korean school, is in the city.

Transportation

Railway

JR East 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 ...

Mito Line The is a railway line connecting Oyama Station in Tochigi Prefecture and Tomobe Station in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The line is long and is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Joban Line E501 series and E531 ...

* - - - JR logo (east)

– Suigun Line * KRT logo

Kashima Rinkai Railway Ōarai Kashima Line Kashima (鹿島) may refer to: Places in Japan *Kashima District, Ibaraki, a district in Ibaraki Prefecture **Kashima, Ibaraki, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture ***Kashima Soccer Stadium **** Kashima Soccer Stadium Station, railway station *** Kashim ...

* - -

Highway

* – Mito Interchange * – Mito Minami Interchange * – Mito-Oarai Interchange * * * * * * * * *

Media

*Ibaraki Shimbun * Ibaraki Broadcast System

Local attractions

* Mito is the site of the

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

Kairaku-en is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Overview Kairaku-en was built in the year 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki, ''daimyō'' o ...

which is counted as one of the

Three Great Gardens of Japan The , also known as "the three most famous gardens in Japan" are considered to include Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Kōraku-en in Okayama and Kairaku-en in Mito. The conception of gardens in a group of three is found elsewhere, for example, in the th ...

. Constructed by

Tokugawa Nariaki Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a prominent Japanese ''daimyō'' who ruled the Mito Domain (now Ibaraki Prefecture) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration. Biography C ...

in 1842, the park is known nationwide for its ''

ume ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

'' trees. Many people come to the park in spring to view the blossoms, particularly during the Ume Festival. In summer, Mito also holds the Mito Koumon Festival. *

Art Tower Mito is an arts complex in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. It opened in 1990 as part of the centennial celebrations of the municipality of Mito. There is a concert hall that seats 680, a theater for up to 636, a contemporary art gallery, and a landmark tower. ...

* Ibaraki Museum of Modern Art *

Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History The is a local history museum in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefecture. The museum opened in September 1974. The collection focuses on the history of Ibaraki and the grounds also include a n ...

* Kōdōkan School *

Mito Municipal Botanical Park The is a botanical garden located at 504 Kobuki, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. It is open daily except Mondays; an admission fee is charged. The garden contains a terrace, rock garden, lawn, water features, and greenhouses heated from burning waste in th ...

Tokiwa Jinja is a Shinto shrine adjacent to the gardens of Kairakuen in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. Founded in 1874, enshrined are Tokugawa Mitsukuni, second ''daimyō'' of the Mito Domain and compiler of Dai Nihonshi, and Tokugawa Nariaki, ninth lord and founder ...

Professional sports

Mito HollyHock is a Japanese professional football (soccer) club, currently playing in the J2 League. The team's hometown is located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. Its nickname "HollyHock" derives from the family crest of the Tokugawa clan who governed from Mit ...

J. League The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most succe ...

Ibaraki Robots The is a professional basketball team that competes in the Eastern Conference of the First Division of the Japanese B.League. Roster Notable players * Toarlyn Fitzpatrick *Chukwudiebere Maduabum * Yusuke Okada * Juan Pattillo ...

B. League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...

* Malva FC,

F. League The F. League (in Japanese: "F・リーグ", officially "日本フットサルリーグ", Nihon Futtosaru Rīgu) is the top league for Futsal in Japan. The winning team obtains the participation right to the AFC Futsal Club Championship. Histo ...

Sister city relations

* –

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States, since December 21, 1976 * –

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

, China, friendship city since June 6, 2000 * –

Tsuruga, Fukui is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 66,123 in 28,604 households and the population density of 260 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Tsuruga is located in centra ...

, Japan, since October 10, 1964

Notable people

* Yuko Suzuhana, musician *

Yokoyama Taikan was the art-name of a major figure in pre-World War II Japanese painting. He is notable for helping create the Japanese painting technique of ''Nihonga''. Early life Yokoyama was born in Mito city, Ibaraki Prefecture, as the eldest son of S ...

, artist *

Nakamura Tsune (3 July 1887 – 24 December 1924) was a Japanese yōga painter best known for his portraits of Sōma Toshiko including ''Girl, Shojo'' (1914). Life Nakamura Tsune was born in 1887 in what is now Mito City, into a family that had served ...

, artist *

Stomu Takeishi Stomu Takeishi (born 1964, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture) is a Japanese experimental and jazz bassist. He is known for playing fretless five-string electric bass guitar and a Klein five-string acoustic bass guitar, often using extended techniques an ...

, musician *

Aritomo Gotō was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Early career Gotō was born in Ibaraki prefecture in 1888. He graduated from the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910, ranked 30th out of a class of 149 ca ...

, IJN admiral *

Takeo Kurita was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Kurita commanded IJN 2nd Fleet, the main Japanese attack force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history. Biography Early life Takeo Kurita ...

, IJN admiral *

Kinji Fukasaku was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Known for his "broad range and innovative filmmaking," Fukasaku worked in many different genres and styles, but was best known for his gritty yakuza films, typified by the ''Battles Without Honor ...

, movie director *

Takashi Koizumi Takashi Koizumi (小泉堯史 ''Koizumi Takashi'') (born November 6, 1944, in Mito) is a Japanese film director. After graduating from Waseda University, he served as an assistant director for Akira Kurosawa for many years. Filmography Awards ...

, movie director *

Teru Shimada Teru Shimada (島田輝 ''Shimada Teru'', born Akira Shimada (島田明 ''Shimada Akira''); November 17, 1905 – June 19, 1988) was a Japanese-American actor. A '' Nikkeijin'' (first-generation Japanese-American), Shimada emigrated to the Unit ...

, actor *

Yutaka Nakajima is a Japanese actress. She appeared in more than 30 films since 1977. Selected filmography External links * * 1952 births Living people Japanese film actresses {{Japan-film-actor-stub ...

, actor *

Hiroyuki Watanabe was a Japanese actor. He primarily acted in dramas, of which a handful are tokusatsu series. One of his latest roles was as Taiga Saejima in the tokusatsu series '' GARO''. He also played Kamen Rider Gaoh in the ''Kamen Rider Den-O'' movie, ' ...

, actor *

Mika Katsumura is a Japanese actress. She played the role of Yuri/Time Pink in the 2000 Super Sentai series ''Mirai Sentai Timeranger''. Biography Katsumura started stage activities at a local in Tokyo after graduating as a junior in high school. In 1997, ...

, actress * Shin’ichirō Ikebe, musician *

Mayumi Gojo is a Japanese singer from Ibaraki Prefecture. She formerly worked under Hyper Voice Managements. Currently she is affiliated with the Love&Light talent management agency. Gojo is known for her theme song performances for anime series such as '' ...

, singer *

Nobuo Tobita is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Ibaraki Prefecture. He is represented by Arts Vision. He is most known for the roles of Kamille Bidan (''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam''), Albert Heinrich/004 (''Cyborg 009'' (2001)), and Sueo Maruo (''Chibi ...

, voice actor *

Megumi Nakajima is a Japanese voice actress and singer, who is affiliated with Stay Luck. Her involvement in the entertainment industry began in 2003 when she participated in an audition held by the talent agency Stardust Promotion, becoming affiliated with th ...

, voice actress, singer * Azusa Tadokoro, voice actress, singer *

Mitoizumi Masayuki Mitoizumi Masayuki (born 2 September 1962 as Masato Koizumi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. His professional career spanned 22 years, from 1978 until 2000. The highest rank he reached was ''sekiwake''. He won over 800 career ...

, sumo wrestler (

Sekiwake , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

) *

Musōyama Masashi Musōyama Masashi (born February 14, 1972 as Takehito Oso) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in January 1993, and he won promotion to the top ''makuuchi'' division in just four ...

, sumo wrestler (

Ōzeki Ozeki or Ōzeki may refer to: * Ōzeki, a rank in ''Makuuchi'', the top division of professional sumo ** List of ōzeki * Ōzeki station (disambiguation), the name of two railway stations in Japan * Ōzeki Masutoshi (1849–1905), 16th daimyō of ...

) *

Miyabiyama Tetsushi Miyabiyama Tetsushi (born July 28, 1977 as Masato Takeuchi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1998. With the exception of two tournaments, h ...

, sumo wrestler (

) * Takashi Yagihashi, chef *

Sugiura Shigemine was a Japanese fighter pilot in World War II who is now recognised in Taiwan as the deity ''Feihu Jiangjun'' (), or "General Flying Tiger." Sugiura was born in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, on 9 November 1923. As a youth he joined a pilot training prog ...

, World War 2 fighter pilot *

Hitachiyama Taniemon was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He was the sport's 19th ''yokozuna'' from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō II created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo. He i ...

, sumo wrestler (

Yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

)

Gallery

File:Mito Art Tower.JPG, Art Tower Mito File:MitoPlumFestival.jpg, ''

Ume ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

'' Festival at Kairaku-en Park File:Daidarabou.JPG, Legend of

Daidarabotchi was a gigantic yōkai in Japanese mythology, sometimes said to pose as a mountain range when sleeping. Mythology The size of a Daidarabotchi was so great that his footprints were said to have created innumerable lakes and ponds. In one legend, ...

File:水戸・千波湖 - panoramio.jpg, LakeSenba & Duck File:Senbacho, Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture 310-0851, Japan - panoramio (4).jpg, Lake Senba & Mito city File:View from Art Tower Mito south.jpg, Downtown of Mito city

References

External links

Official Website

Public Interest Incorporated Foundation The Tokugawa Museum
{{Authority control Cities in Ibaraki Prefecture Populated places established in 1889 1889 establishments in Japan