Moriya, Ibaraki
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270px, Sakura-no-mori Park in Moriya is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
located in
Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,828,086 (1 July 2023) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. , the city had an estimated
population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
of 69,827 in 29,056 households and a
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
of 1955 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 23.1%. The total area of the city is .


Geography

Moriya is located in southwestern Ibaraki Prefecture, bordering on Chiba Prefecture to the southwest. The city is surrounded by three rivers, the Kinugawa, Kokaigawa and the
Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano River) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the ...
, one of the longest rivers in Japan. In terms of area, it is the smallest city in Ibaraki Prefecture. It is located approximately 35 kilometers from central Tokyo.


Surrounding municipalities

Chiba Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...
* Kashiwa * Noda Ibaraki Prefecture *
Jōsō is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 59,314 in 21,168 households and a population density of 480 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 38.8%. The total area of t ...
* Toride * Tsukubamirai


Climate

Moriya has a
Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Moriya is 14.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1325 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.5 °C.


Topography

With an area of 35.63 km2, the city has the smallest land area in the prefecture. The city is shaped like a circle, 7.5 km east to west and 7.2 km north to south, and most of the city area belongs to the
Jōsō is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 59,314 in 21,168 households and a population density of 480 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 38.8%. The total area of t ...
, a plateau with an average elevation of 20 m above sea level. Although residential land development is underway throughout the city, there are still many natural features such as fields of ore soil mainly on the plateau and alluvial rice paddies mainly along the
Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano River) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the ...
.


City location (World Geodetic System)

*East end: 140 degrees 01 minutes 21 seconds east longitude (Honmachi) *West end: East longitude 139 degrees 55 minutes 54 seconds (Oki) *South end: 35 degrees 54 minutes 35 seconds north latitude (Takano) *North end: 35 degrees 58 minutes 44 seconds north latitude (Itatoi)


Rivers

The Kokai River flows northeast of the city, the
Kinugawa River , is a river on the main island of Honshu in Japan. It flows from the north to the south on the Kantō plain, merging with . At 176.7 km in length, it is the longest tributary of Tone-gawa. From ancient times, it has been known to cause flood ...
west of the city, and the
Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano River) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the ...
south of the city, which used to be a cove. Although the city and most of the city area were located on a plateau, flood damage was often observed in the low-lying areas because the city was surrounded by rivers on three sides. However, the danger has gradually decreased since the
Meiji Era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, 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 feu ...
(1868-1912) with the construction of levees and regulating reservoirs, as well as the relocation of houses within the regulating areas. Large-scale flooding did not occur until around 1982, and the inundation itself was over by 1985. Today, only a few areas are considered potentially inundated due to flooding and improvement of inundated areas. In addition, since the area was surrounded by rivers, it benefited from the river boat transportation developed since the Edo period, and became a relay point from the lower reaches of the Tone River, such as Choushi, to Sekiyado and the Edogawa River area, and a concentration point for products from the northern Kanto region via the
Kinugawa River , is a river on the main island of Honshu in Japan. It flows from the north to the south on the Kantō plain, merging with . At 176.7 km in length, it is the longest tributary of Tone-gawa. From ancient times, it has been known to cause flood ...
.


Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Moriya has grown rapidly since the 1970s.


History

Moriya developed in the
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
as a
castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...
ruled by the Sōma clan, who ruled northern
Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture as well as the bordering parts of Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo (the parts that used to be located east of the lower reaches of the old Tone River prior to the ...
. During the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
, much of the area was ruled as part of Sakura Domain, followed by Sekiyado Domain. The town of Moriya was established within Kitasōma District on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was elevated to city status February 2, 2002.


Government

Moriya 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
city council of 20 members. Moriya contributes one member to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 3rd district of the
lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
of the
Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
.


Economy

Moriya was an agricultural area until the late 1970s, when the development of
new town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...
s and
industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
s made it 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 o ...
and suburb of greater Tokyo.


Education

Moriya has nine public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private elementary school and three private high schools.


Transportation


Railway

Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company -
Tsukuba Express The , or TX, is a Japanese railway line operated by the Third-sector railway, third-sector company Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company, which links Akihabara Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and Tsukuba Station in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. The route was ...
** Kantō Railway - Jōsō Line * - -


Highway

* – Moriya Service Area, Yawara Interchange *


Sister cities

*
Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States census, an increase of 17.12% since the ...
, USA, sister city since August 1993 * Mainburg, Germany, friendship city since September 1990


Local attractions

*site of Moriya Castle


Notable people from Moriya

* Masakatsu Sawa, professional football player * Takuya Terada, actor, singer, model


References


External links


Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Ibaraki Prefecture Moriya, Ibaraki