Marugame
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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
Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...
,
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 of 108,541 in 46101 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 970 persons per km². The total area of the city is .


Geography

Marugame is located in north-center Ehime Prefecture, on the island of
Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
, facing the
Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...
to the north. The city covers the northeastern part of the Marugame Plain and part of the
Shiwaku Islands The or are an archipelago in the Seto Inland Sea, between the larger Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku. The group is situated between Okayama Prefecture and Kagawa Prefecture in the western Bisan Seto and consists of 28 islands of various ...
. As with many other cities and towns in Kagawa Prefecture, there are many reservoirs. The Doki River flows from north to south through the center of the city, and to the south is Mount Tsutsumi, also known as Hatoko Fuji, one of the "Sanuki Seven Fujis". Mount Iino, nicknamed ''Sanuki Fuji'' located on the border between Marugame and Sakaide is another of the "Sanuki Seven Fujis".


Neighbouring municipalities

Kagawa Prefecture * Sakaide * Zentsūji *
Utazu is a town located in Ayauta District, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 18,687 in 8932 households and a population density of 2300 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Geography Utazu is locate i ...
* Ayagawa *
Tadotsu 270px, Shorinji Kempo head dōjō is a town located in Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 22,124 in 10365 households and a population density of 270 persons per km². The total area of the ...
* Mannō


Climate

Marugame 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 cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Marugame is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1439 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.3 °C.


Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Marugame has been increasing steadily since the 1970s.


History

The area of Marugame was part of ancient
Sanuki Province was a province of Japan in the area of northeastern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sanuki''" in . Sanuki bordered on Awa to the south, and Iyo to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, ...
and has been inhabited since ancient times, with many
kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』 ...
burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
s found within the city limits. From 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. ...
onwards, it was noted as an entry point for pilgrims to the
Kotohira-gū (also known as , , or Konpira Shrine in English) is a Shinto shrine in the town of Kotohira in Kagawa, Japan. This shrine is patron of sea ship transport and sailors. Located at halfway to the top of Mount Zōzu, the shrine stands at the en ...
shrine. 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 developed as the
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, ...
for
Marugame Domain 270px, Kyōgoku Akiyuki 270px, Marugame Castle was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Marugame Castle, and was ruled throughout mu ...
, which was ruled for 210 years by the
Kyōgoku clan The were a Japanese ''daimyō'' clan which rose to prominence during the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Edo period, Edo periods. The clan descend from the Emperor Uda, Uda Minamoto clan, Genji through the Sasaki clan.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobi ...
. Following 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 town of Marugame was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on February 15,1890. It was elevated to city status on April 1, 1890, becoming the 53rd city in Japan. During the 1950s the southeast area of the city and some islands were amalgamated to form new parts of the city. On March 22, 2005, the towns of Ayauta and Hanzan (both from Ayauta District) were merged into Marugame to create the current expanded city of Marugame. *The former Ayauta was founded in 1959 with the merger of the villages of Kumatami and Okada. Kumatama was founded by the merger of the villages of Kurikuma and Tomikuma in 1951. *The former Hanzan was founded in 1956 with the merger of the villages of Sakamoto and Hokunji.


Government

Marugame 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 24 members. Marugame, together with
Naoshima is an island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea, part of Kagawa Prefecture. The island is best known for its many contemporary art installations and museums. The administers Naoshima and 26 smaller islands nearby. As of 2020, the town has an estimated ...
, contributes four members to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Kagawa 2nd district and Kagawa 3rd districts 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 ...
.


List of mayors of Marugame (from 1899 to present)


Economy

Marugame has a mixed economy centered on agriculture (rice, vegetables, chicken, peaches) and manufacturing along a coastal belt of reclaimed land which contain a number of
industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, 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 park, ...
s, textile plants and shipyards. Traditionally, the city was noted for its production of ''
uchiwa A handheld fan, or simply hand fan, is any broad, flat surface that is waved back-and-forth to create an airflow. Generally, purpose-made handheld fans are folding fans, which are shaped like a sector of a circle and made of a thin material (suc ...
'' fans, claiming a 90% market share; however, due to mechanization and changes in fashion, only two workshops are left in the city. Due to its well-developed transportation network, industry is expanding, and the city is increasingly becoming 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 ...
for neighboring Takamatsu.


Education

Marugame has 18 public elementary schools and eight public middle schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are one private middle school, two private high schools and two correspondence high schools. The prefecture also operates one middle school, and one high school.


Transportation


Railways

JR Shikoku The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has it ...
-
Yosan Line The is the principal railway line on the island of Shikoku in Japan, connecting the major cities of Shikoku, and via the Honshi-Bisan Line, with Honshu. It is operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), and is aligned approximately p ...
* -
Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad The (or Kotoden) is a transportation company in Kagawa Prefecture, which is on the island of Shikoku, Japan. With headquarters in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Takamatsu, the company operates three passenger railway lines, as well as bus subsidiaries. It was ...
- Kotohira Line * -


Highways

*
Takamatsu Expressway The is an expressway in the Shikoku region of Japan. The expressway is numbered E11. Overview The expressway is an important route connecting the greater Osaka area with Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture. Beyond Takamatsu, the rout ...
* * * * *


Sister city relations

* - Donostia - San Sebastián, Spain, sionce November 6, 1990 * -
Zhangjiagang Zhangjiagang (), formerly Shazhou County (), is a county-level city under the administration of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China and one of the many ports along the Yangtze river. With 1,246,762 inhabitants as of the 2010 census, the city is now ...
.
Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
, China, friendship city since May 28, 1990


Local attractions

*
Marugame Castle is an Edo Period Japanese castle in the city of Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the center of Marugame city, in former Sanuki Province on the island of Shikoku. During the Edo Period, it was the center of Marugame Do ...
, NationalHistoric Site and one of only 12
Japanese castles are fortresses constructed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century. Castles in Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such ...
with original wooden
tenshu is an architectural typology found in Japanese castle complexes. They are easily identifiable as the highest tower within the castle. Common translations of ''tenshu'' include keep, main keep, or ''donjon''. ''Tenshu'' are characterized as ty ...
(keeps) remaining. * Kaitenyama Kofun, NationalHistoric Site * Shiwaku Kinbansho, NationalHistoric Site * Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA), situated just east of the railway station, housing the works of
Genichiro Inokuma Genichiro Inokuma (14 December 1902 – 17 May 1993) was a Japanese painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936' ...
, as well as playing host to many large visiting exhibitions. *Reoma World, a recreational facility with many attractions, two restaurants, a spa and hotel in the theme park


Events

* Marugame Half Marathon - Occurring in early February, the race attracts thousands of runners each year.Ota, Shigenobu (2009-02-02)
Marugame Half Marathon
ARRS. Retrieved on 2010-02-07.
Held since 1947, the Asian record in the
half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...
was set on the course by
Kayoko Fukushi is a Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000, 10,000 metres and marathon. Fukushi represented Japan at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2013 World Championships in ...
in 2006.Nakamura, Ken (2006-02-05)
Fukushi sets Asian Half-Marathon record in Marugame
IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
. Retrieved on 2010-02-07.


Noted people from Marugame

* Toshio Yamauchi, politician * Yoshihiko Isozaki, poltician *
Fumiko Saiga was a Japanese diplomat and was the first Japanese person and Asian woman to serve as a judge on the International Criminal Court. Her work focused on human rights and gender equality. As a politician, she was the Lieutenant Governor of Saitama pre ...
, judge on the
International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
*
Katsuyuki Motohiro is a Japanese film director. Filmography *''Odoru Daisosasen Bangaihen – Wangansho Fukei Monogatari Shoka no Kôtsûanzen Special'' (1998) *'' Bayside Shakedown: The Movie'' (1998) *'' Space Travelers'' (2000) *''Satorare'' (2001) *''Bayside S ...
, movie director


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control Cities in Kagawa Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan