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 ...

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

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 100,612 in 46,735 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 2500 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Sakado is located in the geographic center of Saitama Prefecture, about 40 kilometers from downtown Tokyo. The terrain is generally flat. The Koma River flows from the southwest to the northeast of the city.

Surrounding municipalities

* Kawagoe * Tsurugashima *

Higashimatsuyama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 90,456 in 41,124 households and a population density of 1400 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Higashimatsuyama is located in ...

* Hidaka * Moroyama * Kawajima * Hatoyama

Climate

Sakado 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 to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sakado is 14.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1382 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.7 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Sakado has increased rapidly towards the end of the 20th century due to

new town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

developments. It has since leveled off.

History

Sakado-juku was a post station on the

Nikkō Wakiōkan was established during the Edo period as a subroute to connect Hachiōji with Nikkō. The route stretches approximately and, at various points, is called the Nikkōdō. Because it is an alternate route to the Nikkō Kaidō, other names are Nikk ...

highway connecting Hachiōji with Nikkō from the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

onwards. During the late Edo period and early

Meiji period The is an era of 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 feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, the area was noted for

sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, ''Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively studie ...

. The village of Sakado was created within Iruma District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 and was elevated to city status on December 10, 1896. On July 1, 1954, Sakado annexed the neighboring villages of Miyoshino, Issai, Oya and Suguro. On September 1, 1976, Sakado was elevated to city status.

Government

Sakado 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 22 members. Sakado contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Saitama 10th 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 r ...

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

Sakado is a regional commercial center with some light and precision manufacturing and food processing, and is increasing 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

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

Education

Universities

Josai University is a private university in Sakado, Saitama, Japan, established in 1965. The predecessor of the school, Jōsai Gakuen Middle School, later Jōsai High School, was founded in 1918. The university is operated by the Josai University Educational Corp ...

Kagawa Nutrition University is a private university in Japan. The university has two campuses, one in Sakado, Saitama and the other in Komagome, Toshima, Tokyo. The Sakado campus contains all undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The Komagome campus houses the Evening De ...

Meikai University is a private university in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. History The university was founded in 1970, and obtained its present name in 1988. Programs The university's School of Dentistry is located in Sakado, Saitama is a List of cities in Japan ...

School of Dentistry

High schools

* Sakado High School * Sakado Nishi High School * Senior High School at Sakado, University of Tsukuba *

Yamamura International High School is a Japanese high school in Sakado, Saitama, Japan. It follows the Japanese national curriculum. It is a member of Yamamura Gakuen, which includes Yamamura Gakuen College and Yamamura Gakuen High School. History In September 1922, Yamamura Sc ...

Elementary and junior high schools

Sakado has 11 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one national high school and one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

Tōbu Railway is a Japanese commuter railway and '' keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second long ...

Tōbu Tōjō Line The is a 75.0 km suburban railway line in Japan which runs from Ikebukuro Station in Toshima, Tokyo to Yorii Station in Yorii, Saitama, operated by the private railway operator Tobu Railway. Its official name is the , but it is referred to ...

* - –

Tobu Ogose Line The is a 10.9 km mostly single-track branchline in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Tobu Railway. It runs from Sakado Station on the Tobu Tojo Line to Ogose Station, connecting with the JR East Hachikō ...

Highway

* – Sakado Interchange * – Sakado-Nishi Smart Interchange *

Sister city relations

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner, ...

, USA (since March 1988)

City mascot

The city mascot was created in 2006 to mark the 30th anniversary of Sakado gaining city status.

Local attractions

* ''

Yosakoi Yosakoi () is a unique style of dance that originated in Japan and that is performed at festivals and events all over the country. The first Yosakoi festival was held in 1954 in Kōchi, Japan, on the island of Shikoku. Yosakoi-style dancing has ...

'' festival held annually in Sakado in August since 2001.Sakado Yosakoi official website
Retrieved on 8 August 2009 * Xien Ten Gong, the largest Taoist temple in Japan, is located in Sakado.

Notable people from Sakado

*Takaki Horigome, musician, Kirinji *Yasuyuki Horigome, musician, Kirinji

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Saitama Prefecture Sakado, Saitama