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 de ...

located in Iwate 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 ...

of 55,325 in 23,270 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 300 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Takizawa is located in central Iwate Prefecture, bordered to the north and west by the Iwate Mountains, and the Kitakami River to the east and the Shizukuishi River to the south.

Neighboring municipalities

Iwate Prefecture *

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

* Hachimantai * Shizukuishi

Climate

Takizawa has a cold

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 freez ...

(Köppen ''Dfa'') characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Takizawa is 9.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1386 mm with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Takizawa grew rapidly in the late 20th century and has grown at a slower pace in recent decades.

History

The area of present-day Takizawa was part of ancient Mutsu Province. During 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 ...

, it was ruled by the Abe clan. During the

Sengoku period The was a period in 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 feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

, the area came under the control of the Nambu clan 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 character ...

, who ruled Morioka Domain under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in ...

. In the

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 village of Takizawa was established within Iwate District on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Takizawa was promoted directly from a village to a city on January 1, 2014.

Government

Takizawa 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 legislature of 18 members. Takizawa, together with the town of Shizukuishi, contributes three seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Iwate 2nd district of the lower house 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 paral ...

Economy

Takizawa is a bedroom community for Morioka, and a center for many institutions of higher education. Agriculture still plays an important role in the local economy, with Takizawa known for its summer watermelon and fall apples.

Education

Universities and colleges

* Iwate Prefectural University *

Morioka University is a private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public stud ...

Morioka Junior College is a public junior college in Takizawa, Iwate, Japan. It was established in 1951 in Morioka, Iwate, and has been attached to Iwate Prefectural University since 1998. Departments * Department of Home Economics * Department of International cultur ...

Iwate College of Nursing is a private junior college in Takizawa, Iwate, 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 Jap ...

Primary and secondary education

Takizawa has nine public elementary schools, eight of which are operated by the city government, and one of which is operated by the Morioka city government, although physically located within Takizawa. There are likewise seven public middle schools, six of which are operated by the city government and one of which is operated by the Morioka city government. There are two public high schools operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education. There is also a special education school for the handicapped operated by the prefectural government.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company 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 ar ...

(JR East) - Tazawako Line * - Igrail

Iwate Ginga Railway Line * -

Highway

* — Takizawa IC * * * (unsigned) *

Local attractions

* Chagu Chagu Umakko - Takizawa is famous for its held every June. The festival is designated by the Japanese government to be an Important Cultural Asset. The festival celebrates the horses which once played an important role in the area's agriculture. The festival gets its name from the bells the horses wear during the procession. The sound the bells make, in Japanese, is "chagu-chagu". The festival begins at Chagu-Chagu Shrine which is a large shrine in Takizawa dedicated to horses. After a brief ceremony a long line of colorfully dressed horses ridden mostly by children in traditional dress leave the shrine and go on a 15 km procession that takes them to Hachimangu Shrine in Morioka. In total the trip takes nearly five hours to complete.Information about the Chagu-Chagu Horse Festival
from the Japan National Tourist Organization

Notable people

* Ryuji Ito, professional wrestler * Azusa Iwashimizu, professional soccer player

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Iwate Prefecture Populated places established in 2014