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

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...

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 ...

. As of April 1, 2017, 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 66,400 and 29,713 households. The

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 ...

is 4,000 persons per km², and the total area is 16.48 km². The city continues to develop as a local business and government center in the center of Nara Prefecture.

History

Inhabited since the Paleolithic age, the city area nurtured

paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field (agriculture), field of arable land used for growing Aquatic plant, semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in sout ...

agriculture in the fertile Nara Basin since ancient times. Large keyhole type burial mounds (''

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』� ...

'') were constructed in the northwestern part of the city around the 5th century. A local samurai family ruled the area in the medieval age, but the lord of Takada perished in 1580 at the hand of a local vassal of the powerful

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify ...

. In the early modern age, the city area developed as a local market town with a big Buddhist temple at its core. With the introduction of Western Civilization into Japan, a modern spinning factory was set up here at the end of the nineteenth century. Since then, the city became a center of the modern textile industry. After the Second World War, Takada was designated as a city in 1948. In 1963, the city of Yamatotakada was established, through the arrangement of an Australian

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

father (

Paul Glynn Paul Glynn (1928) is a Marist missionary priest and writer from Australia. He is the author of several books, including ''The Song of Nagasaki'' (1988) and ''The Smile of the Ragpicker'' (1992), both best-sellers and translated into several lan ...

), a sister-city relationship with Lismore,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is known as the first such relationship between the two countries. Toshiharu Matsuda, who served as mayor of the city since 1992, resigned in 2003. During his terms of office he executed ambitious construction plans resulting in burdensome debt. He was also criticized for his connection with a gangster boss in the city of

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

. Masakatsu Yoshida, elected as new major in April, 2003, has had to cope with the deteriorating financial problems combined with a curtailed national subsidy and mounting unpaid city tax. A citizens' group advocates new friendship relation with

Jiujiang Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city ...

Jiangxi Province Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into hi ...

in central

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, though city administrators are still reluctant.

Neighboring municipalities

Kashihara is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 124,829, with 52,034 households. Population density is around 3,176.79 persons per km2, and the total area is 39.52 km2. The city was founded on Februa ...

** Gose ** Kashiba ** Katsuragi ** Kōryō

Sister cities

Outside Japan

* Lismore,

Education

Primary Schools A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

** Takada Elementary School ** Iwasono Elementary School ** Katashio Elementary School ** Ukiana Elementary School ** Ukiananishi Elementary School *

Junior High Schools A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

** Takada Junior High School ** Takadanishi Junior High School ** Katashio Junior High School *

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

s ** Takada High School ** Takadahigashi High School ** Nara Culture High School ** Japan Aviation High School ** Takada Commerce High School *

Universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

** Nara Culture Women's Junior College * Other ** Bigei Gakuen Vocational School ** Apollo Gakuin Fashion Business School

Transportation

Rail

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

Wakayama Line The is a railway line that links Nara Prefecture to Wakayama Prefecture in Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It connects Ōji Station on the Yamatoji Line to Wakayama Station on the Hanwa Line and Kisei Main Line, with t ...

;

Sakurai Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Nara Prefecture. It connects Nara on the Yamatoji Line to Takada on the Wakayama Line, with some services continuing on the Wakayama Line to Ōji Station, and then to JR ...

(Manyō-Mahoroba Line): Takada Station *

Kintetsu Railway , referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Kyot ...

** Osaka Line: Tsukiyama Station- Yamato-Takada Station-

Matsuzuka Station is a railway station in Yamatotakada, Nara Prefecture, Japan, operated by Kintetsu Railway. Line Matsuzuka Station is served by the Osaka Line. Layout The station has two side platforms serving one track each. Platforms Adjacent stations ...

** Minami Osaka Line:

Takadashi Station is a railway station in Yamatotakada, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Lines *Kintetsu Railway :*Minami Osaka Line is a railway line operated by Kintetsu Railway connecting in Osaka and in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture via Osaka's southern suburb ...

Ukiana Station is a railway station in Yamatotakada, Nara, Yamatotakada, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Line *Kintetsu Railway :*Minami Osaka Line Layout The station has two side platforms and two tracks. Adjacent stations External links Ukiana Station ...

Road

Expressways Expressway may refer to: *Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. *Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional slide ...

** Keinawa Expressway * Japanese National Route Sign 0024

Japan National Route 24 * Japanese National Route Sign 0165

Japan National Route 165 is a national highway connecting Kita-ku in the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, and the city of Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Route description *Length: 126.5 km *Origin: Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture (originates at the terminus of ...

Japan National Route 166 National Route 166 is a national highway of Japan connecting Habikino, Osaka and Matsusaka, Mie is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 157,235 in 66,018 households and a population density of 250 ...

Japan National Route 168 is a national highway of Japan connecting Shingū, Wakayama and Hirakata, Osaka file:Hirakata Park.jpg, 260px, Hirakata Park is a Cities of Japan, city in northeastern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 397, ...

References

External links

Yamatotakada City official website

{{Authority control Cities in Nara Prefecture