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 Shiga 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 50,695 in 20695 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 630 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Yasu is located in south-central Shiga Prefecture, on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa. The city skyline is dominated by

Mount Mikami Mount Mikami (, pronounced "Mikami Yama", meaning Mikami Mountain) is a mountain, above sea level, located in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. In spite of its relatively low altitude, it is also called "Ōmi Fuji", that is Mount Fuji of Ōmi P ...

, also known as "Ōmi Fuji" from its resemblance to

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...

. Parts of the city are within the borders of the

Mikami-Tanakami-Shigaraki Prefectural Natural Park is a Prefectural Natural Park in southern Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1969, the park spans the borders of the municipalities of Higashiōmi, Kōka, Konan, Ōmihachiman, Ōtsu, Rittō, Ryūō, and Yasu; and encompasses Mount Mikam ...

Neighboring municipalities

Shiga Prefecture *

Ōmihachiman 260px, City Hall 260px, Traditional buildings Preservation Area is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 82,233 in 34747 households and a population density of 570 persons per km². The total area ...

Moriyama 270px, Lake Biwa from Moriyama is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 85,485 in 34366 households and a population density of 1533.63 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Mo ...

* Rittō * Konan * Ryūō

Climate

Yasu 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 Yasu is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1430 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Yasu doubled from 1960 to 2000 and has plateaued since then.

History

Yasu is part of ancient Ōmi Province and the route of the

Tōsandō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. It is part of the ''Gokishichidō'' system. It was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshu, specifically th ...

(later the Nakasendō) highway connecting

Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mov ...

with the eastern provinces passed through the area; however, there were no ''

shukuba were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called ''shuku-eki'' (宿駅). These post stations (or "post towns") were places where travelers could r ...

'' within the city limits. Most of the area was '' tenryō'' territory under direct control of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

in 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 minor

feudal domain A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

of Mikami Domain controlled by a cadet branch of the Endo clan had its '' jin'ya'' in Yasu, but its estates were widely scattered in other locations, mostly in Izumi province. The town of Yasu was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Yasu annexed the village of Mikami in 1942, and the villages of Shinohara and Gio in 1955, On October 1, 2004, Yasu absorbed the neighboring town of Chūzu (also from Yasu District) and was elevated to city status. Yasu District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Government

Yasu 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 18 members. Yasu contributes two members to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Shiga 3rd district 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

The economy of Yasu is centered on agriculture and light manufacturing. There are several

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 in the city.

Education

Yasu has six public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government. There is one public high school operated by the Shiga Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

JR West , 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 ...

– Biwako Line *

Highway

* *

Sister city relations

* Clinton Township, Michigan, USA (1993)

Local attractions

Mikami Shrine ) is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The ''kami'' worshipped at this shrine is Ame-no-mikage-no-mikoto, Amaterasu's grandson, who in legend, descended onto 432-meter Mount Mikami during the reign of Emperor ...

, with National Treasure ''honden'' *

Ōsasahara Shrine ) is a Shinto shrine located in the city of Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The ''kami'' worshipped at this shrine are Susanoo-no-Mikoto and Kushinadahime. Outline Ōsasahara Shrine was constructed in the year 986 by Echi Morozane, a local war ...

, with National Treasure ''honden'' *

Ōiwayama Kofun Cluster The is a group of Kofun to early Nara period burial mound cluster located in the Koshinohara neighborhood of the city of Yasu, Shiga in the Kansai region of Japan. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1941, wth the area under ...

, a National Historic Site

Notable people

Saihei Hirose Saihei Hirose (June 16, 1828 – 1914) was a Japanese mining businessman and former head of the board of directors of Sumitomo Zaibatsu from 1877 to 1894. Prior to that, he was manager of the Besshi Copper Mine, which he extensively modernised ...

, industrialist, director of Sumitomo zaibatsu *

Kurama Tatsuya Kurama Tatsuya (16 December 1952 – 26 January 1995) was a sumo wrestler from Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1968, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in 1976. His highest rank was ''sekiwake'' and he won th ...

, former sumo wrestler and television personality * Takanori Nishikawa, musician滋賀ふるさと観光大使, ''Shiga Prefecture'', February 18, 2011, accessed April 13, 2011 <> * Kurumi Mamiya, voice actress

References

External links

* *
Yasu International Association
{{Authority control Cities in Shiga Prefecture Yasu, Shiga