270px, Aerial photograph of central Zentsūji 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 n ...

. , 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 usi ...

of 30,780 in 13096 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 RosenberPopu ...

of 770 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Zentsūji is located in northwestern Kagawa Prefecture. It is the only city in Kagawa Prefecture that does not face the sea

Neighbouring municipalities

Kagawa Prefecture *

Marugame is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,541 in 46101 households and a population density of 970 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Marugame is located in north-c ...

* Mitoyo *

Kotohira is a town located in Nakatado District, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 8,105 in 3618 households and a population density of 960 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is best known as the ...

* Tadotsu * Mannō

Climate

Zentsūji 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 Zentsūji is 15.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1439 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.7 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Zentsūji population statistics
/ref> the population of Zentsūji has been relatively steady since the 1960s.

History

The area of Zentsūji 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 prehistoric times. A number of

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 from the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

have been identified, including the Arioka Kofun cluster. The city is the birthplace of the Buddhist monk

Kūkai Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon se ...

, also known as Kōbō Daishi. Zentsū-ji (from which the city derives its name), was established in 813 on the site of his birth, is the 75th temple on the 88-temple

Shikoku Pilgrimage The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (''Kōbō Daishi'') on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long histor ...

. The city originated as a market town which developed in front of the gates of this temple. 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 ...

, the city area was part of the holdings of

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 ...

, Takamatsu Domain and

Tadotsu Domain 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 t ...

under 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 ...

. 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 village of Zentsūji was established within Tado District, Kagawa with the creation of the modern municipalities system on December 16,1878. Tado District became Nakatado District in 1899. Zentsūji was elevated to town status on November 3, 1901 and after merging with four neighboring villages, was elevated to city status on March 31, 1954. From 1896 to 1945, the IJA 11th Infantry Division was headquartered in Zentsūji, which hosted the largest military base in Shikoku. During World War II, Zentsuji was the location of a

Prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

in World War II. After the war, the former base site was converted into the location for the city hall and Shikoku Gakuin University, in addition to other public facilities. However, the city still retains a strong connection to the military and is the location a

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

brigade headquarters and garrison.

Government

Zentsūji 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 council of 16 members. Zentsūji contributes two members to the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kagawa 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 paral ...

Economy

The economy of Zentsūji is primarily food-related. Farmers of the Zentsūji region found a way to grow cubic watermelons, by growing the fruits in glass boxes and letting them naturally assume the shape of the receptacle. The square shape is designed to make the melons easier to stack and store, but the square watermelons are often more than double the price of normal ones. Pyramid shaped watermelons have also been developed.

Education

Zentsūji has eight public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high schools operated by the Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education.There is also one private high school. Zentsūji is also home to

Shikoku Gakuin University is a private university in Zentsūji, Kagawa, 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, ...

Transportation

Railways

Shikoku Railway Company 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 i ...

Dosan Line is a railway line in Shikoku, Japan, operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). It connects Tadotsu Station in Tadotsu, Kagawa, and Kubokawa Station in Shimanto, Kōchi. The line links the city of Kōchi with northern Shikoku a ...

* -

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 route ...

* *

Sister city relations

Hirado, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The part historically named Hirado is located on Hirado Island. With recent mergers, the city's boundaries have expanded, and Hirado now occupies parts of the main island of Kyushu. The components ...

, Japan * Kōya, Wakayama, Japan *

El Dorado, Arkansas El Dorado, founded by Matthew Rainey, is a city in, and the county seat of, Union County, on the southern border of Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 18,884. El Dorado is headquarters of the Ark ...

, USA

Local attractions

* Arioka Kofun cluster, National Historic Site * Mandara-ji, 72nd temple on the

* Shusshaka-ji, 73rd temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Kōyama-ji, 74th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Zentsū-ji, 75th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Konzō-ji, 73rd temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage * Amagiri Castle ruins, National Historic Site

Noted people from Zentsūji

Yoshiki Yamashita is a Japanese politician who serves as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature), representing the Japan Communist Party. A native of Kagawa Prefecture and graduate of Tottori University , abbreviated to , is a n ...

, politician *

Atsuko Takahata is a Japanese actress, voice actress and tarento from Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. She is married to actor Ryosuke Otani. They have a son, Yuta Takahata. Filmography Drama * ''Kyojuu Tokusou Juspion (1985) – Space Witch Gilza * ''Kamen Ride ...

, actress

References

External links

*
Zentsūji City official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zentsuji, Kagawa Cities in Kagawa Prefecture Zentsūji, Kagawa