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

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...

, 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 a ...

of 17,741 in 8328 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 170 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Toba is located on the northeastern tip of Shima Peninsula in far eastern Mie Prefecture, facing

Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: ...

of the Pacific Ocean to the north and east. The area is famous for

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

s and for cultured pearls. The entire city area is within the borders of the

Ise-Shima National Park is a national park in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is characterized by its ria coast and islands scattered around a number of bays. The interior is hilly with Mount Asama-ga-take ( the highest peak. Natural areas * Ago Bay * Kami-shima * Kashiko ...

. Toba administers numerous islands in the

, the most important of which are: * Kamishima * Kozukumi Island * Ōzukumi-jima * Sugashima * Tōshijima * Sakatejima * Mitsujima

Neighboring municipalities

Mie Prefecture *

Ise Ise may refer to: Places * Ise, Mie, a city in Japan **Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie * Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria *Ise, Norway, a village in Norway *Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan * River Ise, a tributary of th ...

Shima Shima may refer to: Places , Japan * Shima Province (志摩), one of the old provinces of Japan * Shima, Fukuoka (志摩), a former town in Fukuoka Prefecture * Shima, Mie (志摩), a city in Mie Prefecture ** Shima, Mie (town), a former town ...

Climate

Toba has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Toba is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Toba has decreased rapidly over the past 30 years.

History

The area of modern Toba has been continuously inhabited since before the Jōmon period. During the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, 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 Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the area was under the control of pirates, from whom emerged

Kuki Yoshitaka (1542 – November 17, 1600) was a naval commander during Japan's Sengoku Period, under Oda Nobunaga, and later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was also the ninth headmaster of the Kuki family's school of martial arts, Kukishin-ryū and thus a very sk ...

(from Nakiri district) as a dominant ruler. After having dominated the local seacoasts, he established Toba as his capital and built a castle there. 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 ...

, the castle became the center for

Toba Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Shima Province (part of modern-day Mie Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Toba Castle in what is now the city of Toba. History During the Sengoku period, most of Shima Province came unde ...

. 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 characte ...

, Toba flourished in trade and as a transshipment port between

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

and Edo. The town of Toba was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Toba was raised to city status on November 1, 1954, by merging with seven neighboring villages in Shima District.

Government

Toba 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 14 members. Toba contributes one member to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...

, including cultivated pearls, and tourism play important roles in the local economy.

Education

Toba has nine public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. The Toba National College of Maritime Technology, one of the five maritime technology colleges in Japan which offers merchant marine programs such as Deck officer, Marine Engineering and other advanced programs related to maritime education. is located in Toba, as is the Sugashima Marine Biological Laboratory - Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University.

Culture

Toba city hosts the highest number of

ama divers are Japanese divers famous for collecting pearls, though traditionally their main catch is seafood. The vast majority of are women. Terminology There are several sea occupations that are pronounced "ama" and several words that refer to sea oc ...

in Japan. "Toba and Shima, cities where you can meet ama divers" has been defined as the 73th stories of Japanese heritage.

Transportation

Railway

JR Tōkai -

Sangū Line The is a railway line run by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central), connecting Taki Station ( Taki, Mie) with Toba Station (Toba, Mie) in Japan. The line connects with the Kisei Main Line at Taki Station. From Taki, the line runs parallel ...

* 20px

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, Ky ...

Toba Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu Railway, connecting Ujiyamada Station in Ise, Mie with Toba Station in Toba, Mie. The line runs parallel to JR Central's Sangū Line. The line connects with the ...

* - 20px

Shima Line The is a railway line in Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by private railway operator Kintetsu Railway, connecting Toba Station in Toba with Kashikojima Station in Shima. The line connects with the Toba Line at Toba Station. The Yamada Line, T ...

* - - - - - -

Highway

* Iseshima Skyline * * *

Ferry

Ise-wan Ferry The , or Ise Bay Ferry is a ferry that runs between the Port of Toba in Toba, Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie ...

Local attractions

Mikimoto Pearl Island is a small island in Ise Bay, offshore Toba, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The island is known as the birthplace of cultured pearl aquaculture. The island is owned by , which operates the island as a tourist attraction, exhibiting pearls and pearl c ...

Toba Aquarium is a public aquarium, which is located in Toba, Mie, Japan. The aquarium houses 12 zones which reproduce natural environments, housing some 25,000 individuals representing 1,200 species. The guests are free to tour the aquarium's grounds in any m ...

Toba Castle was a Japanese castle (now in ruins) located in the city of Toba, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Throughout the Edo period, Toba Castle was the administrative center for Toba Domain, a feudal domain of Shima Province under the Tokugawa shogunate. Tob ...

* Toba Sea-Folk Museum

Sister city relations

* -

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...

, since 1966. * -

Sanda, Hyōgo file:Sanda City Hall Main Building.jpg, 270px, Sanda City Hall file:Sanda-city aruban area in 1974.JPG, 270px, Aerial view of Sanda city center in 1974 file:Street in Sanda.jpg, 270px, Residential street in Sanda is a Cities of Japan, city locat ...

, Friendship city since July 1, 1971

Notable people from Toba

Mikimoto Kōkichi was a Japanese entrepreneur who is credited with creating the first cultured pearl and subsequently starting the cultured pearl industry with the establishment of his luxury pearl company Mikimoto.Ward, Fred. Pearls: Bethesda, MD: Gem Book Pu ...

, Entrepreneur and businessman *

Mitsuru Hattori is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his works ''Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō'' and '' Sankarea: Undying Love'', both of which were adapted into anime television series. Works * (2000–2002, serialized in ''Young Magazine Uppe ...

, Manga artist *

Tsunekazu Ishihara (born 27 November 1957) is a Japanese video game designer, director, producer and businessman who is the president of The Pokémon Company. Prior to working with the Pokémon series, Ishihara was part of Ape Inc. and worked on titles such as '' ...

, President of

The Pokémon Company The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, ''Kabushiki gaisha Pokemon'') is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the '' Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video game ...

External links

* *
Official city website
in Japanese)
Toba tourism association official website
(in Japanese)
A Day Tripper's Guide to Ise and Toba
''Japanzine'' by Zack Davisson

References

{{Authority control Cities in Mie Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Toba, Mie