270px, Ichinomiya Asama Shrine is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 67,300 in 30,408 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

of 340 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Fuefuki is located in central Yamanashi Prefecture at an average altitude of 261 meters. Just over 58% of the area of the city is covered in forest. The Fuefuki River flows through the city.

Neighboring municipalities

The following municipalities surrounding the city clockwise starting from Kōfu. * Fuji-kawaguchiko, Minamitsuru District *

Kōfu is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Overview Toponymy Kōfu ...

* Kōshū * Ōtsuki * Yamanashi

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Fuefuki is 10.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1524 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fuefuki peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

History

Fuefuki was the center of ancient Kai Province and contains many

burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

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 ...

. The ruins of the Kai Kokubun-ji, the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

provincial temple The are Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794). The official name for each temple was Konkomyo Shitenno Gokoku-ji (Konkōmyō Shitennō ...

are also found within the city limits, as is the Ichinomiya Asama Shrine, the ''

ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...

'' of Kai Province. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, all of Kai Province was ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...

'' territory under direct control of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

, with a '' daikansho'' based at the village of Isawa. During the cadastral reform of the early

Meiji period The was 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 colonizatio ...

on April 1, 1889, the rural districts of Higashiyatsushiro and Higashiyamanashi Districts were formed. The modern city of Fuefuki was established on October 12, 2004, from the merger of the towns of

Ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...

, Isawa, Misaka and Yatsushiro, the village of Sakaigawa (all from Higashiyatsushiro District), and the town of Kasugai (from Higashiyamanashi District). The name refers to the Fuefuki River that flows through the city. The city hall is located at the former Isawa Town Hall, and other former towns and village halls were converted to satellite offices. On August 1, 2006, Fuefuki later absorbed the village of Ashigawa (also from Higashiyatsushiro District. Higashiyatsushiro District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Government

Fuefuki 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city legislature of 19 members.

Economy

The economy of Fuefuki is based on agriculture (horticulture), seasonal tourism and the production of wine. Fuefuki is the largest producer of grapes and peaches in Japan.

Education

Fuefuki has 14 public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education. Elementary Schools: #Isawa Minami (South) 石和南 #Isawa Higashi (East) 石和東 #Isawa Kita (North) 石和北 #Fujimi 富士見 #Isawa Nishi (West) 石和西 #Misaka Higashi (East) 御坂東 #Misaka Nishi (West) 御坂西 #Ichinomiya Nishi (West) 一宮西 #Ichinomiya Minami (South) 一宮南 #Ichinomiya Kita (North) 一宮北 #Yatsushiro 八代 #Sakaigawa 境川 #Kasugai 春日居 #Ashigawa 芦川 Junior High Schools: #Isawa 石和 #Misaka 御坂 #Ichinomiya 一宮 #Asakawa 浅川 #Kasugai 春日居 High School: #Fuefuki 笛吹

Gallery

File:Maglev Exhibition Center (31420289212).jpg, A maglev train test run center and Maglev Exhibition Center File:Distant view of the Chuo Shinkansen Yamanashi test track west end.Sept.2013.JPG, Panorama view of Fuefuki and Maglev train test run exhibition

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and 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 are in ...

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

** -

Highways

* Chūō Expressway * * * * *

Sister cities

Tateyama, Chiba is a Cities of Japan, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 44,865 in 20,558 households and a population density of 410 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Tateyama is locat ...

, since May 1973 with former Isawa Town
Fuefuki official home page, City Profile * Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi, since July 1962 with former Misaka Town * Ichinomiya, Chiba, since April 1982 with former Ichinomiya Town *

Yui, Shizuoka was a List of towns in Japan, town located in Ihara District, Shizuoka, Ihara District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2008, the town had an estimated population of 9,085 and a population density, density of 394.5 persons per km2. ...

, since April 1989 with former Yatsushiro Town * Tainai, Niigata, since October 1996 with former Sakaigawa Village *

Sado, Niigata is a city located on in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Since 2004, the city has comprised the entire island, although not all of its total area is urbanized. Sado is the sixth largest island of Japan in area following the four main islands and Ok ...

, since October 1989 with former Kasugai Town *

Bad Mergentheim Bad Mergentheim (; Mergentheim until 1926; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Märchedol'') is a town in the Main-Tauber-Kreis district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It has a population of around 23,000. An officially recogniz ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, Germany, since 1991 with former Isawa Town *

Nuits-Saint-Georges Nuits-Saint-Georges () is a communes of France, commune in the arrondissement of Beaune of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in Eastern France. Wine Nuits-Saint-Georges is ...

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

, France, since 1992 with former Ichinomiya Town * Feicheng,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, China, since 1994 with former Ichinomiya Town

Local attractions

* Yamanashi Prefectural Museum *The Shakado Museum of Jomon Culture

Notable people from Fuefuki

* Dakotsu Iida, haiku poet

In popular culture

* Fuefuki serves as the inspiration for the fictional town of Inaba in the 2008 video game

Persona 4 is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the ''Persona (series), Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, and was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in Ju ...

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Authority control Cities in Yamanashi Prefecture Fuefuki, Yamanashi