Kiso Sansen Park Center 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 ...

located in

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

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 34,960, 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 310 persons per km², in 12,167 households. The total area of the city was . Most of the city is located at

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

and is well known for

levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...

s surrounding the area.

Geography

Kaizu is located in the extreme southwest corner of Gifu Prefecture. Levees are the most visible feature surrounding the city. To the west of the city is the border of Gifu and Mie prefectures, where the Yōrō Mountains run from north-to-south and the three major rivers of the

Nōbi Plain The is a large plain in Japan that stretches from the Mino area of southwest Gifu Prefecture to the Owari area of northwest Aichi Prefecture and extreme northern Mie Prefecture, covering an area of approximately .

(the Ibi, Nagara, and Kiso rivers) merge. The Tsuya, Ōgure, and Ōe rivers also flow through the city.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and 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 Kaizu is 15.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1773 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.3 °C.

Neighbouring municipalities

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

** Aisai **

Inazawa is a Cities of Japan, city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 135,580 in 54,999 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city was . Geography Inazawa is located in the flatlands o ...

*Gifu Prefecture ** Hashima ** Wanouchi ** Yōrō *

Mie Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, 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 an ...

** Inabe ** Kuwana

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Kaizu population statistics
/ref> the population of Kaizu peaked around the year 2000 and has declined steadily since.

History

The area around Kaizu was part of traditional

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated fo ...

. A

midden A midden is an old dump for domestic waste. It may consist of animal bones, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human oc ...

from

Jōmon period In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...

was found in Kaizu, which includes sea shells, tools, and human remains. These artifacts indicate that the area was settled as early as 2,500 years ago. Around these period, Kaizu was much closer to the ocean and many basket clam shells can be found. In 1319, towards the end of the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

, the first circle levee was completed. Originally, levees were only on the upstream portion of the city, leaving the downstream side vulnerable to floods. Once the full circle levee was completed, numerous other circle levees were built in the surrounding area. 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 ...

, most of the area was divided between

Takasu Domain The was a Japanese Han (Japan), domain located in Mino Province (present-day Kaizu, Gifu). For most of its history, it was ruled by the Takasu-Matsudaira, a branch of the Tokugawa clan of Owari Domain. Matsudaira Katamori, Matsudaira Sadaaki, To ...

and ''

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 ...

. Many of the events of the 1754 Horeki River incident occurred in this area. During the post-

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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

cadastral reforms, the area was organised into Ishizu District, Gifu. The town of Takasu was created on July 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. During the early Meiji period, the foreign advisor

Johannis de Rijke was a Dutch civil engineer and a o-yatoi gaikokujin, foreign advisor to the Japanese government in Meiji period Japan. He made significant contributions in the enhancement of Japan's river systems and the development of its port facilities, whic ...

worked on improving

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

and man of the dikes in this area. The town of Kaizu was established on January 15, 1954 by the merger of Takasu with four neighbouring villages. The modern city of Kaizu was established on March 28, 2005, from the merger of the former town of Kaizu, absorbing the towns of Hirata and Nannō (all from Kaizu District).

Government

Kaizu 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 15 members.

Economy

Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy, with rice, wheat, soybeans, cucumbers, tomatoes and green pepper as the primary crops. The city is also home to ''mikan'' producers. Kaizu is the northernmost point in Japan that grows ''satsuma mikan'' extensively.

Education

Kaizu has ten public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.

Transportation

Railway

Yōrō Railway Yōrō Line The is a rail transport, railway line of a Japanese private railway operator . The line traverses the northeastern side of the Yōrō Mountains and connects Kuwana Station in Kuwana, Mie, Kuwana, Mie Prefecture and Ibi Station in Ibigawa, Gifu, ...

** - - - -

Highway

Sister cities

Avondale, Arizona Avondale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 89,334, up from 76,238 in 2010 and ...

, United States, since May 12, 1993

Local attractions

Kaizu is home to Kisosansen Park. This is the location at which the Nagara, Ibi, and Kiso rivers meet. A panoramic view of the area can be viewed from an observation tower located in Kisosansen Park.

References

External links

Kaizu City official website
{{Authority control Cities in Gifu Prefecture Populated places established in 2005 2005 establishments in Japan