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

Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...

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 has 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 23,527, with 7,973

household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

s, 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 93 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Katsuyama was the ninth-best ranking city in a ranking that compared health and sanitation in cities around the world published in April 2007.

Geography

Katsuyama is located in the Katsuyama Basin of far northern Fukui Prefecture, bordered by

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

to the north, and surrounded by mountains on all sides. The Kuzuryū River flows through part of the city. Parts of the city are within the borders of Hakusan National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

*Fukui Prefecture ** Eiheiji ** Fukui ** Ōno **

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

** Hakusan ** Kaga ** Komatsu

Climate

Katsuyama has a Humid climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Katsuyama is . The average annual rainfall is with July 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,Katsuyama population statistics
/ref> the population of Katsuyama has been declining over the past 50 years.

History

Katsuyama is part of ancient

Echizen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga Province, Kaga, Wakasa Province, Wakasa, Hida Province, Hida, and Ōmi Provin ...

. 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 ...

, the area was divided between the holdings of Echizen-Katsuyama Domain, Fukui Domain, Ōno Domain, and Gujō Domain. 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, it was organised into part of Ōno District in Fukui Prefecture. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Katsuyama was established. It annexed the village of Inose on April 15, 1931, On September 1, 1954, Katsuyama merged with the villages of Arado, Muraoka, Kitago, Kitadani, Shikadani, Osoha, Heisen-ji and Nomuki to form the city of Katsuyama.

Government

Katsuyama 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 16 members.

Economy

The economy of Katsuyama is primarily agricultural.

Education

Katsuyama has nine public elementary schools and three middle schools operated by the city government, and one combined private elementary/middle school. The city has one public high school operated by the Fukui Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school.

Transportation

Railway

Echizen Railway Katsuyama Eiheiji Line ** - - -

Highway

* 20px

Hokuriku Expressway The , (abbreviated as , is a 4-laned national Expressways of Japan, expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company and Central Nippon Expressway Company. Overview The first section was opened in 1972 by Japan ...

* *

International relations

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population ...

, United States, friendship city

Local attractions

* Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum * Heisenji Hakusan Jinja * Katsuyama Castle

Notable people from Katsuyama

* Unshō Ishizuka, voice actor *

Genichiro Tenryu , better known as is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was h ...

, Japanese Former Professional Wrestler * Akane Yamaguchi, Japanese badminton player

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Cities in Fukui Prefecture