270px, Komatsushima panorama 270px, Kandase River in Komatsushima 270px, Komatsushima Port 270px, Statue of Minamoto no Yoshitsune 270px, Aerial View of Komatsushima city 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

Tokushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

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 36,128 in 17181 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 800 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Komatsushima is located in eastern Tokushima Prefecture, south of Tokushima city, facing the

Kii Channel The , also called the Kii Strait, is a strait separating the Japanese island of Shikoku from the Kii Peninsula on the main island of Honshū. This strait connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The name of the strait derives from Kii P ...

. The city is built on the delta of the Katsuura River and is surrounded by mountains on its landward sides.

Neighbouring municipalities

Tokushima Prefecture * Awa * Katsuura *

Tokushima is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

Climate

Komatsushima has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Komatsushima is 16.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2128 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 7.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Komatsushima population statistics
/ref> the population of Komatsushima has slowly declined over the past 60 years.

History

As with all of Tokushima Prefecture, the area of Komatsushima was part of ancient Awa Province. During the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

, it was the location where Minamoto no Yoshiatsu landed in Shikoku in his campaign against the

Heike clan The was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period of Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto, the Fujiwara, and the Tachibana. The clan is divided into four major groups, named af ...

at the

Battle of Yashima Battle of Yashima (屋島の戦い) was one of the battles of the Genpei War on March 22, 1185, in the Heian period. It occurred in Sanuki Province (Shikoku), which is now Takamatsu, Kagawa. Background Following a long string of defeats, th ...

. 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 part of the holdings of

Tokushima Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Awa Province and Awaji Province in what is now Tokushima Prefecture and Awaji Island of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Tokushima ...

ruled by the

Hachisuka clan The are descendants of Emperor Seiwa (850-880) of Japan and are a branch of the Ashikaga clan through the Shiba clan (Seiwa Genji) of the Minamoto clan. History Ashikaga Ieuji (13th century), son of Ashikaga Yasuuji, was the first to adopt the ...

from their seat at

Tokushima Castle was an Edo period Japanese castle located in the city of Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1957. Its Omotegoten Gardens are designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty. Hi ...

. 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 ...

, the village of Komatsushima was established within

Katsuura District, Tokushima is a Districts of Japan, district located in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the district has an estimated population of 6,326 and a population density, density of 35.3 persons per km2. The total area is 179.46 km2. Towns a ...

with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on November 1, 1908. In April 1951, Komatsushima annexed the neighboring town of Tatsue. Komatsushima was raised to city status on June 1, 1951. The neighboring town of Sakano was annexed on September 30, 1956.

Government

Komatsushima 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 council of 17 members. Komatsushima, together with the other municipalities of Katsuura District, contributes three members to the

Tokushima Prefectural Assembly is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, ...

. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Tokushima 1st district Tokushima 1st district (徳島県第1区) is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan, located in Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. The district was created in the electoral reform of 1994. Previously, all ...

of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

Komatsushima prospered in 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 ...

as one of the main ports of Shikoku, especially for the export of

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

, which was a major local product. In the modern period, Komatsushima has developed into an industrial and regional commercial center. Agriculture (notably the production of rice, shiitake mushrooms and horticulture and

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...

are significant, but declining, contributors to the local economy. Since the

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 ...

, industries related to textiles, food processing and paper were developed along the Katsuura River: however, the closing of the Toyobo Komatsushima Mill and Nippon Paper Industries Komatsushima Mill in the 2000s and the discontinuation of the Komatsushima Line railway dealt severe blows to the economy.

Education

Komatsushima has 11 public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Tokushima Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

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 it ...

–

Mugi Line The is a railway line in southeastern Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, owned and operated by Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). It connects the prefectural capital of Tokushima with the town of Kaiyō in Kaifu District. The line's official ni ...

* - - -

Highways

* *

Local attractions

Onzan-ji Onzan-ji (Onzan Temple) (Japanese: 恩山寺) is a Koyasan Shingon temple in Komatsushima, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Temple # 18 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, the main image is of Yakushi Nyorai ( Bhaiṣajyaguru: "King of Medicine ...

, 18th temple of the

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 history, ...

. * Tatsue-ji, 19th temple of the

. *Kinchō Tanuki- world's largest bronze tanuki statue *Hatayama Yoshitsune Horse Statue- statue of

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was a commander of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian period, Heian and early Kamakura period, Kamakura periods. During the Genpei War, he led a series of battles that toppled the Ise-Heishi branch of the Taira clan, helping his half-br ...

*Yoshitsune Dream Road

Notable people from Komatsushima

* Hiroyuki Hayashi, football player *

Kunihiko Ikuhara , also known by the nickname Ikuni, is a Japanese director, writer, artist, and music producer. He has created and collaborated on several notable anime and manga series, including ''Sailor Moon'', '' Revolutionary Girl Utena'', '' Penguindrum' ...

, creative artist *

Ren Osugi , born was a Japanese actor. For his work in ''Cure'', '' Hana-bi'' and other films, Osugi was given the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1999 Yokohama Film Festival. He often worked alongside Takeshi Kitano and Susumu Terajima. In the DVD com ...

, actor * Kotori Shigemoto, ''tarento'', fashion model, singer and voice actress *

Toshikazu Yamashita is a Japanese sport shooter. Yamashita represented Japan at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he competed for all three rifle shooting events. In his first event, 10 m air rifle 10 meter air rifle is an International Shooting Sports ...

, sport shooter

References

External links

*
Komatsushima City official website
Cities in Tokushima Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan Komatsushima, Tokushima {{Tokushima-geo-stub