280px, Zensui-ji in Konan
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 southern
Shiga Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...
,
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 54,607 in 24305 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 780 persons per km².
The total area of the city is .
Geography
Konan, as its name implies, is south of
Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...
in the center of the southern portion of Shiga Prefecture The city does not actually border the lake. The Ansei Mountains are in the south of the city and the Iwane Mountains in the north, with the Yasu River running from east-to-west through the center.
Neighboring municipalities
Shiga Prefecture
*
Kōka
*
Rittō
*
Ryūō
Ryūō (also Ryu-O, Ryu-oh, Ryuuou; in Japanese: 龍王, 竜王, lit. " Dragon King") is an annual Japanese professional shogi tournament and the title of its winner. The current Ryūō title holder is Sōta Fujii.
The Ryūō Tournament (''Ryū ...
*
Yasu
Climate
Konan 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 to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Konan is 14.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1430 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.6 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Konan increased rapidly in the 1970s but has plateaued in recent decades.
History
Konan is part of ancient
Ōmi Province
was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō Circuit (subnational entity), circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, ...
and contains
Ishibe-juku, the 51st
post station on the route of the
Tōkaidō highway connecting
Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180.
Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mo ...
with the eastern provinces 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 village of Ishibe was established within
Kōka District, Shiga
was a district located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 147,928 and a density of 267.90 persons per km2. The total area was 552.18 km2.
From circa 1460 until 1574, during the Sengoku pe ...
with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was elevated to town status on June 1, 1903. On October 1, 2004, Ishibe merged with the neighboring town of
Kōsei (also from Kōka District) to form the city of Konan. I
Government
Konan 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 18 members. Konan contributes two members to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of
Shiga 3rd district 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
The economy of Konan is centered on agriculture and light manufacturing. The Konan Industrial Park on the
Meishin Expressway is the largest
industrial park
An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...
in the prefecture.
Education
Konan has nine public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government. There are two public high schools operated by the Shiga Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.
Transportation
Railway
JR West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...
–
Kusatsu Line
* - -
Highway
*
Meishin Expressway
*
*
Friendship cities
*
St. Johns, Michigan, United States, since 2004
Local attractions
*
Chōjū-ji, Buddhist temple with National Treasure main hall
*site of
Ishibe-juku
*
Jōraku-ji, Buddhist temple with National Treasure main hall and three-story pagoda
*
Zensui-ji, Buddhist temple with National Treasure main hall
Notable people
*
Kei Aran, actress
*
Tenzo Okumura, politician
*
Yuta Shimizu, tennis player
References
External links
*
Konan City official website
{{Authority control
Cities in Shiga Prefecture
Konan, Shiga