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 ...

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

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 321,938 people in 141760 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 425 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Kōriyama is designated as a

core city In urban planning, a historic core city or central city is the municipality with the largest 1940 population in the present metropolitan area (metropolitan statistical area). This term was retired by the US census bureau and replaced by the term ...

and functions as a commercial center for Fukushima Prefecture. Kōriyama is the third largest

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

History

Kōriyama originated as a regional governmental center in 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 ...

, when the area was on the frontier of

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...

settlement of the Tōhoku region. The surrounding area developed into ''

shōen A was a field or Manorialism, manor in Japan. The Japanese language, Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese language, Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to th ...

'' controlled by various samurai clans in the

Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: * Heian period, an era of Japanese history * Heian-kyō, the Heian-period capital of Japan that has become the present-day city of Kyoto * Heian series, a group of karate kata (forms) * ...

and

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 ...

s. Nearby centers, such as

Nihonmatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 54,013 in 20,179 households, and a population density of 160 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . The Adachi neighborhood of Nihonmatsu was the bir ...

developed into

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

s under

Hatakeyama clan The was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim to political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in batt ...

and which were later controlled by the

Date clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Date", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 5 retrieved 2013-5-5. History The Date fam ...

, Kōriyama remained as a commercial center and thrived as a

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...

because of its importance as a traffic focal point into 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 ...

and was part of the territory of

Nihonmatsu Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in southern Mutsu Province. It was centered on Nihonmatsu Castle in what is now the city of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima, and its territory included all of Nihon ...

. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Kōriyama was established within Asaka District. In 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 ...

, many dispossessed samurai were assigned undeveloped lands in the area to reclaim and as a result, the population grew and region developed into an agricultural center. The relative abundance of

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

also helped with the development of local industry. Kōriyama was raised from town to city status on September 1, 1924 with the annexation of neighboring Odawara Village. Kuwano Village was likewise annexed on June 1, 1925. During the 1930s, Kōriyama was a noted center for military equipment production. It was thus a target for American bombers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and the city was subject to three large-scale air raids during the war. From 1954 to 1955, Kōriyama expanded by annexing the town of Otsuki and portions of the villages of Tomita and Iwae, and in 1965 annexed the villages of Nishida and Nakata. In 1997, the city received

designation, giving it increased autonomy from national and prefectural governments. On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake caused damage, but Kōriyama is located outside of the mandatory evacuation zone set by the Japanese government after the

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which r ...

. Many people from the evacuation zone relocated to Kōriyama. On 30 July 2020, a ''

shabu-shabu ''Shabu-shabu'' () is a Japanese ''nabemono'' hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound – "swish swish" – emitted when the ingredients ...

'' restaurant exploded, damaging an area spanning several hundred meters.

Geography and climate

Kōriyama is located in the center of the

Nakadōri is a region comprising the middle third of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It is sandwiched between the regions of Aizu to the west and Hamadōri to the east. The principal cities of the area are Kōriyama is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Ja ...

region of Fukushima Prefecture in the

of Japan. The Adatara Mountains are to the north,

Lake Inawashiro is the fourth-largest lake in Japan, located in central Fukushima Prefecture, south of Mount Bandai. It is also known as the . The lake is located within the borders of Bandai-Asahi National Park. It is a surface area of , circumference of , de ...

is to the west, and the

Abukuma Highlands The or Abukuma Mountains is a highland area of Japan that extends from the southern part of Miyagi Prefecture to the eastern part of Fukushima Prefecture and then to the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, pref ...

are to the east. The

Abukuma River The , with a length of , is the second longest river in the Tōhoku region of Japan and the 6th longest river in the country. It is designated as a Classification of rivers in Japan, Class A river. It runs through Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi P ...

flows through downtown Kōriyama. The downtown area extends to the west of Kōriyama Station.

Neighboring municipalities

Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . History The area of present-day Aizuwakamatsu ...

* Hirata *

Inawashiro is a town located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,810 in 5309 households, and a population density of 35 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . It is noted as the birthplace of the famous d ...

* Miharu *

Motomiya is a Cities of Japan, city located in north-central Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 30,401 in 10,680 households and a population density of 350 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . It is the sm ...

Ono ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to: Places Fiji * Ono Island (Fiji) Israel * Kiryat Ono * Ono, Benjamin, ancient site Italy * Ono San Pietro Ivory Coast * Ono, Ivory Coast, a village in Comoé District Japan * Ōno Castle, Fukuoka * ...

* Otama *

Sukagawa file:Sukagawa City Hall.jpg, 270px, Sukagawa City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 76,251 in 38824 households, and a population density of 270 persons per km2. The tot ...

* Tamura * Ten-ei

Climate

Kōriyama 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 hot wet summers and cool, quite dry winters. The average annual temperature in Kōriyama is . The average annual rainfall is with September 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, the population of Kōriyama has increased over the past 60 years.

Government

Kōriyama 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 38 members. The city contributes nine members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Kōriyama is part of the Fukushima 2nd Electoral District, which includes neighbouring Nihonmatsu, Motomiya and Adachi District.

Mayors

*1st: Yoshiya Ōmori (大森吉弥、1925–1929) *2nd: Jun Wada (和田潤, 1929–1937) *3rd: Hachirō Murai (村井八郎, 1937–1940) *4th: Ujirō Seki (関卯次郎, 1940–1942) *5th: Hachikurō Ōshima (大島破竹郎, 1942–1947) *6th: Shichiji Itō (伊藤七司, 6 April - 2 May 1947) *7th: Zenko Honma (本間善庫, 1947–1951) *8th: Morishige Tanji (丹治盛重, 1951–1959) *9th: Hiyoshi Hidese (秀瀬日吉, 1959–1977) *10th: Takashi Takahashi (高橋堯, 1977–1985) *11th: Hisashi Aoki (青木久, 1985–1993) *12th: Eiji Fujimori (藤森英二, 1993–2005) *13th: Masao Hara (原正夫, 2005–2013) *14th: Masato Shinagawa (品川萬里, current) Sources:

Economy

Kōriyama city is called the "commercial capital in Fukushima" and the economic bloc is the biggest in

. ;Principal companies headquartered in Koriyama * XEBIO; sporting goods * Kourakuen;

ramen is a Chinese noodle dish popularized in Japan. It includes served in several flavors of broth. Common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen h ...

noodle shop chain *

York Benimaru York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

; large supermarket retailer with networks in south Tōhoku, Nigata, and North Kanto ;Banks headquartered in Koriyama * Daito Bank *

Toho Bank is a Japanese regional bank headquartered in Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū. Toho Bank provides financial services for individual and corporate customers, including deposits, loans, real estate, se ...

Transportation

Kōriyama is an important transportation hub, as it is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture and is the nexus of several railway lines and expressways. Kōriyama Station is the central station for the city. However, Kōriyama does not have an airport.

Railway

JR East 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 ...

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line that runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island, Honshu. Operated by the East Japan Railway Company, it links Tokyo in the south to Aomori in the north, with ...

Tōhoku Main Line The Tōhoku Main Line () is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line starts from Tokyo Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and passes through such cities as Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Uts ...

* - Kōriyama -

- East Ban'etsu Line *Kōriyama -

- West Ban'etsu Line *Kōriyama - - - ] - -

Suigun Line The is a Japanese railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which connects Mito Station (Ibaraki), Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture and Asaka-Nagamori Station in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. All trains on the line continue ...

*Kōriyama - Asaka-Nagamori - -

Highway

* - Asaka PA - Kōriyama-minami IC - Kōriyama IC - Kōriyama JCT * - Kōriyama-higashi IC - Kōriyama JCT - Gohyakugawa PA - Bandai-Atami IC * * * *

Media

Television

Fukushima Central Television , also known as Chūtele (中テレ) or FCT, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System. Their headquarters are located in Fukushima Prefecture. History The birth of the ...

(

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese television station serving the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned and operated by the , a sub ...

chain) *

Fukushima Broadcasting , also known as KFB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the ANN. Their headquarters are located in Kōriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. History Pre-launch Prior to its launch, there were already 2 stations set up in the prefec ...

(

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

chain) CATY *Information Network Kōriyama

Radio

*FM Fukushima (JFN)

Newspaper

*Fukushima Mimpō (Fukushima,

Mainichi The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...

chain) *Fukushima Minyū (Fukushima, Yomiuri chain) * Kahoku Shinpō (

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

)

Education

Universities and colleges

* Kōriyama Women's University Junior College * Kōriyama Women's University & Colleges *

Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...

, Faculty of Engineering * Ohu University *

Open University of Japan is a distance learning university which has students from all over Japan; it accepted its first students in 1985. History Although founded by the national government initiative with a single-issue law and heavily subsidized by the government, i ...

, Fukushima Learning Center

Senior high schools

Kōriyama has ten public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education and six private high schools ;Public (prefectural) *Asaka High School *Asaka Mitate Branch High School *Asaka Reimei High School *Kōriyama High School *Kōriyama Higashi High School *Kōriyama Shōgyō High School *Kōriyama Kita Kōgyō High School *Asaka Kaisei High School *Konan High School *Kōriyama Hōsei High School ;Private *Tohoku High School of

*Shōshi Gakuen Shōshi High School *Teikyō Asaka High School *High School affiliated with Kōriyama Women's Colleges

Junior high schools

;Public *Koriyama First Junior High School *Koriyama Second Junior High School *Koriyama Third Junior High School *Koriyama Fourth Junior High School *Koriyama Fifth Junior High School *Koriyama Sixth Junior High School *Koriyama Seventh Junior High School *Tomita Junior High School *Asaka Junior High School *Asaka Second Junior High School *Ōtsuki Junior High School *Mihota Junior High School *Futase Junior High School *Nishida Junior High School *Katahira Junior High School *Kikuta Junior High School *Midorigaoka Junior High School *Moriyama Junior High School *Hiwada Junior High School *Meiken Junior High School *Koharada Junior High School *Kohken Junior High School *Miyagi Junior High School *Ose Junior High School *Konan Junior High School *Mitate Junior High School *Takase Junior High School *Atami Junior High School ;Private *Xaverio Junior High School

Multi-level schools

*Fukushima Korean School ( - North Korean international school

Notable people from Koriyama

GReeeeN Gre4n Boyz (stylized as GRe4N BOYZ), until March 2024 named Greeeen (stylized as GReeeeN), is a Japanese all-male vocal group from Kōriyama in Fukushima Prefecture, comprising the four members: HIDE, navi, 92 (read as "kuni"), and SOH. They de ...

, band *

Hidekaz Himaruya , also romanized as Hidekaz Himaruya, is a Japanese manga artist best known for his manga series '' Hetalia: Axis Powers''. He emigrated to the United States to study at the Parsons School of Design, but dropped out. He currently lives in Japan ...

, creator Hetalia *

Takeshi Honda is a former Japanese competitive figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2002, 2003), two-time Four Continents champion (1999, 2003), and six-time Japanese national champion. Personal life Takeshi Honda was born on 23 March 1 ...

, Figure skater *

Toru Iwaya is a Japanese mezzotint engraver and painter. Biography Born in Koriyama, Japan in 1936, the youngest child of Iwaya Kanekichi and Kageyama Matsu, Tōru Iwaya went, at the age of 19, to Tokyo. After he graduated from the Tokyo Fisheries (東 ...

, Mezzotint engraver, painter *

Miki Nagasawa is a Japanese voice actress. She was raised in Fukushima. Formerly affiliated for Haikyo, she is affiliated with Atomic Monkey. On anime roles, she voiced the eponymous character in ''Vampire Princess Miyu'', Wedy in ''Death Note'' and Ma ...

, voice actress *, Japanese idol and voice actress * Takumi Nemoto, Politician (

Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare The is a member of the Cabinet of Japan and is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The minister is nominated by the Prime Minister of Japan and is appointed by the Emperor of Japan. Minister Takamaro Fuk ...

) *

Toshiyuki Nishida was a Japanese actor. He won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for '' The Silk Road'' (1988) and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (2003). O ...

, actor * Saga (

Alice Nine is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in Tokyo in 2004. They were a part of PS Company until 2014. The band had King Records as its record label until 2010, when they joined Tokuma Japan. Then, in 2013, the band joined Universal Music Grou ...

), musician * Masashi Ohuchi, Olympic weightlifter * Toshio Tamogami,

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the Aerial warfare, air and space warfare, space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and ...

Joji Yuasa was a Japanese composer of contemporary classical music.Luciana Galliano, ''The Music of Joji Yuasa'' ed. Peter Burt. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012. Early life and education Joji Yuasa was born in Kōriyama, Fukushima on 12 August 1929 ...

, composer *

Yumena Yanai , is a Japanese actress and model. She is signed under the talent agency Irving. Biography Yanai was born on June 21, 2000, in Kōriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture. She is the eldest of four siblings, with two younger brothers and one younger si ...

, actress and model

Sister cities

Japanese sister cities

Nara, Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. , Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is a core ...

, since 5 August 1971 *

Kurume, Fukuoka is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 295,367 in 137,140 households, and a population density of 1309 people per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kurume is located in the Chikugo Plain ...

, since 3 August 1975 *

Tottori, Tottori is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 183,383 in 81,732 households and a population density of 240 persons per km². The total area ...

, since 25 November 2005

International relations

Brummen Brummen () is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands. Brummen has a small railway station - Brummen railway station on the line between Zutphen and Arnhem. The village is situated about sout ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, since 25 June 1988

Local attractions

Festivals

*Kōriyama Uneme Festival *Koriyama Summer Festival - an

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

-style festival. *Koriyama Autumn Festival - includes children's activities, ''

taiko are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...

'' and ''

mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

'' parades.

National Historic Sites

* Ōyasuba Kofun

Pop culture

Both ''Engaged to the Unidentified'' (''未確認で進行形 - Mikakunin de Shinkoukei'') and ''Kimi to Pico-Pico'' (''きみとピコピコ'') manga take place in the city. Fans have created maps in order to make related pilgrimages to their favorite locations.Anime map
of "Kimi to Pico Pico"

References

External links

*

(Japanese/English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Koriyama, Fukushima Cities in Fukushima Prefecture