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

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 787,592 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the n ...

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 29,659 in 13,141 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 120 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is the home of the indigenous Koshu grape and is synonymous with

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

and

wine production Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers ...

in Japan.

Geography

Kōshū is in northeastern Yamanashi Prefecture, occupying the eastern portion of the Kofu Basin. Parts of the city are within the borders of the

Chichibu Tama Kai National Park is a national park in Japan at the intersection of Saitama, Yamanashi, Nagano and Tokyo Prefectures. With eight peaks over 2000 m scattered over 1250 km2, there are numerous hiking trails and ancient shrines. The best known landmarks a ...

. The peak of

Mount Daibosatsu Mount Daibosatsu (大菩薩嶺) stands in the Yamanashi side of Chichibu Tama Kai National Park. The peak itself is in Kōshū, Yamanashi. It is high. Daibosatsu Pass divides Kōshū from Kosuge Village. Trails lead to the top from Kōshū, Ta ...

, at 2,057 meters, is within the city limits.

Rivers

Fuefuki River is a river located in the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan. It is a tributary of the Fuji River. Geography The Fuefuki River has its source the neighboring mountains of Mount Kobushi on the southern slope of Mount Kobushi in the north of Yama ...

Omo River(Yamanashi) The Omo River (; also called Omo-Bottego) in southern Ethiopia is the largest Ethiopian river outside the Nile Basin. Its course is entirely contained within the boundaries of Ethiopia, and it empties into Lake Turkana on the border with Kenya. Th ...

*Hi River

Neighboring municipalities

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

Chichibu is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 61,159 in 26,380 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Geography Chichibu is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unlik ...

*Yamanashi Prefecture **

Fuefuki file:Ichinomiya asama-jinja.jpg, 270px, Ichinomiya Asama Shrine is a Cities of Japan, city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 67,300 in 30,408 households, and a population density of 340 persons per km2. The ...

** Kosuge ** Ōtsuki **

Tabayama is a List of villages in Japan, village located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 530, and a population density of 5.79 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . Geography Located in the nort ...

** Yamanashi

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively 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 Kōshū is 10.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1477 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kōshū has declined in recent decades.

History

Kōshū is located near the center of ancient Kai Province and contains many ruins from the

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 ...

and

burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

from the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

. During the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, the area was developed in ''

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 ...

'' under control of the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

, which devolved into feudal holdings by the Nikaido clan and later the

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

from the

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

through

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

s. 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 ...

, all of Kai Province was ''

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 ...

. 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 area was organized into villages within Yamanashi District of Yamanashi Prefecture, which was later divided into Higashiyamanashi District and Nishiyamanashi District Many of these villages were consolidated into the city of

Enzan was a cities of Japan, city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 5, 1954. As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 25,856 and the population density, density of 139.96 persons per km2. The total area w ...

, the town of

Katsunuma Katsunuma may refer to: *Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma, battle between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan *Katsunuma, Yamanashi, town located in Higashiyamanashi District, Yamanashi, Japan * Katsunuma Nobutomo ( ...

, and the village 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 ...

by April 1, 1955. The modern city of Kōshū was established on November 1, 2005, from the merger of these three municipalities.

Government

Kōshū 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 18 members. The city supplies two members to the Yamanashi Prefectural Assembly.

Economy

Most of the area of the city is agricultural, and is especially known for its production of peaches, grapes and wine.

Education

Kōshū has 14 public elementary schools and six public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education. Then prefectural also operates the Yamanashi Industrial Technology Junior College.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company 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 ...

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

** - –

Highway

Chūō Expressway The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and operated by NEXCO Central. Naming Officially the expressway is designated as the Chūō Expressway Nishinomiya Route (from Takaido Interchange to Komaki Junction), the Chūō Expressway N ...

* * *

Sister cities

Ames, Iowa Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines in central Iowa. It is the home of Iowa State University (ISU). According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Ames ha ...

, United States, since September 20, 1993 with former Enzan City *

Beaune Beaune (; in Burgundian: ''Beane'') is widely considered to be the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and a major ...

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

, France, since September 18, 1976 with former Katsunuma City *

Futtsu, Chiba 260px, Futtsu City Hall is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,476 in 18,115 households and a population density of 210 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Futtsu is lo ...

, since December 1, 1977 with former Enzan City *

Turpan Turpan () or Turfan ( zh, s=吐鲁番) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of the Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of Xinjiang, China. It has an area of and a population of 693,988 (2020). The historical center of the ...

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

, China, since October 3, 2000 with former Katsunuma City

Local attractions

Places

Daizen-ji is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism, located in the city of Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japan. Its main image is a '' hibutsu'' statue of Yakushi Nyōrai, shown to the public every five years, History The temple cl ...

, Buddhist temple with a Yakushi-do designated as a National Treasure *

Erin-ji , is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Myōshin-ji branch of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. Located in the city of Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japan. It is the clan temple of the Takeda clan, noted Sengoku period warlords and rulers of Kai Provi ...

, Buddhist temple with Japanese garden designed as a national Place of Scenic Beauty * Kaikinzan gold mines, Sengoku period mine and National Historic Site * Katsunuma clan residence ruins, a National Historic Site *

Kōgaku-ji , originally Kōgaku-an, is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. located in the city of Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japan. It is the head temple of one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school. Its main image is ...

, Buddhist temple with Japanese garden designed as a national Place of Scenic Beauty * Mitake Shōsenkyō, River gorge and nationally designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty *Shakado Museum Of Jomon Culture

Events

Every year in autumn the "Koshu Fruit Marathon" is held. While it is called a "marathon" (the word is commonly used in Japan to describe races of varying distances) it actually consists of several shorter races, a 3.5 family race, a 10 km race, a half-marathon, and a 23 km race.Koshu Fruit Marathon websit
Course
Retrieved on November 6, 2012

Notable people

Eijun Kiyokumo is a former Japanese football player and manager. He played for Japan national team. Club career Kiyokumo was born in Koshu on September 11, 1950. After graduating from Hosei University, he joined Furukawa Electric in 1973. In 1976, the club ...

, professional football player *

Tomokazu Miura is a Japanese actor. Life and career Miura attended Hino high school in Tokyo. He was originally a member of rock group RC Succession, but was asked to leave the group by their management when they signed a record contract. However, impressed b ...

, actor *

Hiroko Nakamura was a Japanese pianist. Born Hiroko Fukuda in Yamanashi, she grew up in Tokyo. She began to study piano at the age of 3 at Toho Gakuen School of Music under Aiko Iguchi. In 1959, whilst a student at Chutobu Junior High School, she won first ...

, pianist *

Yoshio Tsuchiya was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Toshio Matsumoto's surreal ''Bara No Soretsu'' (a.k.a. '' Funeral Parade of Roses'') and Akira Kurosawa's ''Seven Samurai'' (as the firebrand farmer Rikichi) and '' Red Beard'', and Kihachi Okam ...

, actor * Terutomo Yamazaki, karateka and kick boxer

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koshu, Yamanashi Cities in Yamanashi Prefecture