is one of the 18

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the city of

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

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 ...

. As of 2010, the ward 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 197,019 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...

of 15,550 persons per km². The total area was 12.67 km². It is located in the southeastern part of the city and has a mix of busy areas near train stations and quiet residential neighborhoods. The ward is crossed by the Ōoka River, and its riverside is popular among tourists and locals for cherry blossoms in the spring. Minami Ward is home to Gumyō-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Yokohama.

Geography

Minami Ward is located in eastern Kanagawa Prefecture, and south of the geographic center of the city of Yokohama. Large buildings and apartment complexes are built up along the area surrounding the highways and railways in the Ward; and all other parts of the Ward are residential areas. The Ōoka River is the major river in the Ward, and in spring many

cherry blossoms The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

come into full bloom on its banks. Gumyō-ji, located in the southern part of the ward, is the oldest Buddhist temple in Yokohama.

Surrounding municipalities

* Hodogaya Ward * Nishi Ward * Isogo Ward * Naka Ward * Totsuka Ward * Konan Ward

History

Part of the domains of the

Miura clan The was one of the branch families descended from the Taira clan. They held large fiefs, and retained great political influence. They were one of the primary opponents of the Hōjō clan, Hōjō family of Shikken, regents in the mid-13th ce ...

during and after the

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 ...

, the area of present-day Minami Ward was part of the ''

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 in

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

controlled directly by 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 ...

, but administered through various ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

''. During the

Bakumatsu period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

, the area was the site of the 1863 Idogaya Incident in which anti-foreign ''

rōnin In feudal Japan to early modern Japan (1185–1868), a ''rōnin'' ( ; , , 'drifter' or 'wandering man', ) was a samurai who had no lord or master and in some cases, had also severed all links with his family or clan. A samurai became a ''rō ...

'' assassinated a soldier of the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

mission in Yokohama, precipitating a

diplomatic incident An international incident (or diplomatic incident) is a dispute between two or more states that are not settled judicially. International incidents can arise from unanticipated actions involving citizens, government officials, or armed units of ...

. After 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 transferred to the new Kuraki District of

, and divided into numerous villages. The area was absorbed into the growing city of Yokohama in four phases: 1895, 1901, 1905 and 1927. On October 1, 1927, what is now Minami Ward became part of Naka Ward within Yokohama. On December 1, 1943, Naka Ward was divided into present-day Naka Ward and Minami Ward. In a major administrative reorganization of October 1, 1969, Minami Ward was further divided into the present-day Minami Ward and Kōnan Ward. Koganecho, an area known since World War II for black marketing and brothels, was located along the

Ōoka River The is a river that flows through Yokohama, Japan. It is 14 km long and over 80 bridges are built on the river. There are large numbers of cherry tree A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe ( ...

in the ward. In preparation for Yokohama's 2009 150th anniversary celebrations of opening up as a port, police chased away the prostitutes from the area starting in 2005. Since then, the area has undergone redevelopment.

Economy

Minami Ward is largely a regional commercial center and

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for central Yokohama and Tokyo due to its extensive commuter train infrastructure.

Transportation

Railroads

Keihin Electric Express Railway (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. ...

Keikyū Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keikyu. The line connects the Tokyo wards of Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Shinagawa, Ōta, Tokyo, Ōta, and the Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa municipalities o ...

** – - – *

Yokohama City Transportation Bureau The Yokohama City Transportation Bureau, legally the is the local government administrative agency in charge of public transportation, public transport services in the city of Yokohama, Japan. Subway operations The Yokohama Municipal Subway con ...

– Blue Line ** – – –

Highways

*Shuto Expressway Kanagawa No. 3 *Yokohama Yokosuka Road * Route 16

Prefecture roads

*Kanagawa Prefecture Road 21 *Kanagawa Prefecture Road 218

Education

Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education The is the board of education for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. The board consists of six members; one of them is elected as the chair, and one of them is appointed by the board as the superintendent. The board administers municipal education an ...

operates prefectural high schools: * * operates municipal high schools: * * Private schools: * Aoyama Gakuin Yokohama Eiwa High School (formerly Yokohama Eiwa Girls' School) * The municipal board of education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Municipal junior high schools: * Fujinoki (藤の木) * Heiraku (平楽) * Kyoshin (共進) * Maita (蒔田) * Minami (南) * Minamigaoka (南が丘) * Mutsukawa (六ツ川) * Nagata (永田) Municipal elementary schools:
From this link
/ref> * Bessho (別所) * Fujinoki (藤の木) * Hie (日枝) * Idogaya (井土ケ谷) * Ishikawa ( 石川) * Maita (蒔田) * Minami (南) * Minami Ota (南太田) * Minami Yoshida ( 南吉田) * Mutsukawa (六つ川) * Mutsukawadai (六つ川台) * Mutsukawa Nishi (六つ川西) * Nagata (永田) * Nagatadai (永田台) * Nakamura ( 中村) * Ooka (大岡) * Ota (太田) Fujimidai Elementary School ( 富士見台小学校), Sakuraoka Elementary School (桜岡小学校), Setogaya Elementary School (瀬戸ケ谷小学校), and Takigashira Elementary School (滝頭小学校), which have their campuses outside of Minami-ku, have zones that includes portions of Minami-ku.

Local attractions

Gumyōji is a neighborhood located in Minami-ku, Yokohama, Minami-ku in the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In reference to the Keikyū Main Line, Keikyu Line, it is between Kami-Ōoka Station, Kami-Ōoka and Idogaya Stations. Within Gum ...

temple * Yokohama Municipal Children's Botanical Garden * (in ) *

Ōyamanezunomikoto Shinji Kyōkai is a Shinto-based Japanese new religion. The headquarters of Ōyamanezunomikoto Shinji Kyōkai is located near Maita Station (Kanagawa), Maita Station in Minami-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Name of the organization The name of the organization can be a ...

headquarters

Noted people from Minami Ward

* Yuki Saito, actress * Erika Umeda, singer *

Tadanobu Asano better known by his stage name is a Japanese actor, director, and musician, who has had an extensive career working in both Japanese and international cinema. He has been nominated for five Japan Academy Film Prizes, twice for Best Actor and ...

, singer * Yuichi Nakamura, actor *

Akira Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor. He played several notable roles in Japanese manga and anime television series, including Kenshiro in ''Fist of the North Star'', Ryo Saeba in '' City Hunter'', Shutaro Mendo in ''Urusei Yatsura'' and Kogoro Mori (fir ...

, voice actor *

Shunji Karube is a retired Japanese athlete who specialized in the 400 metres hurdles and occasionally the 400 metres. He teaches sports at Hosei University.Minami Ward Office

* {{Authority control Wards of Yokohama