Natori, Miyagi
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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
Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...
,
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 79,459 in 31,748 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 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is .


Geography

Natori is in east-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
to the east. Natori is located in the fertile plains of the Natori River and the Masuda River
deltas A river delta is a landform, wikt:archetype#Noun, archetypically triangular, created by the deposition (geology), deposition of the sediments that are carried by the waters of a river, where the river merges with a body of slow-moving water or ...
; however, the Natori River is actually not inside Natori city limits. Traditionally, the area known as Natori District extended from the Natori River in the north and into the west. However, these regions have been absorbed into the greater
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. ...
area and are no longer part of Natori.


Neighboring municipalities

Miyagi Prefecture * Iwanuma * Murata *
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. ...


Climate

Natori has a humid climate (
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'') characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Natori 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 Natori has increased over the past 40 years.


History

The area of present-day Natori was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and was under control of 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 ...
of
Sendai Domain The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Sendai Domain was based at Aoba Castle in Mutsu Province, in the modern city of Sendai, located in the Tōhoku region of ...
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 ...
, under 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 ...
. In 1867, Natori came within the borders of the new
Rikuzen Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Miyagi Prefecture (excluding Igu, Katta and Watari Districts) and parts of Iwate Prefecture (specifically Kesen District). Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Rikuzen''" in . It was sometimes c ...
, which later became part of Miyagi Prefecture. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 Natori District was formed with six villages: Masuda, Higashi-Taga, Shimo-Masuda, Tatekoshi, Aishiwa and Takadate. On April 1, 1896 Masuda was elevated to town status as was Higashi-Taga on April 1, 1928. On April 1, 1955 the towns of Masuda and Yuriage, and the villages of Shimo-Masuda, Tatekoshi, Aishiwa and Takadate were merged to create the town of Natori, which was elevated to city status on October 1, 1958. The official boundaries of Natori City have changed since 1958, as
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. ...
City redefines its area to include districts to the north and west of Natori.


Damage and casualties from 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

The area was badly affected by the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a  9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
. Large portions of the coastal area including Sendai Airport was severely damaged by the tsunami. On March 14, rescue workers arrived in an area of Natori known as Yuriage and found few survivors, as much of the Yuriage area was wiped out. The population had 30 minutes between the earthquake and the tsunami and though many had time to escape city officials initially said it was impossible to determine the number of casualties.


Government

Natori 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 21 members. Natori contributes two seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Miyagi 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

Natori has a mixed economy. Based on data collected in 2000: *6.4% of the population of Natori is involved in the primary
agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...
and
fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...
industries. *26.1% of the population of Natori is involved in secondary processing industries, particularly at the
Nikon (, ; ) is a Japanese optics and photographic equipment manufacturer. Nikon's products include cameras, camera lenses, binoculars, microscopes, ophthalmic lenses, measurement instruments, rifle scopes, spotting scopes, and equipment related to S ...
Camera factory and at the
Sapporo Breweries is a Japanese beer brewing company founded in 1876. Sapporo, the oldest brand of beer in Japan, was first brewed in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in 1876 by Seibei Nakagawa. The world headquarters of Sapporo Breweries is in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo. The co ...
factory.


Public facilities


Medical facilities

Natori is home to the Miyagi Prefectural Psychiatric Medical Center and the Prefectural Cancer Center.


Educational and cultural facilities

Natori's educational facilities include a
private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...
( Shokei Gakuin University). The city has eleven public elementary schools and five public junior high schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped and two technical schools. The Natori City Library has a collection of approximately 140,000 books (two books for every person in the city) as of 2002. The has a medium-sized hall and rehearsal room, a music room, a cultural centre which includes an exhibition gallery, a professional concert hall and stage, catering facilities and meeting rooms, and other general-purpose facilities for communal use. The structure was designed by
Fumihiko Maki was a Japanese architect. In 1993, he received the Pritzker Prize for his work, which often explores pioneering uses of new materials and fuses the cultures of east and west. Maki died on 6 June 2024, at the age of 95. Early life Maki was born ...
and is considered a local attraction. Additionally, Natori is home to a Media Resource Centre, a community gym, the Miyagi Cycling Centre, and several public beaches and swimming pools.


Transportation


Airport

* Sendai Airport


Railway

-
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 ...
/
Jōban Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi. However, following ...
* - - Sendai Airport Line * - - -


Highway

*  – Minami-Sendai IC *  – Natori and Sendai Airport IC *  – Yamada IC * *


Local attractions


Festivals

The Natori Summer
Festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
is held in early August, and is a town celebration of summer. The celebration is marked by fireworks and traditional Japanese festival foods, such as ''
yakisoba (, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...
'' and ''
yakiniku , meaning "grilling, grilled meat", is a Japanese language, Japanese term that, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat cuisine. Today, "yakiniku" commonly refers to a style of cooking bite-size meat (usually beef and offal) and vegetables ...
''. The Sapporo Beer Festival is held at the Sapporo Beer Factory. The factory opens to the public for tours of the factory and other events including free beer tasting. The ''Donto-sai'' Festival is held at the height of winter. Men and women wear only sparse, white clothing and walk silently through the town, receiving ''
sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...
'' from local residents along the way. The event culminates in a communal purification ritual and bonfire at Takekoma Shrine.


Sports

The Natori Sports Park, constructed by Tohoku Electric, is a public area used for various sports meetings and other community events, such as open-air markets.


Historical sites

The Nakazawa Family , ancestral home of the Nakazawa Clan of '' bushi'' warriors, has been designated a
National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...
under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. It was constructed in the late 18th century and has an historically important design, including a thatched roof. The is a keyhole
tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), 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 through ...
constructed sometime circa the 4th and 5th centuries CE, located in an archaeological park. The park contains numerous other tumuli of varying age, both keyhole and circular. It is a National Historic Site. Natori contains many ''kofun'' tumuli, including the , which is also a National Historic Site. Natori is home to several sites and artifacts related to
Date Masamune was a Japanese ''daimyō'' during the Azuchi–Momoyama period through the early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful feudal lords in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he w ...
, the founder of
Sendai Domain The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Sendai Domain was based at Aoba Castle in Mutsu Province, in the modern city of Sendai, located in the Tōhoku region of ...
. These include 300-year-old pine trees standing by the Natori River dike, which are decorated with paper lanterns and are said to have been planted by Masamune himself.


Other sites

Natori, as a coastal town, has open local fresh fish markets. These markets are open in the port district, every Sunday throughout most of the year.


Specialty products, items and gifts

Because of the Japanese tradition of
gift-giving A gift or present is an item given to someone (who is not already the owner) without the expectation of payment or anything in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is intended to be free. In many cou ...
, most cities in Japan have something considered a "local specialty" to be used as '' omiyage''. Natori's main ''omiyage'' specialty is ''
kamaboko is a type of Curing (chemistry), cured , a processed seafood product common in Japanese cuisine. It was initially made in the year 1115. Production and uses is made by forming various Purée, pureed deboned whitefish (fisheries term), whit ...
'', a fish paste boiled in bamboo grass. Another local specialty is "beer-tella", a form of '' castella''
sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated during ...
that has been made with
brewer's yeast ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungal microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been o ...
rather than
baker's yeast Baker's yeast is the common name for the strains of yeast commonly used in baking bread and other bakery products, serving as a leavening agent which causes the bread to rise (expand and become lighter and softer) by converting the fermentable ...
. As one might expect, "beer-tella" smells strongly of beer, and is made at the Sapporo Beer Factory.


Sister cities

*
Guararapes Guararapes is a municipality near Araçatuba in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population is 33,100 (2020 est.) in an area of 956 km2. The elevation is 415 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language, meaning "drums". Media In ...
, Brazil, since March 31, 1979 *
Kaminoyama, Yamagata 250px, Hayama neighborhood in Kaminoyama is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 29,617 in 11278 households, and a population density of 120 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . G ...
, Japan since May 10, 1978 *
Shingū, Wakayama file:Shingu City Hall 2021-10 ac (2).jpg, 270px, Shingū city hall file:Shingu city center area Aerial photograph.2019.jpg, 270px, Shingū city aerial photograph file:171008 Shingu Castle Shingu Wakayama pref Japan22n.jpg, 270px, Shingū Castle ru ...
, Japan since October 8, 2008


Notable people from Natori, Miyagi

* Midori Kuzuoka, Japanese
fashion model A model is a person with a role either to display commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as an artist's model. Modelling ("modeling" in American English) entails using one's body to represent someone ...
* Yudai Tanaka, Japanese football player (
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima () is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Ja ...
,
J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...
)


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Cities in Miyagi Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan