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

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

, in the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Ya ...

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 169,984 in 65,553 households, with 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 1,054 persons per km². The total area of the city was . It is a regional commercial and manufacturing center and the country's leading producer of powdered

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

Geography

Nishio is situated on the northern coast of

Mikawa Bay Mikawa Bay (Landsat photo) Mikawa Bay (三河湾 ''Mikawa-wan'') is a bay to the south of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, surrounded by Chita Peninsula The Chita Peninsula (知多半島 ''Chita Hantō'') is a peninsula to the south of Aichi Prefect ...

on 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 ...

in southern Aichi Prefecture. The city lies along the eastern bank of the Yahagi River. Sheltered by

Chita Peninsula The Chita Peninsula (知多半島 ''Chita Hantō'') is a peninsula to the south of Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan. It runs approximately north-south. To the west is Ise Bay, while to the east it encloses Mikawa Bay. It faces the Atsu ...

and

Atsumi Peninsula The is a peninsula in southern Aichi Prefecture, central Honshū, Japan. Geography It has an approximate length of east-west, separating Mikawa Bay (to the north) from the Pacific Ocean to the south, with Ise Bay lying to its west. It fa ...

, the local climate is mild. Parts of the city lie within the borders of the Mikawa Wan Quasi-National Park

Climate

The city has a climate 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 Nishio is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1596 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.5 °C. Gamagōri, Aichi is the closest point that records statistical climate information.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nishio has been increased steadily over the past 70 years.

Surrounding municipalities

;

Aichi prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

Anjō is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,693 in 76,087 households, and a population density of 2,193 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Anjō is situated in ...

Gamagōri is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,063 in 32,800 households, and a population density of 1,407 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Gamagōri is situated on ...

* Hekinan * Kōta *

Okazaki Okazaki may refer to: *Okazaki (surname) *Okazaki, Aichi, a city in Japan *Okazaki Castle, a castle in Japan *Okazaki fragments Okazaki fragments are short sequences of DNA nucleotides (approximately 150 to 200 base pairs long in eukaryotes) w ...

History

Origin

The Mikawa area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, as attested by finds of pottery shards 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 the megalithic

Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumulus, tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞 ...

tomb in Kira, the oldest in the

Mikawa Province was an Provinces of Japan, old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari Province, O ...

Ancient history

The fertile plains along the Yahagi River have been used for rice-farming as well as the production of tea and cotton since ancient times. Shell mounds dating to the late

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC, with recent authors suggesting that there is good evi ...

period which have been found in what is today the town center also point to fish and seafood as important early local produce. In Hazu, a shrine from 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 ...

is evidence of an early cultural connection to the Japanese capital at the time. The soil around Nishio is rich in

mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...

deposits, which was already mined in the

Early modern period

During the 15th century

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 ...

, Nishio was the home territory for the

Sakai clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Nitta clan, Nitta branch of the Minamoto clan, who were in turn descendants of Emperor Seiwa. Serata (Nitta) Arichika, a samurai of the 14th century, was the common a ...

, based at Nishio Castle. The area eventually came under the control of the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

, and 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 ...

, most of the area was ruled as the

Nishio Domain was a feudal domain of the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in former Mikawa Province, in what is now the modern-day city of Nishio in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was centered on Nishio Castle. History When Tokugawa Ieyasu bec ...

, a minor '' fudai'' feudal domain 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 ...

. The area prospered as a fishing port, and due to its location on the Tōkaidō highway connecting

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

with

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

, although the town itself suffered heavy damage due to a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

in the

1707 Hōei earthquake The struck south-central Japan at around 13:45 local time on 28 October. It was the largest earthquake in Japanese history until it was surpassed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. It caused moderate-to-severe damage throughout southwestern Hons ...

Late modern period

Early in the

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 ...

, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, Nishio was proclaimed a village in Hazu District in 1871. Following the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake, a tsunami killed over 60 people. Nishio was elevated to town status on May 1, 1906. The town suffered damage in the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, which killed 32 people, and the 1945 Mikawa earthquake, which killed 765.

Contemporary history

After the end of World War II, Nishio attracted many workers from the rural south of Japan and its population increased. In 1953, Nishio became a city with the annexation of neighboring Heisaka and Terazu towns and Fukuchi and Muroba villages; followed by Miwa and Meiji villages in 1955. In 1959,

Typhoon Vera Typhoon Vera, also known as the , was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959, becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall (meteorology), landfall on the country, as well as ...

caused considerable damage to the area, with 20 people killed. On April 1, 2011, the towns of

Hazu The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

, Isshiki and Kira (all from Hazu District) were merged into Nishio. Hazu District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Government

Nishio 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 30 members. The city contributes two members to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 12 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 ...

Public services

Administration

Nishio's City Hall is located in Chodacho, about half a mile to the south-east of Nishio Station. Its foreign residents section offers assistance in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Garbage disposal

The Clean Center recycling plant in Kenjoda accepts all kinds of garbage, including bulky items and hazardous waste.

Health care

Nishio's main hospital is the Nishio Municipal Hospital in central Nishio, near Yatsuomote-yama.

Sister cities

International

;Sister city *

Porirua Porirua, () a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Poriru ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, since December 15, 1993

National

;Friendship city * Echizen,

Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...

, since 2000 * Ena,

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

, since 1998 * Yonezawa,

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

, since December 15, 2013

Economy

Primary sector of the economy

Agriculture

Nishio is a regional commercial center and fishing port, with a mixed economy of light manufacturing and agriculture. It is also the largest producer of powdered

in Japan and one of the leading producers of

Unagi is the Japanese word for freshwater eel, particularly the Japanese eel, . Unagi is a common ingredient in Japanese cooking, often as '' kabayaki''. It is not to be confused with saltwater eel, which is known as '' anago'' in Japanese. In J ...

eels. There is a public fish market at the fishing port in Isshiki.

Secondary sector of the economy

Manufacturing

Numerous suppliers to the Japanese automotive industry such as

Denso is a global automotive components manufacturer headquartered in the city of Kariya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. After becoming independent from Toyota Motor, the company was founded as in 1949. About 25% of the company is owned by Toyota. Despi ...

and Aisin have production plants in and around Nishio.

Ceramic engineering

The soil around Nishio is rich in

deposits, which was already mined in the

. Yatsuomote ware is a type of

Japanese pottery is one of the oldest Japanese crafts and Japanese art, art forms, dating back to the Neolithic period. Types have included earthenware, pottery, stoneware, porcelain, and Blue and white porcelain, blue-and-white ware. Japan has an exception ...

made at a

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...

at the southern foot of Mount Yatsuomote (八ツ面山).

Education

Schools

The city has 26 public elementary schools and 10 public junior high schools operated by the city government and five public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. Public libraries and community centers are maintained in central Nishio, Hazu, Isshiki, Kira and Terazu. The Nishio International Association offers Japanese language classes as well as instruction in foreign languages; most of these are held at the Fukushi (Welfare) Center in Hananoki-Cho.

Transportation

Railways

Conventional lines

;

Meitetsu , publicly trading as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the '' Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of w ...

* Meitetsu Nishio Line: - - - - - - - :connects the city with

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

to the north, via Shin Anjo. * Meitetsu Gamagōri Line: - - - - - :links Nishio with Gamagōri. Local stations in this direction are

Roads

Japan National Route

* *

Seaways

Seaports

*Mikawa Issiki Port File:MT-Nishio Station-EastGate.jpg, Nishio Station File:道の駅にしお岡ノ山.jpg, Road Station Nishio Okanoyama (

Japan National Route 23 is a national highway connecting Toyohashi and Ise, Mie in Japan. Route data *Length: *Origin: Toyohashi (originates at junction with Route 1) *Terminus: Ise (ends at Ise Shrine) *Major cities: Nishio, Nagoya, Yokkaichi and Tsu History ...

) File:Mikawa Isshiki Port ac.jpg, Mikawa Isshiki Port

Local attractions

Nishio's sightseeing highlight is Ushitora Yagura Castle Keep in the downtown Yamashita-cho area. It features a full reconstruction of the wooden central tower, gates and central compound of Nishio Castle, built by the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

in 1221 and used until 1601. Yatsuomote ware is a type of

started around 1825 by Katō Hachiemon (加藤八右衛門) when he opened his

at the southern foot of Mount Yatsuomote (八ツ面山). The soil around Nishio is rich in

deposits, which was already mined in the

. After an incident at Mount Yatsuomote a small bell was offered to soothe the ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

''. Katō Kumazō started a local tradition where small ceramic

zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

s (きらら鈴) were made out of local mica kneaded into the

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

, and after burning in the kiln the bell would make a pleasing sound when rung.

Landmarks

* Hirahara Waterfall and nature-trail, located in Hirahara-cho * Kira Waikiki Beach: A series of sheltered sandy coves, open for bathing and watersports from June to September * Sakushima: A small inhabited island with many traditional wooden buildings in Mikawa Bay, popular for fishing trips. Can be reached by ferry from Isshiki Harbor * Mount Sangane, a spectacular forested mountain range overlooking Mikawa Bay, suitable for hiking and bird-watching * Mount Yatsuomote, a hillside park in central Nishio, offering a good view of the surrounding cities, mountains and waterfront File:Kirawaikikibeach.jpg, Kira Waikiki Beach File:Sakushima5.jpg, Installation Ohirune House in Sakushima File:Sakushima1.jpg, View of a street in Sakushima File:View from the top of Mt Sangane, Higashi-Hazu-cho Nishio city 2013.JPG, Mount Sangane skyline File:Yatsuomoteyama01.jpg, Aerial view of Mount Yatsuomote

Tourist attraction

;Historic sites *Iwase Bunko Library *Konren-ji * Nishio Castle * Shōbōji Kofun, a National Historic Site ;Parks *Aichi Children Country File:Nishio Castle.jpg, Nishio Castle File:Konrenji.jpg, Konren-ji File:160227 Whole view of Shoboji Kofun.jpg, Shōbōji Kofun File:Iwase Bunko Library old book storage ac.jpg, Iwase Bunko Library File:Aichi-Kodomonokuni Yūhigaoka.JPG, Aichi Children Country

Museums

The Nishio City Museum is located on the grounds of Nishio Castle. It has an extensive collection of items relating to local history and culture, dating from the ancient

to the late

. The Iwase Bunko Library, next to the city library, is home to a collection of more than 80.000 rare books and ancient Buddhist manuscripts. It features an exposition hall and rooms for study and reading. The Culture Center in Yamashita-cho provides a venue for concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions and lectures.

Culture

Festivals

A number of popular events and festivals are held in Nishio, most of them during the summer months. *Toba Fire Festival: On the 2nd Sunday in February two teams of local men from Hazu and Kira vie to pull bamboo poles from a huge bonfire, a traditional rite meant to ensure a good harvest. *Nishio Gion Festival: On the third weekend of July, a few days before the beginning of the school's summer holidays, Nishio celebrates a two-day city festival in the downtown Honmachi area, the main attraction of Nishio's festival season. Groups of residents parade through the streets performing choreographed dances called “odorocha” and yatai stalls sell sweets and snacks. *Yonezu River Fireworks Festival: On August 15, more than 3000 fireworks are set off alongside the river near Yonezu Bridge, one of the most extravagant displays of pyrotechnics in the region. :Smaller local fireworks festivals are also held in Kira and Hazu in the month of August. *Isshiki Lantern Festival: On August 26 and 27, large paper lanterns are on display amid food stalls selling local

eel and other treats. *Hawaiian Festival: At the end of August, Hawaiian and local groups perform traditional Polynesian dances on a stage at Kira Waikiki Beach.

Sports

White Wave sports center in Nishio Hazu Fureai Square features a 25m lap-pool, wave pool, waterslides and outdoor swimming areas. It is open year-round. Public outdoor sporting grounds are found in Nishio Park, Yatsuomote Park, Yahagi River Park, Zenmyo Community Sports Park and Furukawa Green Park. The City, Tsurushiro and Chuo gymnasiums are available for private sport clubs and host a number of minor league teams for baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Denso Airybees, a women's volleyball team playing in the V.Premier League are based in Nishio.

Notable events

In 2006, the city entered the ''

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

'' for having the largest simultaneous tea ceremony in the world at any one time with 14,718 participants. This record was later beaten by a tea party in

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

, India in 2008.

Notable people

* Jitsuo Inagaki, politician *

Toshio Iwai is a Japanese interactive media and Installation art, installation artist who has also created a number of commercial video games. In addition he has worked in television, music performance, museum design and digital musical instrument design. ...

, video game artist and musician *

Hitoki Iwase Hitoki Iwase (岩瀬仁紀, born November 10, 1974) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) from 1999 to 2018 for the Chunichi Dragons. He holds the NPB record for career saves and ...

, professional baseball player *

Oguri Jukichi was one of the first Japanese citizens known to have reached present day California. He and his fourteen-man crew, bound for Edo, were sailing off the Japanese coast in 1813 when their ship, the ''Tokujomaru'' (督乗丸), was disabled in a stor ...

, Edo period castaway *

Koen Kondo Koen () is a Dutch language given name and surname, popular in the Netherlands and Flanders. Although the earliest direct attestation comes from Oudenaarde, East Flanders in 1272, it is known to have been derived from the Proto-Germanic name ''*k� ...

, actor *

Mami Koyama is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. Her best-known voice roles include Ophiuchus Shaina in ''Saint Seiya'', Arale Norimaki in '' Dr. Slump'', Minky Momo in '' Magical Princess Minky Momo'', Lunc ...

, voice actress * Maria Makino, idol singer (

Morning Musume , formerly and commonly known as and colloquially referred to as , is a Japanese girl group, holding the second highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon, Oricon charts as of February 2012, with the Oricon record of most to ...

) * Tetsuya Makita, actor * Katsuya Takasu, plastic surgeon

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Aichi Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan