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 ...

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 386,999 in 164,087 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 999 persons per km². The total area of the city was .

Geography

Okazaki is in the coastal plains of southeastern Aichi Prefecture. The ground rises to undulating hills in the former Nukata area to the northeast. About 60 percent of the city area is forested and remains sparsely populated. Okazaki is about from Tokyo, to the southwest.

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 Okazaki 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 Okazaki has grown steadily over the past 60 years. This fast population growth reflects the low unemployment rate, as well as affordable housing close to Nagoya. Of the total population, in November 2019 there were 12,581 are foreign nationals (2.92% of the total, compared with the nationwide average of 1.55%). There are 6,148 foreign males and 6,433 foreign females with a total of 6990 households. Including those registered as stateless, the foreign population comes from 71 nationalities, though more than half are from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Other significant foreign communities include Koreans, Chinese and Filipinos.

Surrounding municipalities

;

* Toyokawa * Shinshiro *

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

* Nishio * Kōta * Anjō * Gamagōri

Cityscape

File:Otogawa-Sakuranoshirobashi-4.jpg,

Skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...

of Okazaki City and Oto River File:Okazakijo2.JPG,

Okazaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, ''daimyō'' of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu ...

File:Hatcho-Miso-Kakukyu-3.jpg, Hatchō town File:Okazaki-Minami-Park-6.jpg, OkazakiMinami Park File:Higashi-Park-Elephant-2.jpg, OkazakiHigashi Park Zoo

History

Origins

The area around present-day Okazaki has been inhabited for many thousands of years. Archaeologists have found remains from the Japanese Paleolithic period. Numerous remains 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 especially from the

Yayoi The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

and

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 ...

s, have been found, including many '' kofun'' burial mounds.

Sengoku period

During the

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 ...

, the area was controlled by the Matsudaira clan, a branch of which later rose to prominence as 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 ...

, who ruled Japan 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 ...

Edo period

During this time, Okazaki Domain, a feudal ''han'' was established to rule the immediate area around Okazaki and was entrusted to a '' fudai daimyō''. Several smaller domains were in the present-day city limits, including Fukozu (later Mikawa-Nakajima), Okudono Domain and Nishi-Ohira Domain. The town prospered as a post station on the Tōkaidō connecting Edo 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 ...

Meiji period

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 modern town of Okazaki was established on October 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system in Nukata District of

. On October 1, 1914, Okazaki annexed neighboring Hirohata Town. Okazaki was proclaimed a city on July 1, 1916. The city suffered damage in both the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake (which killed 9 people) and the 1945 Mikawa earthquake (which killed 29 people). 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 ...

, the July 19, 1945 Bombing of Okazaki killed over 200 people and destroyed most of the city center. Although Okazaki was the location of an

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

airfield, military installations were not damaged in the attack.

Modern Okazaki

In 1955, through a series of mergers and consolidations, the area of Okazaki expanded considerably. The former towns of Iwazu, Fukuoka, and Yahagi, and the villages of Motojuku, Yamanaka, Kawai, Fujikawa, and Ryugai were all merged into Okazaki. The 1959 Isewan Typhoon caused considerable damage, and killed 27 residents. On October 15, 1962, Okazaki annexed the neighboring town of Mutsumi. Okazaki was proclaimed 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 ...

on April 1, 2003, with increased autonomy from the prefectural government. On January 1, 2006, the town of Nukata (from Nukata District) was merged into Okazaki.

Government

Mayor-council

Okazaki 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 37 members.

Prefectural Assembly

The city contributes five members to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly.

House of Representatives

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

Police

* Aichi Prefectural Police **Okazaki police station

Firefighting

*Okazaki Fire department **Okazaki-Naka fire department **Okazaki-Higashi fire department **Okazaki-Nishi fire department

Health care

*Hospital **Aichi Prefectural Hospital **Okazaki City Hospital

Post office

*Okazaki Post office

Library

*Okazaki City Library File:Okazaki-Police-Station-1.jpg, Okazaki Police Station File:Okazaki City Naka Fire Station 1.jpg, Okazaki Fire Department File:Okazaki-City-Hospital-4.jpg, Okazaki City Hospital File:Okazaki-Post-Office-1.jpg, Okazaki Post Office File:Libra Okazaki ac (10).jpg, Okazaki City Library and Community Plaza

Sister cities

* Newport Beach,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, since November 1984 * Uddevalla,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, since September 1968 *

Hohhot Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the Capital (political), capital of Inner Mongolia in the North China, north of the China, People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrativ ...

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

since August 1987

Economy

Okazaki was noted in the Meiji period as a centre for textiles and commerce and the production of '' miso''; modern Okazaki is a hub for the chemical and machinery industries.

Primary sector of the economy

Agriculture

* Konjac * Miso * Tea ; Japan Agricultural Cooperatives * JA Aichi Mikawa

Forestry

* Cryptomeria *

Chamaecyparis obtusa ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate climate, temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber ...

;Forest Association *Okazaki Forest Association

Secondary sector of the economy

The area has historically been one of the main centres of the production of stone '' tōrō'' (Japanese lanterns). The traditional

stonemasonry Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using rock (geology), stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with Mortar (masonry), mortar ...

there was registered by the government as a Japanese craft in 1979. *

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.

Okazaki Factory

Tertiary sector of the economy

;Shopping center * APiTA Okazaki-Kita * Æon Mall Okazaki * Æon Town Okazaki-Miai *Com Town *EruEru Town *Luvit Park *Okazaki CIBICO *Oto Riverside Terrace *Resupa *Wing Town File:Okazaki-Iwanakacho-1.jpg, Paddy field in Iwanaka Town File:Mitsubishi ECLIPSE CROSS G Plus Package (DBA-GK1W-XTPX) front.jpg, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross File:Higashiokazakiekimae-Dori-6.jpg, Shopping Street File:Okazaki-Kamimyodaijicho-16.jpg, Oto Riverside Terrace

Education

Universities and colleges

* National Institutes of Natural Sciences * National Institute for Physiological Sciences * National Institute for Basic Biology * Aichi Gakusen University * Aichi Gakusen College * Aichi Sangyo University * University of Human Environments * Okazaki Women's Junior College * Yamasa Institute

Primary and secondary schools

Okazaki has 48 public elementary schools and 21 public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one private middle school. The city has seven public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education and four private high schools, including the Hikarigaoka Girls' High School. The prefecture also operates four special education schools for the handicapped, and the national government operates one special education school as well. The city formerly housed the Escola São Paulo, a Brazilian international school.

Transportation

Railway

Highspeed rail

The

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...

passes through Okazaki city limits but does not stop. The nearest Shinkansen stations are , and .

Conventional lines

;

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...

* Tōkaidō Main Line: ; Meitetsu logomark 2

Meitetsu * Nagoya Line: ; Aikan logomark

Aichi Loop Line Co Ltd * Aichi Loop Line:

Roads

Highways

* Tōmei Expressway (Asian Highway Network AH1) * Shin-Tōmei Expressway

Japan National Route

* * * * File:Higashi-Okazaki-Station-1.jpg, Higashi-Okazaki Station File:Okazaki-Station-1.jpg, Okazaki Station File:Okazaki IC.jpg, Okazaki IC File:Okazakisa.JPG, Okazaki SA File:Okazaki Route1.jpg, Okazaki Japan National Route 1

Local attractions

Okazaki Castle

was originally built in 1455. Captured by the Matsudaira clan in 1524 (and probably relocated from the other side of the river), the castle remains associated with

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

, even though the latter transferred to Edo in 1590. During the

it served as the seat of the Okazaki Domain and dominated the city until the

Fireworks

Okazaki is famous for its

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

. The Tokugawa shogunate restricted production of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal (which is mostly carbon), and potassium nitrate, potassium ni ...

outside of the immediate region of Okazaki (with few exceptions). Even today, more than 70% of Japan's fireworks are designed and manufactured here. A large fireworks festival, which people from all over Japan come to see, is held annually on the first Saturday in August in the area surrounding Okazaki Castle.

''Hatchō miso''

''Hatchō miso'' (八丁味噌) is a dark '' miso'' paste made using a process of steaming soybeans (instead of boiling) followed by maturation in cedar barrels under the weight of 3 tons of carefully stacked river stones for at least 2 years. Located 8 ''chō'' (''hatchō'', or approximately 900m) west of Okazaki Castle near the Yahagi river, there are two 8-cho miso companies — Maruya from 1337 and Kakukyu.http://www.kakukyu.jp/global/english.asp Kakukyu The old tiled buildings are heritage-listed and Kaku has been a family business for 18 generations. It is one of the most famous ''miso'' producers in Japan, supplying the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

by appointment, and popular as a health food. A 2006 NHK morning drama serial, ''Junjo Kirari'' (Sparkling Innocence), was largely filmed in and around the Hatchō miso grounds. Tours are available every 30 minutes and free samples are provided. Hatchō miso's health properties are considered so great that it was donated to Chernobyl's citizens following the disaster, to help prevent and treat

radiation sickness Acute radiation syndrome (ARS), also known as radiation sickness or radiation poisoning, is a collection of health effects that are caused by being exposed to high amounts of ionizing radiation in a short period of time. Symptoms can start wit ...

Takisan

The Buddhist temple of Takisan-ji (7th century) includes several

Important Cultural Properties of Japan An The term is often shortened into just is an item officially classified as Tangible Cultural Property (Japan), Tangible Cultural Property by the Government of Japan, Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Ministry of Education, Cul ...

. The main hall is from 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 ...

and is the location of a fire festival held each February on the closest Saturday to the lunar calendar New Year. The distinctive '' Sanmon'' gate and the main image are designated as important cultural properties. Adjoining the temple is Takisan Tōshō-gū, a

Shinto Shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

built in 1646 by

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

. File:Okazakijo2.JPG,

File:Hatcho-Miso-Kakukyu-1.jpg, Hatcho miso kakukyu File:Onimatsuri1.JPG, Oni Matsuri (Takisan-ji) File:Daijuji sanmon.jpg, Daiju-ji File:Igahachimangu.jpg, Iga-Hachimangū File: Takisan-ji Hondo 150505.JPG, Takisan-ji File:Rokusho1.jpg, Rokusho-jinja File:Zuinen1.jpg, Zuinen-ji File:Tenon1.jpg, Ten'on-ji File:Shinpuku1.jpg, Shinpuku-ji

Culture

Language

While the local Mikawa dialect is considered to be generally indistinguishable from what is considered modern standard Japanese, there are subtle and distinctive differences. Mikawa dialect has, on the other hand, substantial differences when compared to the dialect of

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 ...

and western areas of Aichi, where the Nagoya dialect (also known as ''Owari-ben'', Owari being the traditional name for the Nagoya region) is the traditional dialect. Cognitively Mikawa-ben and modern contemporary Japanese are extremely close, in part due to the influence of the Tokugawa shogunate and accidents of history. In recent decades a large number of people moving into Okazaki and the surrounding cities (particularly to work in the motor vehicle industry) and mass media have influenced the local dialect, with the result that in day-to-day life more people are using only standard Japanese.

Notable people from Okazaki

* Takako Okamura, singer-songwriter * Yuki Fukaya, professional men’s soccer player * Naoko Fukazu, professional women's table tennis player * Sei Hiraizumi, actor * Kotaro Honda, scientist, metallurgist * Yuko Kawai, pianist *

Motoo Kimura (November 13, 1924 – November 13, 1994) was a Japanese biologist best known for introducing the neutral theory of molecular evolution in 1968. He became one of the most influential theoretical population geneticists. He is remembered in ge ...

, biologist * Takashi Kondō, voice actor * Takeshi Nagata, geophysicist * Immi, musician * Kotomitsuki Keiji, sumo wrestler * Ryo Miyaichi, professional men’s soccer player * Daisuke Nakajima, race car driver * Satoru Nakajima, race car driver * Kazuki Nakajima, race car driver * Masamitsu Naito, politician * Hitoshi Ogawa, race car driver * Takahiro Sakurai, voice actor * Yasuo Segawa, illustrator * Shiga Shigetaka, geographer * Seiken Sugiura, politician * Nozomi Takeuchi, gravure idol * Yumiko Tsuzuki, professional women's volleyball player * Hiromasa Yamamoto, professional men’s soccer player * Yūki Ishikawa, professional men's volleyball player * Yasunobu Okada, professor, National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS).

References

External links

* (with link to English pages)
Okazaki International Association website
{{Authority control Brazilian communities Cities in Aichi Prefecture