was a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Hiba District, Hiroshima Prefecture,

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 site of a feudal castle from 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 ...

, it was first incorporated as a town in 1898. It then went through several mergers with other towns and villages in the area before being incorporated itself into the city of

Shōbara 270px, Shōbara City Hall 270px, Bihoku-kyuryo Park 270px, Shobara city center area aerial photograph is a city in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 32,343 in 14984 households and a population density o ...

in March 2005. It is now a municipal division within Shōbara. There are three elementary schools, a junior high school, and a high school located in Saijō. The area is served by the

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

Geibi and Kisuki railway lines. Saijō is located on

Japan National Route 183 National Route 183 is a national highway of Japan connecting Naka-ku, Hiroshima and Yonago is a Cities of Japan, city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 146,139 in 68,534 households and a population ...

and

314 __NOTOC__ Year 314 ( CCCXIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufius and Annianus (or, less frequently, year 1067 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 314 ...

, and is crossed by three major Hiroshima Prefectural Highways and ten smaller prefectural highways.

Etymology

The name of , which literally means "West Castle Town", is derived from the castle which was built in the area by a feudal lord during the

. A comparable castle was built in the nearby Tōjō (which means "East Castle Town"). Neither castle is still standing, though you can view parts of the ruins (mostly foundation and other walls).

History

During the 5th century A.D., a

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 ...

grave chamber was constructed in the area. On February 10, 1898, the village of Saijō was incorporated into the town of Saijō. On October 1 of the same year, the districts of Ezo, Nuka, and Mikami, along with the town of Saijō and the villages of Mikoto and Yahoko, were combined to create Hiba District. A new town of Saijō was created on February 11, 1942 when the original town of Saijō and the village of Mikoto merged. Due to geographic considerations, the Miino Yukiasa section of Yahoko Village was split off on December 1, 1953 and merged with Hachikawa Village in the Nita District of

Shimane Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a ge ...

. The town of Saijō reincorporated on March 31, 1954 when it merged with the village of Yahoko. Fifty-one years later, the towns of Saijō, Hiwa, Kuchiwa, Takano, and Tōjō from

Hiba District, Hiroshima was a Districts of Japan, district located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 21,448 and a population density, density of 23.00 persons per km2. The total area was 932.44 km2. Former towns ...

, and the town of Sōryō (from Kōnu District) all merged with the city of

. After 106 years of independent history, the town of Saijō ceased to exist, and it became a municipal division within Shōbara.

Demographics

As of November 2021, the town had a

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 3,146 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 13.86 persons per km². The total area was 226.91 km².

Education

There are currently four public schools in operation in Saijō. is located near the south end of the main part of town, just across the river from Route 183. is located just off Route 183, southwest of Hibayama Station. stands atop a hill overlooking the main business district and the Shōbara Municipal Saijō Shimin Hospital. The high school, is located on top of a hill to the southwest of the junior high school, and directly above and to the northwest of Saijō Elementary School. It was previously named .

Transportation

Highways

Japan National Route 314 travels south from

, then turns east toward

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

after briefly joining

for about 1 km at Bingo-Ochiai Station. The Hibayama Onsen is located on Route 314 about halfway between Bingo-Ochiai Station and Yuki Station. Route 314 originates in

Fukuyama, Hiroshima is a city in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 459,160 in 214259 households and a population density of 890 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . After Hiroshima, it is the largest city in Hiros ...

and terminates in

Unnan, Shimane file:斐伊川堤防桜並木２.JPG, 270px, Hii River Embankment file:Kamoiwakura Ruins.JPG, 270px, Kamoiwakura Site file:Unnan city center area Aerial photograph.2017.jpg, 270px, Unnan city center is a Cities of Japan, city located in Shimane ...

. Japan National Route 183 originates in

Naka-ku, Hiroshima is the heart of Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Naka-ku is home to Hiroshima's central business district and Peace Memorial Park. Major attractions include the Hondori shopping arcade, a covered mall-like street of shops extending east ...

and terminates in

Yonago, Tottori is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 146,139 in 68,534 households and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is the prefecture's second largest city aft ...

. It travels through Saijō northeast from near

Hirako Station is a passenger railway station located in Hirako, Saijō-chō, in the city of Shōbara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Hirako Station is served by the Geibi Line, and is located ...

, generally following the

Geibi Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region in Japan. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi S ...

until the Geibi Line turns southeast at the Yahoko Post Office. Route 183 instead continues northeast past the turnoff for Dōgoyama Takahara Ski Resort before entering Tottori Prefecture. The following prefectural highways serve Saijō: * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Railways

operates multiple stations along two rail lines in Saijō. Along the Geibi, service in Saijō begins with

about southwest of Bingo-Saijō Station, located in the heart of Saijō. Hibayama Station is next as you go north, located about north of Mikoto Elementary School. Bingo-Ochiai Station, located north of Hibayama, connects with the

Kisuki Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line connects in Matsue, Shimane with in Shōbara, Hiroshima. Stations 　Four〜10 Diesel trains are operated every day. There are more trains between Shi ...

and is just a few hundred meters south of the Akagi Internal Medicine Clinic. The next station is Dōgoyama Station, located by rail (though only about via Japan National Route 314). Dōgoyama Station gives quick access to Takaohara Ski Resort, Snow Resort Nekoyama, and Dōgoyama Takahara Ski Resort (all within ), as well as Kurokan Park and the Suzuran no Yu onsen (both within ). The Kisuki Line travels from Bingo-Ochiai Station to Yuki Station before going to Miinohara Station in

References

External links

Shōbara official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saijo, Hiroshima Dissolved municipalities of Hiroshima Prefecture Shōbara, Hiroshima