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

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata 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 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 97,454 in 41,522 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 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Saku is located in east-central Nagano Prefecture in the Saku Basin of the upper reaches of the Shinano River. The city claims the distinction of containing the point furthest from the sea within

Honshu , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...

island (actually this point lies within the former town of Usuda). Since the opening of Sakudaira Station on the Nagano Shinkansen, many people commute to Tokyo, which is one hour away.

Surrounding municipalities

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

** Kanra District: Shimonita, Nanmoku *Nagano Prefecture ** Komoro, Chino, Tōmi ** Minamisaku District: Sakuho ** Kitasaku District: Karuizawa, Miyota, Tateshina

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 ...

''Dwa''). The average annual temperature in Saku 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 .

History

Saku is located in former

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

, and by 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 home to the Ochiai clan, a

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

family that sided with

Uesugi Kenshin , later known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (magnate). He was born in Nagao clan, and after adoption into the Uesugi clan, ruled Echigo Province in the Sengoku period of Japan. He was one of the most powerful ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period ...

during his conflict with

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

in the 1550s. The Ochiai clan consequently fought for the Uesugi during the Siege of Katsurayama in March 1557; all Ochiai members who took part in the battle were killed in combat or committed suicide. 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 ...

the area of Saku developed as the

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

of Tatsuoka 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 ...

and as a

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...

. Following the post-

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 ...

cadastral reforms, the area was organised into Saku District, with the town of Asama, and the village of Higashi (from Kitasaku District) merging with the towns of Nozawa and Nakagomi (both from Minamisaku District) to create the city of Saku. On April 1, 2005 Saku absorbed the town of Usuda (from Minamisaku District), the town of Mochizuki, and the village of Asashina (both from Kitasaku District).

Former town of Asama area in Kitasaku District

*c. 1875 The villages of Iwao, Ochiai, and Owada from Saku District merged to form the village of Naruse. *May 1876 The villages of Akaiwa, Kamitsukabara, Shimotsukabara, Neneitsukabara, and Nakachi from Saku District merged to form the village of Tsukabara, and the village of Ichi from the same district merged with the village of Ichimurashinden to form the village of Ichida. *c. 1879 Kitasaku District Government enforced. The villages of Iwamurada, Nagatoro, Sarukubo, Tsukabara, Nenei, Hiratsuka, Ichida, Naruse, Imai, Yokowa, Mikawada, Kamihirao, Shimohirao, and Yokone belongs to Kitasaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The town of Iwamurada in Kitasaku District absorbed the villages of Nagatoro and Sarukubo to gain town status. **The village of Tsukabara, Nenei, Hiratsuka, and Ichida from Kitasaku District merged to form the village of Nakasato. **The village of Naruse, Imai, Yokowa, and Mikawada from Kitasaku District merged to form the village of Takase. **The village of Kamihirao, Shimohirao, and Yokone from Kitasaku District merged to form the village of Hirane. *December 20, 1954 The town of Iwamurada and the villages of Nakasato, Takase, and Hirane merged to form the town of Asama in Kitasaku District.

Former village of Higashi area in Kitasaku District

*August 1876　The village of Kosaka absorbed the village of Kosakashinden. *1879 Kitasaku District Government enforced. The villages of Kosaka, Arakoda, Yasuhara, and Shiga belongs to Kitasaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The village of Kosaka, Arakoda, and Yasuhara from Kitasaku District merged to form the village of Mitsui. **The village of Shiga formed without merging. *February 1, 1955 The village of Shiga and Mitsui merged to form the village of Higashi.

Former town of Nozawa area in Minamisaku District

*December 1874 The village of Maeyama in Saku District absorbes the village of Maeyamashinden, Shimo, and Naka. *c. 1875 The village of Kamisakurai, Nakasakurai, Shimosakurai, and Sakuraishinden merged to form the village of Sakurai. *May 1876 The villages of Takeda, Nukao, Kutsuzawa, and Hirai merged to form the village of Negishi, and the villages of Shimogata, Shimogatashinden, Shimohira, Imaoka, and Aihama merged to form the village of Tomono. In June, the village of Osawa absorbed the village of Osawashinden. *c. 1879 Minamisaku District Government enforced. The villages of Nozawa, Hara, Toridemachi, Takayanagi, Honshinmachi, Atobe, Michizuka, Negishi, Tomono, Maeyama, Komiyama, Sakurai, and Osawa belongs to Minamisaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The village of Nozawa in Minamisaku District was formed by absorbing the villages of Hara, Toridemachi, Takayanagi, Kajiya, Honshinmachi, Atobe, and Michizuka. **The villages of Negishi and Tomono merged to form the village of Kishino. **The village of Maeyama was formed by absorbing the village of Komiyama. **The village of Sakurai was formed without merging. **The village of Osawa was formed without merging. *March 9, 1897 The village of Nozawa gained town status. *April 1, 1954 The town of Nozawa in Minamisaku District absorbed the villages of Osawa, Kishino, Sakurai, and Maeyama.

Former town of Nakagomi area in Minamisaku District

*August 2, 1876 The village of Hiraka in Saku District absorbed the village of Hirakashinmachi. The villages of Yamada, Kitazawa, and Kiyokawa merged to form the village of Tokiwa. *c. 1879 Minamisaku District Government enforced. The villages of Shimonakagomi, Seto, Hiraka, Otabe, Tokiwa, and Uchiyama belongs to Minamisaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The villages of Shimonakagomi and Seto merged to form the village of Nakaze. **The villages of Hiraka and Otabe merged into the village of Tokiwa. (※The former village of Kiyokawa in the village of Tokiwa was merged into the village of Taguchi (later merged with the village of Aonuma to form the village of Taguchiaonuma→merged into the village of Usuda. Now part of the city of Saku)) **The village of Uchiyama was formed without merging. *April 1, 1899 The village of Hiraka absrobed the former village of Seto areas from the village of Nakaze. On July 18, the village of Nakaze renamed to the village of Nakagomi. *November 1, 1919 The village of Nakagomi gained town status. *August 1, 1956 The town of Nakagomi in Minamisaku District absorbed the villages of Hiraka and Uchiyama.

Former village of Asashina area in Kitasaku District

*May 30, 1876 The village of Shionada absorbed the village of Ichizaemonshinden in Saku District. *c. 1879 Kitasaku District government enforced. The villages of Shionada, Mimayose, Gorobēshinden, Yawata, Yomogita, Kuwayama, and Yashima belongs to Kitasaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The villages of Shionada and Mimayose merged to form the village of Nakatsu. **The villages of Yawata, Yomogita, Kuwayama and Yashima merged to form the village of Minamimimaki. *January 15, 1955 The villages of Nakatsu, Gorobēshinden and Minamimimaki merged to form the village of Asashina.

Former town of Mochizuki area in Kitasaku District

*c. 1875 The town of Mochizukishinden merged into the town of Mochizuki in Saku District. The village of Kannonjishinden merged into the village of Motai. The villages of Irikatakura, Iwashita, and Kasugashinmachi merged into the village of Kasuga. The village of Makifuse, Irifuse, Shikibu, Nukui, Nakai, Kutsuzawashinden, and Maeyamasanshinden merged to form the village of Fuse. *c. 1876 The village of Katakura, Hidai, Tenjinbayashi, Oyachishinden, Kodaira, Mitsui, and Koro merged to form the village of Kyowa. *c. 1879 Kitasaku District government enforced. The town of Mochizuki and the villages of Innai, Motai, Kasuga, Fuse, and Kyowa belongs to Kitasaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The town of Mochizuki and the villages of Innai and Motai merged to form the village of Motomaki. **The village of Kasuga was formed without merging. **The village of Fuse was founded without merging. **The village of Kyowa was founded without merging. *April 1, 1954 The village of Motomaki gained town status. *April 1, 1959 The town of Motomaki and the villages of Kasuga, Fuse, and Kyowa merged to reform the town of Mochizuki. (※The town of Mochizuki was once dissolved since March 31, 1889) *April 15, 1960 Motai area from the former town of Motomaki broke off and went to the town of Tateshina.

Former town of Usuda area in Minamisaku District

*c. 1875 The village of Yuhara absorbed the village of Yuharashinden in Saku District. *August 2, 1876 The villages of Tanokuchi and Kaminakagomi merged into the village of Taguchi. *c. 1879 Minamisaku District government enforced. The villages of Usuda, Shimootagiri, Katsuma, Kamiotagiri, Nakaotagiri, Nakaotagirishinden, Yuhara, Mibun, Shimogoe, Taguchi, Irisawa and Hirabayashi belongs to Minamisaku District. *April 1, 1889 The city, town, and village status enforced. **The village of Usuda absorbed the villages of Shimootagiri and Katsuma. **The villages of Kamiotagiri, Nakaotagiri, Nakaotagirishinden and Yuhara merged to form the village of Kirihara. **The village of Taguchi absorbed the villages of Mibun and Shimogoe, and the former village of Kiyokawa in the village of Tokiwa. **The villages of Irisawa and Hirabayashi merged to form the village of Aonuma *June 30, 1951 The village of Usuda gained town status. *August 1, 1955 The town of Usuda absorbed the village of Kirihara. *September 30, 1956 The villages of Taguchi and Aonuma merged to form the village of Taguchiaonuma. *April 1, 1957 The town of Usuda absorbed the village of Taguchiaonuma. *April 1, 1959 Sohara, Haguroshita and Hirabayashi area from the former village of Taguchiaonuma broke off and went to the town of Saku.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Saku population statistics
/ref> the population of Saku has remained relatively steady over the past 60 years.

Government

Saku 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 26 members.

Economy

The economy of Saku is largely agricultural, with rice, and carp fish farming as major components. The manufacturing sector includes electronics.

Education

Universities and colleges

* Saku University * Shinshu Junior College

Primary and secondary education

Saku has 17 public elementary schools and 7 public middle school operated by the city government, and one private middle school. There are five public high school operated by the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Hokuriku Shinkansen The Hokuriku Shinkansen () is a high-speed Shinkansen railway line connecting Tokyo with Tsuruga, Fukui, Tsuruga in the Hokuriku region of Japan. It is jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR ...

** *

- Koumi Line ** - - - - - - - - -

Highway

* Jōshin-etsu Expressway * Chūbu-Ōdan Expressway * * *

External relations

Sister cities A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there ar ...

** - Avallon (

Yonne Yonne (, in Burgundian: ''Ghienne'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight con ...

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

, France, sister city since July 14, 1976 *Friendship cities ** - Kōzushima, Tokyo, Japan ** - Saku, (

Harju County Harju County ( or ''Harjumaa''), is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in northern Estonia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Järva County to the southeast, Rapla Count ...

, Estonia, since May 1, 2007 ** - Yurihonjō, Akita, Japan ** -

Shizuoka, Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in both population and area. It has been populated since prehistoric times. the city had an estimated population of 677,867 in 106,087 households, and a ...

, Japan ** - Sükhbaatar,

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Mongolia, most populous city of Mongolia. It has a population of 1.6 million, and it is the coldest capital city in the world by average yearly temperature. The municipa ...

, Mongolia, since August 4, 2008

Notable people from Saku, Nagano

* Seishiro Endo, 8th dan ranked Aikikai

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

master teacher *

Buronson , known by the pen names and , is a Japanese manga writer. Making his debut in 1972, he first found success with the hardboiled detective manga series '' Doberman Deka'' (1975–1979) alongside illustrator Shinji Hiramatsu. He is best-known fo ...

, Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

writer, and one of the creators of both ''

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 volumes ...

'' and ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...

'' (Real Name: Yoshiyuki Okamura,

Nihongo is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. ...

: 岡村善行, ''Okamura Yoshiyuki''/Sho Fumimura,

: 史村翔, ''Fumimura Shō'') * Jiro Okabe, Japanese politician, former member of

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Rikken Seiyūkai The was one of the main political party, political parties in the pre-war Empire of Japan. It was also known simply as the ''Seiyūkai''. Founded on September 15, 1900, by Itō Hirobumi,David S. Spencer, "Some Thoughts on the Political Devel ...

, Chūseikai and Kenseikai *

Toru Owashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . He is best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion and two-time KO-D Tag Team Champion. Sumo career Initially aspiring to b ...

, Japanese professional wrestler (Real Name: Toru Ito,

: 伊藤透, ''Itō Tōru'') * Yusuke Shirai, Japanese

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

* Shinji Takahashi, Japanese religious leader, corporate manager and hardware engineer, founder of God Light Association * Yoshimi Takeuchi, Japanese

Sinologist Sinology, also referred to as China studies, is a subfield of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on China. It is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of the Chinese civilizatio ...

* Yuichiro Ueno, Japanese

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

, who specializes in the 1500 and

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

events

Local attractions

* Kasuga Onsen * Former Nakagomi School * Saku Balloon Festival * Saku Ski Garden "Parada" * Shinkai Sansha Shrine * Tatsuoka Castle Site * Usuda Star Dome File:Tatsuoka Castle 1975.jpg, Tatsuoka Castle Site File:Saku balloon fes.jpg, Saku Hot Air Ballon Festival File:Usuda Star Dome.png, Usuda Star Dome

References

Bibliography

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Nagano Prefecture