Shikokuchūō

is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 83,635 in 28876 households and a population density of 200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Shikokuchūō is the leading producer of paper and paper products in Japan. It is also a port city and one of Ehime's major centers of industry.

Geography

Shikokuchūō is located in eastern Ehime Prefecture, with the Hoō Mountains to the south and the Gulf of Hiuchi of the Seto Inland Sea to the north. Because the plains are narrow, a local wind called "Yamaji" blows down from the mountains toward the sea. To the south of the Hoō Mountains, the Douzan River, one of the Yoshino River's tributaries, flows eastward, and further south are the Shikoku Mountains, which forms the border with Kōchi Prefecture. The Japan Median Tectonic Line runs east-west along the foot of the Hoō Mountains. The city is located 60 kilometers from Kōchi city, 70 kilometers from Takamatsu, 80 kilometers from Matsuyama, Ehime and 100 kilometers from Tokushima.

Neighbouring municipalities

Ehime Prefecture
* Niihama
Kagawa Prefecture
* Kanonji
Kōchi Prefecture
* Motoyama
* Ōkawa
* Ōtoyo
* Tosa town
Tokushima Prefecture
* Miyoshi

Climate

Shikokuchūō has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shikokuchūō is 12.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2030 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Shikokuchūō has decreased slightly since the 1960s.

History

The area of Shikokuchūō was part of ancient Iyo Province. Ruins found within the city limits suggest that the area was first inhabited more than 12,000 years ago. People first lived in the hilly areas along the Kinugawa River, and then spread to the coastal plains from the Jomon period to the Yayoi period. In the middle of the Kofun period, Toguyama Kofun, which is said to be the tomb of Prince Kinashi Karu, was constructed. In the late Kofun period, in the 6th century, burial mounds began to be built in hilly areas. In the first half of the 7th century, the Umamukaiyama Kofun, which has one of the largest stone burial chambers in Shikoku, was built. After the Nara period Taika Reforms, this area came to be called Uma District. The city limits of Uma District and modern Shikokuchūō are almost the same. As Uma is centrally located in Shikoku, it was historically a transportation hub between Shikoku's major cities. Due to its strategic importance, during the Sengoku period Uma was repeatedly invaded by the neighboring warlords."City of Shikokuchūō English Web Site" "History and Culture"
During the Edo Period, the area as divided between the holdings of Imabari Domain, Saijō Domain and ''tenryō'' territory administered on behalf of the Tokugawa shogunate by Iyo-Matsuyama Domain. Industry began to flourish in Uma during the Edo period, and the city grew as a port town. The Tosa kaidō offered access to Tosa Province in the south, so Uma was also a stopping spot, or ‘post station,’ for the Tosa daimyō and travelers to and from Tosa.Ehime-ken Bunka Shinko Zaidan. ''Ehime no Furusato Komichi, Higashi Iyo-hen''. 1982, p.178 Japanese Paper making began in Uma around 1750, and much later grew into the region's major industry.

Following the Meiji restoration, the area was divided into 25 villages with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on December 15, 1889. The villages of Mishima and Kawanoe were raised to town status in 1898. The village of Doi was raised to town status in 1954 and the villages of Shinritsu and Kamiyama merged to form the village of Shingū the same year. Late that year, Kawanoe and Mishima were raised to city status, with Mishima renamed Iyomishima.

Shikokuchūō city was founded on April 1, 2004 when the cities of Kawanoe, Iyomishima, the town of Doi and the village of Shingū merged. The name literally means "Shikoku Central City" and was so named in the hopes of becoming the new capital of the island of Shikoku, should the four prefectures be merged into one state. However, this name has been roundly criticized for its unoriginality, and is known as one of the "strange city names" throughout Japan.

The former cities of Kawanoe and Iyomishima (the two largest of the four municipalities that merged) have fought for political control over the new city.

Government

Shikokuchūō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Shikokuchūō contributes three members to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly.

In terms of national politics, Shikokuchūō is part of Ehime 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Prior to 2022, the city was part of Ehime 3rd district.

Economy

Shikokuchūō is one of the major industrial cities in the Ehime and Shikoku regions, and is one of Japan's leading paper manufacturing areas."City of Shikokuchuo English Web Site" "Outline of the City"

Paper industry

The history of the paper industry in Shikokuchūō extends back to around 1750, when ''washi'' was first produced in the Uma area. The area does not have much flat land, and is ill-suited to rice farming, but as water and paper mulberry

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