was a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Hiba District,

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The site of a feudal castle from the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, 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 of ...

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, and ...

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, Tottori is a city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Lake Nakaumi. It is adjacent to ...

and 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 tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典』� ...

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 (also spelled Yezo or Yeso) is the Japanese term historically used to refer to the lands to the north of the Japanese island of Honshu. It included the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which changed its name from "Ezo" to "Hokkaidō" in 18 ...

, Nuka, and

Mikami is a Japanese name. Place Name * Mount Mikami, a mountain in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan * Mikami Shrine, a temple at the foot of Mount Mikami Surname Notable people with the surname include: *Kyohei Mikami, Japanese wrestler * Masat ...

, 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 prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...

. 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, 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 typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 3,146 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

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

. 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 National Route 314 is a national highway of Japan connecting Fukuyama, Hiroshima and Unnan, Shimane is a city located in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The city belonged to Ohara District, which dissolved in 2004 after Unnan was established. ...

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 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

after briefly joining

for about 1 km at

Bingo-Ochiai Station is a JR West Geibi and Kisuki Line station in Hattori, Saijō-chō, Shōbara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. History *1935-12-20: Opens as the terminus of the Shōbara Line between Bingo-Saijō and Bingo-Ochiai *1936-10-10: Upon completion of ...

. 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 located on the Ashida River in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. As of September 30, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 468,812 and a population density of 904.80 persons per km2. The total area is . After Hiroshima, it is the l ...

and terminates in

Unnan, Shimane is a city located in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The city belonged to Ohara District, which dissolved in 2004 after Unnan was established. The modern city of Unnan was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Daitō, ...

. 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, facing the Sea of Japan and making up part of the boundary of Lake Nakaumi. It is adjacent to Shimane Prefecture and across the lake from its capital of Matsue. It is the prefecture's second larges ...

. It travels through Saijō northeast from near Hirako Station, 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 St ...

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 Hirako Station about southwest of Bingo-Saijō Station, located in the heart of Saijō.

is next as you go north, located about north of Mikoto Elementary School.

, 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 Rolling stock * KiHa 120 series DMUs File:Kiha120-5 Kisuki.JPG, A Kisuki Line KiH ...

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

). 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