is 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
Ibo District,
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...
,
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 town 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 33,753 in 13941 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 1500 persons per km
2.
The total area of the town is .
Geography
Taishi is located in southwestern Hyōgo prefecture, and is enveloped to the west by the city of
Tatsuno, and to the east by the city of
Himeji.
Neighboring municipalities
Hyōgo Prefecture
*
Himeji
*
Tatsuno
Natural features
*Dantoku Hill (Dantoku Yama)
*Ōtsumo River
*Tatsuoka Hill (also known as Tatsuoka Yama)
Climate
Taishi has a
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Taishi is 15.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1519 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 21.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.6 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Hyōgo population statistics
/ref> the population of Taishi has steadily increased over the 100 years.
History
Taishi is located in ancient Harima Province, and the name appears in the Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...
'' Nihon Shoki'' records. In 606 AD, Prince Shōtoku, also known as Shōtoku-taishi, gave a lecture on the Lotus Sutra to the Imperial Court, and was rewarded with the estate of Ikaruga-no-shō, which is located on the present town area.
The village of Ikaruga was created within Ibo District, Hyōgo with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1931. The villages of Sekkai and Ōda were merged with Ikaruga to form the town Taishi on April 1, 1951. On April 1, 1955, Taishi annexed the village of Tatsuda.
In October 2005 three towns (Ibogawa, Shingū, Mitsu) of Ibo District along with the town of Tatsuno merged into a single city bearing the name of Tatsuno. The merger left Taishi as the sole remaining independent town of the Ibo District. Separate plans have been laid out respectively for the merger Taishi and Tatsuno, or the merger of Taishi and Himeji.
Government
Taishi 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 ...
town council of 14 members. Taishi, together with the city of Tatsuno, contributes one member to the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Hyōgo 12th district 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 ...
.
Economy
Taishi has mostly a rural economy based on agriculture and light manufacturing. Toshiba
is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
has a factory for the production of semiconductors and related products.
Education
Taishi has four public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Department of Education.
Transportation
Railway
The West Japan Railway Company (JR West) San'yō Shinkansen / San'yō Main Line run through the town, but there is no station. The nearest train station is Aboshi Station in Himeji.
Highways
*
*
*
Local attractions
Cultural and historical landmarks
* Ikaruga-dera - A Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect that is connected to Prince Shōtoku and given a construction date of A.D. 606 in historical writings.
*The consists of a historical building arrayed with artifacts dating from 1860 to 1863.
*The D51-345 is a locomotive dating from 1941, manufactured in Yamaguchi and on display near Tatsuoka Hill.
Places of cultural interest
* Asuka Hall - Built in 1993, a culture and arts center where music and other performances are held. Seats an audience of 800.
Notable people
*Yamada Etai (1895–1994) - Buddhist monk, head of the Tendai sect.
* Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645) - Influential nobleman known for both swordplay and penmanship; born in Taishi; noted in the collection of writings known as the Harimakagami. The fact is possibly apocryphal as many cities lay claim to his birthplace.
*Yasuda Seifū (1895–1979) - Poet who spearheaded the publication of the Tanka periodical Shiratama; known also for writing the poems Harutori and Tatsuokayama.
* Noguchi Sōichi (1965-) - Astronaut and engineer; attended elementary school in Taishi starting from 3 years of age until completing the 5th grade.
References
External links
*
Local school websiteTaishi official websiteTaishi places of historical interest
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taishi, Hyogo
Towns in Hyōgo Prefecture