270px, Panorama of Takehara City center 270px, Aerial photograph of Takehara City center 270px, Taketsuru house in Takehara historic preservation district 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 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 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 23,350 in 12,034 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 200 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Mihara is located in south-central Hiroshima Prefecture. It faces the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...

to the south. The urban area is broadly divided into a fan-shaped public office/commercial district centered on Takehara Station, a harbor/industrial district centered around the port, and a townscape preservation district that includes temples and other cultural properties.

Ōkunoshima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, Inland Sea of Japan. It is considered to be part of the city of Takehara, Hiroshima, Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is accessible by ferry from Tadanoumi and Ōmishima Island, Ehime, Ōmishima. The ...

, the island where a poison gas plant of the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

was located, belongs to Takehara.

Adjoining municipalities

Hiroshima Prefecture *

Higashihiroshima 270px, Sake Brewers in Saijō 270px, Panorama from Saijō Station 270px, Aerial view of Saijō area of Higashihiroshima is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,186 in 90,294 households a ...

* Mihara * Ōsakikamijima

Climate

Takehara 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 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 ...

''Cfa'') characterized by cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average annual temperature in Takehara is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Takehara was on 6 August 2017; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 26 February 1981.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Takehara in 2020 is 23,993 people. Takehara has been conducting censuses since 1960.

History

The Takehara area is part of ancient

Aki Province or Geishū () was a province in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture. History When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province (one for male Buddhist prie ...

and has been settled since prehistoric times. During the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, it was the location of a ''

shōen A was a field or Manorialism, manor in Japan. The Japanese language, Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese language, Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to th ...

'' landed estate controlled by

Shimogamo Shrine is an important Shinto sanctuary in the Shimogamo district of Kyoto city's Sakyō ward. Its formal name is . It is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designa ...

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

Known as a port town since the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

, it prospered as a center of the salt industry in the latter half of 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 ...

under the control of

Hiroshima Domain The was a large domain that owned all of Aki Province and half of Bingo Province. It occupies most of current Hiroshima Prefecture. The domain office was located at Hiroshima Castle in Sato District, Aki Province (renamed Numata District in 1 ...

. After the

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 ...

, the area become part of

Kamo District, Hiroshima was a district located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. On March 22, 2005, the town of Daiwa, along with the town of Hongō (from Toyota District), and the town of Kui (from Mitsugi District), was merged into the expanded city of Mihara. K ...

. On April 1, 1889 the village of Shimoichi was formed with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. On April 17, 1889 Shimoichi was elevated to town status to become the town of Takehara. Takehara was elevated to city status on November 3, 1958. Takehara's Special Historical District of old warehouses was selected as one of Japan's "100 Most Scenic Towns".

Government

Takahara 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 council of 14 members. Mihara, collectively with the town of Ōsakikamijima, contributes one member to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Hiroshima 5th 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

Takehara's economy is based on agriculture, commercial fishing and food processing. The city is also promoting its historical district as a tourist destination as the "Little Kyoto of Aki".

Education

Takehara has eight public elementary schools, and three public junior high schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education.

Hiroshima University is a Japanese national research university located in Higashihiroshima and Hiroshima, Japan. Established in 1929, it was chartered as a university in 1949 following the merge of a number of national educational institutions. Its abbreviated f ...

's Fisheries Experiment Station is located in Takehara.

Transportation

Railway

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, ...

(JR West) -

Kure Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) within Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. It begins at Mihara Station in Mihara and terminates at Kaitaichi Station in Kaita. It is one of the main lines of JR West. The s ...

* - - - -

Highways

* * * *

Sister city relations

* -

Damyang County Damyang County (''Damyang-gun'') is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Tourism in South Korea, Tourism is a major local industry. Notable local products include bamboo goods and strawberries. ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Local attractions

Museums

* Takehara Museum * Kaguyahime Bamboo Princess Museum * Masayuki Imai (Ceramic Artist) Museum * History of Takehara Museum * Ozasaya Sake Museum

Mountains and Islands

* Mount Asahi (Otake) * Mount Kurotaki *

Island

"Little Kyoto of Aki Province"

* Takehara Historical Heritage * Okakae Jizo Statue * Chosei-ji Temple * Saihō-ji (Takehara) Temple * Shoren-ji Temple * Kodo Ebisu-do Shrine

Hot spring and Sakura (Cherry Blossom Tree) Park

* Yusaka Onsen-kyo * Comprehensive Park Bamboo Joy Highland

Festivals and Events

* Miyatoko Children's Festival at Tadanoumi (April) * Nika Village Renge (Lotus) Festival (April) * Takehara Take (Bamboo) Festival in the Conserved Townscape (May) * Tadanoumi Gion (Purification Ritual) Festival (July) * Takehara Tanabata Festival (July) * Tadanoumi Tenjin Yoichi Summer Festival (July) * Takehara Sumiyoshi Shrine Sea Festival (August) * Takehara Summer Festival Fireworks (August) * Fukuda Shishimai Lion Dance (October) * Bamboo Candle Light Festival Shokei no Michi (October) * Takehara Ekiden (October) * Rabbit Cross Country Short Running Race on Ōkunoshima Island (November) * Shinmeisai Fire Festival at Futamado,Tadanoumi (February)

Notable people from Takehara

Shōgo Hamada is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former member of the group . He is a part of Sony Music Japan's SME Records division. He was born in Takehara, Hiroshima, Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture, and graduated from Kuremitsuta High School (where ...

, singer-songwriter *

Hayato Ikeda was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1960 to 1964. He is best known for his Income Doubling Plan, which promised to double the size of Japan's economy in 10 years, and for presiding over the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. ...

, Prime Minister from 1960 - 1964 *

Naganori Ito is a Japanese automotive engineer, and was responsible for the development of the eighth generation R32 Nissan Skyline including the BNR32 Skyline GT-R. History Early years Ito was born in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture on March 7, 1937 as a ...

, Chief development engineer of

Nissan Skyline The is a brand of automobile originally produced by the Prince Motor Company starting in 1957, and then by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1967. After the merger, the Skyline and its larger counterpart, the Nissan Gloria, were sold in ...

Masataka Taketsuru was a Japanese chemist and businessman. He is known as the founder of Japan's whisky industry and Nikka Whisky Distilling. Born to a family that had owned a sake brewery since 1733, he traveled to Scotland in 1918 to study organic chemistry and ...

, founder of Japan's whisky industry

In popular culture

Takehara is the setting for the slice-of-life anime series ''

Tamayura is a Japanese anime series written and directed by Junichi Sato. The initial four-episode original video animation (OVA) series was produced by Hal Film Maker and released over two Blu-ray Disc and DVD volumes in November and December 201 ...

''. *''

Massan is a Japanese television drama series, the 91st Asadora (morning drama) broadcast daily on NHK from September 29, 2014, until March 28, 2015. ''Massan'' is based on the lives of Masataka Taketsuru and his Scottish wife Jessie Roberta "Rita" Co ...

'' -

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

Asadora , colloquially known as , is a serialized, 15 minutes per episode, Japanese television drama program series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The first such series aired in 1961 with the black-and-white , starring Ta ...

(morning drama) television series inspired by the life of Taketsuru and his wife Rita

References

External links

Takehara City official website
{{Authority control Cities in Hiroshima Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan Takehara, Hiroshima