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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 ...
in the eastern part of
Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...
, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 183,930 in 72,949 households, and a population density of 1,141 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Toyokawa, famous for its Toyokawa Inari temple, has a good balance of industry, commerce, agriculture and forestry, and is situated in an area rich in history, traditions, and culture.


Geography

Located in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, the city has the Toyogawa River to the east, the Otoha River to the west, and the Sana River in the central area, flowing into Mikawa Bay in the southwest. The northern part of the city is predominantly mountainous, featuring numerous golf courses. The city is divided into three districts covering 122.4 hectares in the central business area: the Suwa District, where public institutions and commercial facilities are located, the Toyogawa District, which developed as the gateway town to Toyogawa Inari Shrine, and the Chuo-dori District, connecting both areas. The city has implemented the "Basic Plan for Revitalization of the Central Business District," aiming to promote development in the central business district However, due to the merger of four villages that originally formed independent central areas, the city struggled to form a centralized urban center. Despite the expansive nature of the city's urban areas, the central functions are dispersed among several stations in different districts. Notably, Toyogawa Station, despite its name, does not function as the central station, further complicating the formation of a centralized business district. Consequently, large-scale commercial facilities and urban development lagged behind, leading to a prolonged situation where the purchasing population flowed to neighboring cities. Entering the Heisei era, efforts were made to open medium-sized commercial facilities in the Suwa District and its vicinity. Simultaneously, roadside stores concentrated around Toyokawa IC and the southern part of Nagadoshi, near the border with Toyohashi City, without a clear shift in the decentralization trend. Major roads, such as National Route 1 to the west, National Route 23 to the southwest, and National Route 151 from the east to the south, traverse the city. Additionally, the Hime Kaido (Hon-Zaka Street) runs east to west within the city. There are four railway lines, roughly parallel to the main roads. In spring, cherry blossoms bloom along the Sana River, Otoha River, and in the Sakura Tunnel near the city hall, adding color to the streets. The summer season sees various festivals throughout the city, creating a lively atmosphere. The city enjoys a relatively mild climate, with little to no snowfall even in winter.


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 ...
''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Toyokawa is 15.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1751 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.8 °C.


Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Toyokawa has been increasing over the past 60 years.


Surrounding municipalities

;
Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...
*
Gamagōri is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,063 in 32,800 households, and a population density of 1,407 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Gamagōri is situated on ...
*
Okazaki Okazaki may refer to: *Okazaki (surname) *Okazaki, Aichi, a city in Japan *Okazaki Castle, a castle in Japan *Okazaki fragments Okazaki fragments are short sequences of DNA nucleotides (approximately 150 to 200 base pairs long in eukaryotes) w ...
* Shinshiro *
Toyohashi is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefec ...


History


Origins

The area of modern Toyokawa was settled in prehistoric times. During 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 ...
, the kokubunji of
Mikawa Province was an Provinces of Japan, old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari Province, O ...
was established in 741.


Feudal period


Muromachi period

The temple of Toyokawa Inari, a popular pilgrimage destination, dates from 1441.


Sengoku period

A number of ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...
'' clans 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 ...
originate in what are now parts of Toyokawa, most notably the
Makino clan The are a ''daimyō'' branch of the ''samurai'' Minamoto clan in Edo period Japan.Alpert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 70./ref> In the Edo period, the Makino were identified as one of the ''fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which wer ...
.


Early modern period


Edo period

The area prospered 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 ...
with two
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 ...
s along the Tōkaidō,
Goyu-shuku was the thirty-fifth of the 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō, fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō (road), Tōkaidō. It is located in Goyu-chō in the city of Toyokawa, Aichi, Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. A pine tree colonnade, one of the fe ...
and Akasaka.


Late modern period


Meiji period

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 ...
, on October 1, 1889, several villages were organized with the establishment of the modern municipalities system within Hoi District,
Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...
, including Toyokawa Village. On March 13, 1893, Toyokawa was promoted to town status.


Showa period

Toyokawa City was founded on June 1, 1943, by the merger of Toyokawa town with neighboring Ushikubo Town and Yawata Village, all from Hoi District. In 1939 the massive Toyokawa Naval Arsenal was established, one of the largest producers of machine guns, aviation ordnance and ammunition in the
Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
. It also had sections that produced military-issue ''katana'',
bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...
s, and glass lenses for use in cameras, binoculars, and similar equipment. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, many thousands of civilians were conscripted or volunteered to work at the Arsenal, and towards the end of the war, this workforce included hundreds of middle school students and high school girls. On August 7, 1945, the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal was targeted by a flight of B-29 bombers. About 2,500 people were killed during the Toyokawa Air Raid. Toyokawa was one of the last places to be targeted using conventional explosive and incendiary bombs in the closing days of World War II, occurring the day after
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
was destroyed by an atomic bomb.''Air War Pacific Chronology: America's Air War Against Japan in East Asia and the Pacific 1941–1945'' by Eric Hammel, (Pacifica, CA: Pacifica Press, 1988, )


Contemporary history


After WWII

After the war, on April 12, 1955, Toyokawa annexed Mikami village from Yana District. This was followed by the neighboring town of Goyu from Hoi District on April 1, 1959. Toyokawa further expanded on February 1, 2006, by annexing
Ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...
, On January 15, 2008, the towns of
Otowa was a List of towns in Japan, town located in Hoi District, Aichi, Hoi District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. On January 15, 2008, Otowa, along with the town of Mito, Aichi, Mito (also from Hoi District, Aichi, Hoi District), was merged into the exp ...
and Mito became part of Toyokawa, and finally on February 1, 2010, the town of Kozakai likewise was merged into Toyokawa City. File:Toga Shrine (main hall 2).jpg, Toga Shrine File:Toyokawa Inari (Hatsumoude).jpg, Toyokawa Inari File:Ruins of the Ina Castle 1.jpg, Ina Castle File:GoyuMatsunamiki Sidewalk.jpg,
Goyu-shuku was the thirty-fifth of the 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō, fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō (road), Tōkaidō. It is located in Goyu-chō in the city of Toyokawa, Aichi, Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. A pine tree colonnade, one of the fe ...
File:Oohasiya Inn.jpg,
Akasaka-juku (Tōkaidō) was the thirty-sixth of the fifty-three stations of the Tōkaidō. It is located in present-day Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was only from Goyu-juku, the preceding post station. History Along with the preceding Yoshida-juku and ...
File:Toyokawatezutsu.jpg, Toyokawa Tezutsu Fireworks Festival File:Toyokawa Air Raid memorial.jpg, Memorial to the victims of the Toyokawa Air Raid


Government

Toyokawa 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 30 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 8 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 ...
.


Military facilities

* JGSDF Camp Toyokawa


International relations

;Sister cities *
Cupertino, California Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose, California, San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The ...
, United States, since 1978 ;Friendship city * Xinwu District,
Wuxi Wuxi ( zh, s=无锡, p=Wúxī, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu, China. As of the 2024 census, it had a population of 7,495,000. The city lies in the southern Yangtze delta and borders Lake Tai. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lings ...
, Jiangsu, China, since April 15, 2009


Education

Toyokawa has 26 public elementary schools and 10 public junior high schools operated by the city government, and five public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.


Transportation


Railways


Conventional lines

;
Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...
*
Tōkaidō Main Line The Tōkaidō Main Line () is one of the most important railway corridors in Japan, connecting the major cities of Tokyo and Kobe via Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka. The line, with termini at Tokyo Station, Tokyo and Kōbe St ...
: - – – *
Iida Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi, Aichi with Tatsuno Station in Tatsuno, Nagano, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). The line links eastern Aichi Prefecture and southern Nagano Pr ...
: - – – – – – – – ;
Meitetsu , publicly trading as , is a private railway company operating around Aichi Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Some of the more famous trains operated by Meitetsu include the '' Panorama Car'' and the '' Panorama Car Super'', both of w ...
*
Nagoya Main Line The or Nagoya Line is a railway line operated by the private railway operator Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu), connecting Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi with Meitetsu Gifu Station in Gifu. Since its amalgamation in 1944, this has been the Meit ...
: - – – – – – – * Toyokawa Line: - – – – –


Roads


Expressways

*
Tōmei Expressway The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is designated as E1 under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering", because it parallels Na ...


Japan National Route

* * * * *


Seaways


Seaport

*Port of Mito (Port of Mikawa)


Local attractions

;Castles *Ina Castle *Makino Castle *Ushikubo Castle ;Temples * Mikawa Kokubun-ji * Toyokawa Inari – noted Buddhist temple ;Shrines * Toga Shrine – ''
ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...
'' of Mikawa Province


Notable people from Toyokawa

* Yamamoto Kansuke, Japanese
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 ...
of 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 ...
* Yuka Kato, Olympic swimmer * Gakuto Kondo, professional soccer player *
Masahiko Morifuku is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it ...
,
Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player * Atsuya Ota,
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player *
Sion Sono is a Japanese filmmaker, author, and poet. Best known on the Film festival, festival circuit for the film ''Love Exposure'' (2008), he has been called "the most subversive filmmaker working in Japanese cinema today", a "Stakhanovite movement, ...
, movie director *
Yukinari Sugawara is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Southampton and the Japan national team. Club career Nagoya Grampus On 23 February 2018, it was announced that Nagoya Grampus had registered Sugawara as a player. Sugaw ...
, professional soccer player *
Yusuke Yamamoto is a Japanese actor and DJ. He was born in Aichi, Japan. His debut role was as Tsurugi Kamishiro, a.k.a. Kamen Rider Sasword, in ''Kamen Rider Kabuto is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the sixteenth installment in ...
, Japanese Actor


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in Aichi Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan