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 ...

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,826,059 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefecture ...

, Japan. In February 2023, 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 97,507 in 45,653 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 190 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Tsuyama is located in north-central Okayama Prefecture, with the Chugoku Mountains separating it from Tottori Prefecture to the north. It is the largest city in the northern part of the prefecture in terms of population and economy.

Adjoining municipalities

* Kagamino * Maniwa * Misaki * Nagi * Shōō Tottori Prefecture * Chizu * Tottori

Climate

Tsuyama 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'') with very warm summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Tsuyama is 13.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1,501 mm. September is the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.9 °C.

Demographics

In 2020, Tsuyama's population was 99,937 people. Tsuyama has been conducting censuses since 1950.

History

Tsuyama was the center of ancient Mimasaka Province and the location of its kokufu and the Mimasaka Kokubun-ji. It was also on the pilgrimage route to Izumo Shrine and had a number of inn stations. In the latter half 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 ...

, Mori Ranmaru's younger brother, Mori Tadamasa, received the area as his domain. He constructed Tsuruyama Castle on the site of an ancient castle which had been erected by the Yamana clan, and laid out a new

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

which became the nucleus of the modern city. At the same time, Tsuruyama was renamed "Tsuyama". 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 ...

, Tsuyama Castle was the headquarters of a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan and the center of Tsuyama Domain. Tsuyama is known for the 17th century Tsuyama Castle, whose grandeur was said to rival that of Himeji Castle in neighboring

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 ...

. The castle was destroyed in 1874. Today only the stone foundations remain, except for a single turret that was reconstructed in 2005. The castle ruins remain Tsuyama's main tourist attraction along with Joto Street, a narrow street of old, traditional buildings that was once part of the pilgrimage route from

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 ...

to Izumo, and Shūraku-en, a traditional

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

constructed in 1657. Following 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 town of Tsuyama was established in June 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status in February 1929. In 1938, 31 people died in the Tsuyama massacre, a spree killing. In February 2005, the town of Kamo, the village of Aba (both from Tomata District), the town of Shōboku (from Katsuta District), and the town of Kume (from Kume District) were merged into Tsuyama.

Government

Tsuyama 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 28 members. Tsuyama, collectively with the towns of Kagamino, Nagi and Shōō, contributes four members to the Okayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Okayama 3rd 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

Tsuyama has a mixed economy based on manufacturing, wholesale and retail commerce, and agriculture. The city has several

industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

Education

Tsuyama has 27 public elementary schools and none public junior high school operated by the city government. Four public high schools are operated by the Okayama prefectural Board of Education. There are two private high schools. Mimasaka University and the Tsuyama National College of Technology are both located in the city.

Transportation

Tsuyama's main railway station is Tsuyama Station. The station is served by the

Tsuyama Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting and in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Stations All-stations and limited-stop services called operate over the line. In the "Rapid" column in the table below, "O ...

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

, the

Kishin Line is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between Himeji, Hyōgo and Niimi, Okayama, Japan. The name of the line comes from the first kanji of Himeji () and Niimi () which the line connects. Stations *S: Trains stop *s: ...

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is ...

and Niimi, and the Inbi Line to Tottori. All services are operated by

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, ...

. Tsuyama is one of the major cities along the Chūgoku Expressway. As with many Japanese cities, cycling is a very common form of transport, particularly among school students.

Railway

(JR West) -

* - - - - -

(JR West) - Inbi Line * - - - - - - Higashi-Tsuyama

(JR West) -

* - -

Highways

Chūgoku Expressway * * * * *

Sister cities

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, United States, friendship city since 1999

Local attractions

* Mitsukuri Genpo's Former Residence, National Historic Site *Joto Street, Historic architecture preservation district * Mimasaka Kokubun-ji ruins, National Historic Site * Miwayama Kofun Cluster, National Historic Site * Nakayama Shrine, ichinomiya of Mimasaka Province * Sakura Shrine (Innoshō-no-yakata site), National Historic Site * Sannari Kofun, National Historic Site * Shūraku-en Garden, National Place of Scenic Beauty *Tsuyama Archives of Western Learning * Tsuyama Castle, National Historic Site *Tsuyuma Historical Museum *Tsuyama Museum of Science Education * Tsuyama Railroad Educational Museum *Tsuyama Wonder Museum *Yokono Falls

Festivals

*Cherry Blossom Festival (early April) - This event is held in Kakuzan Park where around 5,000 cherry blossom trees attract people from all over western Japan. Many picnickers arrive before dawn and set down blue tarps and then remain until dusk, grilling out and drinking sake. *Gongo Festival (First Saturday and Sunday of August) - The Gongo, or

Kappa Kappa (; uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; , ''káppa'') is the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value of 20. It was d ...

, is a fictitious animal said to live in rivers. The festival is based around the legend that the Gongo can be seen in the Yoshii River in summer. Local people congregate on the banks of the river wearing traditional Japanese clothing and eat and drink at the many temporary stalls set up there. The festival culminates in a spectacular firework display on the Sunday evening. *Tsuyama Autumn Festival (Mid to late October) - Many people parade through the town pulling danjiri. *Lion Dance Festival (October 17) - The Lion Dance Festival, held at Takata Shrine, began around 710 A.D. to thank the gods for a good harvest. A male and female lion, each controlled by twelve dancers, perform a soul-stirring dance imitating a struggle. The lions keep time with a flute and drum. The dance is believed to drive away the devil and impurity. *Old Izumo Street Festival (Beginning of November on Sunday) - A festival on Joto Street during which they wear traditional clothes and open a theater, tea houses, and various stalls.

Notable people from Tsuyama

* Koshi Inaba, vocalist of B'z * Hiranuma Kiichirō, pre World War II right-wing politician * Yusuke Kodama, professional wrestler * Joe Odagiri, actor * Ayane Sakurano, actress * Kaishū Sano,

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player * Kodai Sano,

player * Shinji Takahashi, baseball player * Shun Yashiro, actor

References

External links

*
Tsuyama City official website
, and some informatio
in English

, from the Japan National Tourism Organization
Tsuyama High School
with some information in English

with some information in English {{Authority control Cities in Okayama Prefecture