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

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

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 263,436 in 126,509 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 6300 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is the birthplace of the

Kawachi ondo ''Kawachi Ondo'' (河内音頭) is a kind of Japanese folk song that originates from Yao City in the old Kawachi region of Japan, now part of modern-day Osaka Prefecture. This song's style and melody are said to have evolved from another folk so ...

style of folk singing.

Geography

Yao is locate adjacent to the central part of the Osaka Plain and southeast of Osaka metropolis. The west side of the city area is almost flat with an average elevation of only ten meters above sea level. The land rises in the east, with the Ikoma Mountains forming the prefectural border with

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

. In addition to the

Yamato River The is a river that flows through Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is designated Classification of rivers in Japan, Class A by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The river flows via towns: *Nara ...

flowing at the southern end of the city, there are many small rivers.

Neighboring municipalities

* Heguri * Sangō Osaka Prefecture * Fujiidera *

Higashiōsaka is a Cities of Japan, city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 486,464 in 233,124 households and a population density of 7,874 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is known as one of ...

* Hirano-ku * Kashiwara *

Matsubara is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,811 in 57351 households and a population density of 7100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Matsubara is located in the center ...

Climate

Yao 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 Yao is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Yao population statistics
/ref> the population of Yao increased rapidly from the 1960s through 1970s, and has leveled off since.

History

Premodern

The area of the modern city of Yao was within ancient

Kawachi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as . Geography The area was radically different in th ...

and is built on land which was once Kawachi Bay. This area was a fertile delta along Old-Yamato River, and has been cultivated since

Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

. In the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

, many powerful clans settled here and built ''

kofun are megalithic tombs or tumulus, tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞 ...

burial mounds A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. ...

in the foothills of the Ikoma mountain range. In

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

, this area was under the control of

Mononobe clan The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

. The clan was destroyed when Mononobe no Moriya was defeated by

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during t ...

. The Yuge clan, which was a cadet branch of Mononobe clan, however, kept control on the area. The monk

Dōkyō was a Japanese monk who rose to power through the favor of Empress Kōken (Empress Shōtoku) and became a ''Daijō-daijin Zenji'', the rank set up for him, and later became a ''Hōō'', the highest rank of the religious world. He served Ryoben ...

, who was from Yuge clan, became the most powerful person in the late

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 ...

through his relationship with Empress Shōtoku. He constructed ''Saikyo'' (West Capital) called Yuge-gu in this area, from which he intended rule the nation prior to his fall from power. Takayasu Castle, an ancient castle on Mount Takayasu, was constructed for defense against

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, after Yamato was defeated at the Battle of Baekgang in Korean Peninsula and rediscovered by archaeologists in 1978. During the

, the area Yao prospered as a transportation hub between

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

, Naniwa-kyō and the seacoast. 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 ...

, the area was dominated by large ''

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 estates controlled by Buddhist temples and the nobility. In 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 ...

the area was the site of several battles, including during the summer campaign of

Siege of Osaka A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

. Before the middle term of

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 ...

, the

Yamato river The is a river that flows through Nara Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is designated Classification of rivers in Japan, Class A by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The river flows via towns: *Nara ...

flowed from south to north and joined to the

Yodo River The , also called the Seta River (瀬田川 ''Seta-gawa'') and the Uji River (宇治川 ''Uji-gawa'') at portions of its route, is the principal river in Osaka Prefecture on Honshu, Japan. The source of the river is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefectur ...

. However, due to flooding, 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 ...

undertook a large

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

project to change the flow of the Yamato River from east to west, to empty into Osaka Bay directly. The construction decreased number of floods, and enabled this area to develop more paddy fields. In addition, cotton cultivation flourished in this area.

Modern

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 became part of Osaka Prefecture. The village Yao created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, although the name "Yao" appears as far back as Heian period documents. On April 1, 1896 the area became part of Nakakawachi District, Osaka. Yao was elevated to town status on August 1, 1903. On April 1, 1948, Yao merged with the town of Ryuge and the villages of Kyuhoji, Taisho, and Nishigo to form the city of Yao.

Government

Yao 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. Yao contributes three members to the

Osaka Prefectural Assembly The is the legislature of Osaka Prefecture. As in all prefectures, it is elected to four-year terms by single non-transferable vote in multi- and single-member districts and is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural by-laws, approving ...

. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Osaka 14th 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

Yao is traditionally known for its production of toothbrushes, and still accounts for 40% of the Japanese market, although the contribution of toothbrush manufacturing to the total local economy is very small. The city is now known as a center for light and medium manufacturing.

Companies based on Yao

* Hosiden (ホシデン株式会社) * Miki House (ミキハウス)

Education

Colleges and universities

* Osaka University of Economics and Law

Primary and secondary education

Yao has 28 public elementary schools, 15 public middle schools and four public high schools operated by the Osaka Prefectural Department of Education. There is also one private middle school and one private high school. The prefecture also operates on special education school for the handicapped. Prefectural senior high schools * Osaka Prefectural Yamamoto High School ( 大阪府立山本高等学校) * Osaka Prefectural Yao High School ( 大阪府立八尾高等学校) *

Osaka Prefectural Yaokita High School is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population ...

( 大阪府立八尾北高等学校) * Osaka Prefectural Yaosuisho High School ( 大阪府立八尾翠翔高等学校) Private junior and senior high school * Konko Yao Junior and Senior High School ( 金光八尾中学校・高等学校)

Special needs education

* Osaka Prefectural Yao School for Special Needs Education ( 大阪府立八尾支援学校)

Transportation

Airports

* Yao Airport

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, ...

–

Yamatoji Line The is the common name of the western portion of the Kansai Main Line in Japan. The line is owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It starts at Kamo Station (Kyoto), Kamo Station in Kyoto Prefecture and ends at JR Namba Stat ...

* - -

–

Osaka Higashi Line The (Literally: Osaka East Line) is a railway line in Osaka, Japan, operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR-West). The line connects Ōsaka Station in northern Osaka with Kyūhōji Station in Yao, forming an arc around the northern and ...

Kintetsu Railway , referred to as and officially Kinki-Nippon Railway, is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railw ...

Kintetsu Osaka Line * - - - - KintetsuLogo

Kintetsu Shigi Line * - KintetsuLogo

Nishi-Shigi Cable Line * Osaka Metro logo

Osaka Metro The is a major rapid transit system in the Osaka metropolitan area of Japan, operated by the Osaka Metro Company, Ltd. It serves the city of Osaka and the adjacent municipalities of Higashiosaka, Kadoma, Moriguchi, Sakai, Suita, and Yao. ...

Tanimachi Line: *

Highway

* * *

Local attractions

* Shionjiyama Kofun, National Historic Site * Taiseishōgun-ji, Buddhist temple founded in 587 AD * Takayasu Senzuka Kofun Cluster, National Historic Site * Yuge-dera ruins, National Historic Site

Sister cities

Usa The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

, Ōita, Japan * Wake,

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 ...

, Japan * Shingu,

Wakayama Wakayama may refer to: * Wakayama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan * Wakayama (city), the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan * Wakayama Station, a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama * Wakayama University, a national university in Wakayama, ...

, Japan * Gojo,

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

, Japan *

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

, Washington, United States, sister city agreement since 1969 *

Jiading District Jiading is a suburban district of Shanghai. As of the 2020 Chinese census, it had a population of 1,834,258. History Jiading was historically a separate polity from Shanghai until it came under the administration of Shanghai in 1958. In 1993, ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China, sister city agreement since 1986

Notable people from Yao

* Shōgo Arai, politician,

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, Buddhist monk * Toyokawa Etsushi, actor * Yasuji Hondo, former baseball player *Hideaki Ikematsu, former football player *

Ryota Katayose is a Japanese singer and actor. He is a vocalist of Generations from Exile Tribe and is represented by LDH. Early life and career Katayose is the only child. He learned to play piano from his grandfather and father. He was a keen football ...

, singer, vocalist of Generations from Exile Tribe * Kawachiya Kikusuimaru, musician *

Masato Kitano Day After Tomorrow (also known as dat) was a 3-member Japanese pop band under the Avex label. History Due to their music being produced by former Every Little Thing member Mitsuru Igarashi, Day After Tomorrow's music took on a decidedly simil ...

, songwriter of Day After Tomorrow * Masumi Kuwata, former baseball player * Ichirō Matsui, politician, mayor of

Osaka City is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population ...

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over 100 feature film, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films span a variety of different genres, ranging from violent and surrealism, b ...

, film director * Masataka Nishimoto, football player for

Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osak ...

Tokushichi Nomura II was a Japanese businessman, investor and politician. He was the founder of the Nomura Group ''zaibatsu'' and Nomura Securities, and served as a member of the House of Peers. Early life and family Nomura was born on August 7, 1878, in present-d ...

, businessman, founder of the Nomura

zaibatsu is a Japanese language, Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertical integration, vertically integrated business conglomerate (company), conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over signifi ...

* Tadashi Ōishi, shogi player *

Yui Okada (born December 28, 1987, in Yao, Osaka, Japan) is a gravure model, model and race queen, former member of Japanese idol pop group v-u-den that was associated with Hello! Project. She remained within the group until its disbandment in 2008, aft ...

, singer * Kosuke Okanishi, football player

Ventforet Kofu is a Japanese professional football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football, hosting their home matches in the JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōf ...

* Jimmy Onishi, painter and comedian * Noboru Rokuda, manga artist *

Nagisa Sakurauchi Nagisa Sakurauchi (櫻内渚, ''Sakurauchi Nagisa'', born August 11, 1989) is a Japanese football player as a Right back and currently plays for Taiwan Football Premier League club Taichung Futuro. Career Sakurauchi began his youth career wi ...

, football player for

Júbilo Iwata is a Japanese professional association football, football team based in Iwata, Shizuoka, Iwata, located in Shizuoka Prefecture. The club competes in J2 League following relegation from J1 League in 2024 J1 League, 2024. Etymology The team's ...

Shota Shimizu is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician from Yao, Osaka, Japan, who debuted in 2008. On June 1, 2008, Shimizu performed at Central Park in New York City during the annual Japan Day Festival. Shota Shimizu went to a local Christian school in ...

, singer * Hitoshi Taneda, former baseball player * Takeshi Tokuda, politician of

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

* Etsushi Toyokawa, actor * Yuki Ueno, professional wrestler * Shouma Yamamoto, actor

References

External links

Yao City official website

Yao Monozukuri Net is the place to search and contact for manufacturing businesses in Yao City
{{Authority control Cities in Osaka Prefecture