Geography
Yonezawa is located in the southeast corner of Yamagata Prefecture. The southern and eastern portions of the city are river basins surrounded by large mountains, forming the Yonezawa Basin. The southern portion of the city has a complex terrain with several rivers and alternating ridges and valleys orientated east to west. The Mogami River flows through the city. Part of the city is within the borders of the Bandai-Asahi National Park.Neighboring municipalities
*Fukushima Prefecture **Inawashiro, Fukushima, Inawashiro **Fukushima, Fukushima, Fukushima **Kitakata, Fukushima, Kitakata **Kitashiobara, Fukushima, Kitashiobara *Yamagata Prefecture **Iide, Yamagata, Iide **Kawanishi, Yamagata, Kawanishi **Takahata, Yamagata, TakahataClimate
Yonezawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification ''Dfa'') with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Yonezawa 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 .Demographics
Per Japanese census data,History
The area of present-day Yonezawa was part of ancient Dewa Province and was controlled in the Sengoku period by the Date clan. The famed warlord Date Masamune was born in Yonezawa. During the Edo period, the area became Yonezawa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate, ruled by the Uesugi clan. After the start of the Meiji period, the area was organized into Minamiokitama District, Yamagata, Minamiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The city of Yamagata was established on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities systemGovernment
Yonezawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members. The city contributes three members to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 3 of the House of Representatives of Japan, lower house of the Diet of Japan.List of mayor of Yonezawa
Economy
The economy of Yamagata is based on agriculture, horticulture, light manufacturing and tourism.Education
Colleges and universities
*Yamagata University Yonezawa campus *Yonezawa Women's Junior CollegePrimary and secondary education
Yonezawa has 18 public elementary schools and eight public middle schools operated by the city government and four public high schools operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education. There are also two private high schools.Transportation
Railway
East Japan Railway Company - Yamagata Shinkansen * East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line * - - - - - East Japan Railway Company - Yonesaka Line * - - -Highways
* – Yonezawa IC * * * *Local attractions
*Namegawa Great Falls *Shirabu Onsen (in gorges of Otaru River south of Yonezawa) *Tateyama Castle (Yamagata), Tateyama Castle *Yonezawa Castle *Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum *Yonezawa OnsenInternational relations
Sister cities
* Moses Lake, Washington, Moses Lake, Washington (state), Washington, United StatesJapan
* Takanabe, Miyazaki, since 1981 * Jōetsu, Niigata, since 1981 * Okinawa, Okinawa, since 1994 * Tōkai, Aichi, since 1999Worldwide
* Taubaté, Brazil, since January 28, 1974 * Moses Lake, Washington, USA, since May 1, 1981Notable people from Yonezawa
*Junzaburo Ban, actor *Itō Chūta, architect *Takehiko Endo, politician *Yamashita Gentarō, admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy *Masami Kobayashi, admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy *Hiroshi Masumura, manga artist *Mutsuo Minagawa, Nippon Professional Baseball player *Chūichi Nagumo, admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy *Ikeda Shigeaki, politician *Hirata Tosuke, Meiji period statesmanReferences
External links