Atsugi, Kanagawa
Encyclopedia
is a city
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in central Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 225,622 and a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 2,410 persons per km². The total area was 93.83 km². While the name “Atsugi” is often associated with the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
base at Naval Air Facility Atsugi
Naval Air Facility Atsugi
is a naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy air base in the Pacific Ocean and houses the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 5, which deploys with the aircraft carrier...
, the base is actually not in Atsugi, but straddles the border between the nearby cities of Ayase
Ayase, Kanagawa
is a city in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is on the east bank of the Sagami River and is bordered by Yamato, Fujisawa and Ebina cities. It should not be confused with a neighborhood of the same name in Adachi, Tokyo. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 82,738 and a...
and Yamato
Yamato, Kanagawa
is a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 225,866 and a density of 8,320 persons per km². The total area was 27.06 km².-Surrounding municipalities:*Zama*Fujisawa*Ebina*Sagamihara*Ayase...
.
Geography
Atsugi is located in the hilly center of Kanagawa Prefecture. Parts of the western portion of the city are within the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National ParkTanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park
is a quasi-national park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. The park includes the Tanzawa Mountains, Miyagase Dam and its surrounding forests, Hayato Great Falls and the religious sites of Mount Ōyama in the mountains of western...
and include Mount Ōyama
Mount Oyama (Kanagawa)
, also or Mount Kunimi , is a high mountain situated on the border of Isehara, Hadano and Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Together with Mount Tanzawa and other mountains in the Tanzawa Mountains it forms the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park...
Surrounding municipalities
- IseharaIsehara, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, Isehara had an estimated population of 100,976 and a density of 1,820 persons per km². The total area was 55.52 km². There is School of Medicine, Tokai University.-Geography:...
- EbinaEbina, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 127,062 and a density of 4,800 persons per km². The total area is 26.48 km².-Geography:...
- SagamiharaSagamihara, Kanagawais a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
- ZamaZama, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The city is also home to the United States' Camp Zama Army base. As of 128,989, the city had an estimated population of 128,989 and a density of 7,320 persons per km². The total area was 17.58 km²....
- HadanoHadano, Kanagawais a city in west-central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, Hadano has an estimated population of 170,293 and a population density of 1,640 persons per km²; it had a total area of 103.61 km².-Geography:...
- HiratsukaHiratsuka, Kanagawais a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 259,991 and the density of 3,830 persons per km²...
- AikawaAikawa, Kanagawais a town located in Aikō District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of February 1, 2010, the town had an estimated population of 41,513 and a density of 1,210 persons per km². The total area was 34.29 km².-Geography:...
- SamukawaSamukawa, Kanagawais a town located in Kōza District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 47,739 and a density of 3,560 persons per km². The total area was 13.42 km².-Geography:...
- KiyokawaKiyokawa, Kanagawais a village located in Aikō District, Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the village had an estimated population of 3,556and a density of 49.9 persons per km². The total area is 71.29 km².-Geography:...
History
The area around present-day Atsugi city has been inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found ceramic shards from the Jōmon periodJomon period
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...
at numerous locations in the area. By the Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
, this area part of the Mōri shōen
Shoen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term zhuangyuan.Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, tax-free, often autonomous estates or manors whose rise undermined the political and economic power of the...
, part of the holdings of Ōe no Hiromoto
Oe no Hiromoto
Ōe no Hiromoto was a kuge and vassal of Japan's Kamakura shogunate, and contributed to establishing the shogunate's governmental structure....
. His descendants, the Mōri clan
Mori clan
The Mōri clan was a family of daimyō, descended from Ōe no Hiromoto and established themselves in Aki Province. Their name was derived from a shōen in Mōri, Aikō District, Sagami Province. The generation of Hiromoto began to name themselves Mōri.After the Jōkyū War, Mōri was appointed to the jitō...
later ruled Chōshū domain. During the Kamakura period, the area was also known for its foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
industry for the production of bells for Buddhist temples. The area came under the control of the Ashikaga clan
Ashikaga clan
The ' was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke province .For about a century the clan was...
in the early Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
and was later part of the territories of the Late Hōjō clan
Late Hojo clan
The ' was one of the most powerful warrior clans in Japan in the Sengoku period and held domains primarily in the Kantō region.The clan is traditionally reckoned to be started by Ise Shinkurō, who came from a branch of the prestigious Ise clan, a family in the direct employment of the Ashikaga...
from Odawara
Odawara, Kanagawa
is a city located in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 198,466 with a population density of 1,740 persons per km² . The total area was .-Geography:...
. With the start of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, the area was tenryō territory controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, but administered through various hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
, as well as exclaves under the control of Odawara Domain
Odawara Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in western Sagami Province. It was centered on Odawara Castle in what is now the city of Odawara.-History:...
, Sakura Domain
Sakura Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Shimōsa Province , Japan. It was centered on Sakura Castle in what is now part of the city of Sakura...
, Mutsuura Domain
Mutsuura Domain
' was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in southern Musashi Province in what is now part of Kanagawa Prefecture. Mutsuura was a Fudai domain. It consisted of two separate geographic areas, one in Kuragi District, Musashi, and the other in Osumi District, Sagami, with its...
, Ogino-Yamanaka Domain and Karasuyama Domain. After the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, the area was consolidated into Aikō District
Aiko District, Kanagawa
is an administrative district of Japan located in central Kanagawa Prefecture. It currently consists of only one town, Aikawa, and one village, Kiyokawa.-History:...
of Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
by 1876. Atsugi town was created on April 1, 1889 through merger of several small hamlets. Atsugi gained city status on February 1, 1955 through merger with neighboring Mutsuai Village, Koaiyu Village, Tamagawa Village and Minamimori Village. The city expanded on July 8, 1958 through merger with neighboring Echi Village, and with Aikawa Village from Naka District
Naka District, Kanagawa
is an administrative district of Japan located in central Kanagawa Prefecture. It currently consists of two towns, Ōiso, and Ninomiya.-History:Naka District was one of the four subdivisions of Sagami Province established by the late Hōjō clan of Odawara during the Sengoku period...
. On September 30, 1956, Ogino Village joined with Atsugi. In April 2002, In April 2000, Atsugi exceeded 200,000 in population and was proclaimed a special ordinance city
Special cities of Japan
of Japan are cities with populations of at least 200,000, and are delegated a subset of the functions delegated to core cities.This category was established by the Local Autonomy Law, article 252 clause 26...
with increased autonomy from the central government.
Economy
Atsugi is mainly known as a bedroom community for the TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
-Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
metropolitan area. Nissan
Nissan Motors
, usually shortened to Nissan , is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn ....
has operated a design center in Atsugi, Japan, since 1982.
Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
operates the Atsugi Technology Center and the Atsugi Technology Center No. 2 in Atsugi.
Anritsu
Anritsu
is a Japanese corporation that is in the test and measurement market. Products include microwave, RF, and optical signal generators , spectrum analyzers, and network analyzers. It was formed with the merger of two companies, the Annaka Corporation and Kyoritsu Electric in Japan in 1931. In 1990...
is headquartered in Atsugi.
Railroad
Atsugi is served by the Odakyu Odawara Line with connections to Shinjuku and OdawaraOdawara, Kanagawa
is a city located in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 198,466 with a population density of 1,740 persons per km² . The total area was .-Geography:...
. The main station is Hon-Atsugi Station
Hon-Atsugi Station
is a major stop on the Odakyu Electric Railway’s Odawara Line serving the city of Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The station is 45.5 rail kilometers from the line’s terminal at Shinjuku Station. Most local, section semi-express, and semi-express trains inbound from Shinjuku Station...
, while Atsugi Station
Atsugi Station
is a railway station in the city of Ebina, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Atsugi is a joint station, served by the Sagami Line of the East Japan Railway Company, and the Odakyu Odawara Line....
(on the Shinjuku side of the Sagami river) is located in nearby Ebina
Ebina, Kanagawa
is a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 127,062 and a density of 4,800 persons per km². The total area is 26.48 km².-Geography:...
.
Highway
- Tōmei ExpresswayTomei ExpresswayThe is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. It is a part of Asian Highway Network -Naming:The word Tōmei is an acronym consisting of two kanji characters...
(toll) to TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
or Nagoya - Japan National Route 129, to HiratsukaHiratsuka, Kanagawais a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 259,991 and the density of 3,830 persons per km²...
or SagamiharaSagamihara, Kanagawais a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been... - Japan National Route 246, to central TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
or NumazuNumazu, Shizuokais a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 205,636 and a population density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area was 187.11 km².- Geography:... - Japan National Route 271, to OdawaraOdawara, Kanagawais a city located in western Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 198,466 with a population density of 1,740 persons per km² . The total area was .-Geography:...
(toll) - Japan National Route 412, to SagamikoSagamiko, Kanagawawas a town located in Tsukui District, Kanagawa, Japan.On March 20, 2006 Sagamiko, along with the town of Tsukui, also from Tsukui District, was merged into the expanded city of Sagamihara, and thus no longer exists as an independent municipality...
Sister City relations
- Yokote, AkitaYokote, Akita
is a city located in Akita in the Tōhoku region of Japan.As of October 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 96,955, with a household number of 34,314 and the density of 140 persons per km²...
, Japan, from May 24, 1985 - Abashiri, Hokkaidō
Abashiri, Hokkaido
is a city located in Okhotsk Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.Abashiri is known as the site of the Abashiri Prison, a Meiji-era facility used for the incarceration of political prisoners...
, Japan from February 5, 2005 - New Britain
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA from May 31, 1983 – Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
. Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from October 23, 1984 – Gunpo
Gunpo
Gunpo is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It is part of the Seoul National Capital Area. Its largest immediate urban neighbor is Suwon. Hansei University is located in the city....
, Republic of Korea from February 5, 2005
Local attractions
- Iiyama KannonIiyama Kannonis a Shingon sect Buddhist temple located outside of Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is more popularly known as the , after its primary object of worship....
(Chokokuji temple) - Iiyama Spa
- Nanasawa Spa
- Mount ŌyamaMount Oyama (Kanagawa), also or Mount Kunimi , is a high mountain situated on the border of Isehara, Hadano and Atsugi in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Together with Mount Tanzawa and other mountains in the Tanzawa Mountains it forms the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park...
Other institutions
- Aoyama Gakuin UniversityAoyama Gakuin University, abbreviated AGU, is a Japanese Christian university in Shibuya near Omotesandō, Tokyo, Japan. Aoyama Gakuin University is part of a comprehensive educational institute called Aoyama Gakuin, which includes a kindergarten, an elementary school, junior and senior high schools, and a women's junior...
- Shoin UniversityShoin University*Shoin UniversitySeveral different Japanese institutions of higher learning also contain the name Shoin.*Kobe Shoin Women's University*Osaka Shoin Women's College*Shoin Higashi Junior Women's College...
- Nissan Technical Center
- Tokyo University of Agriculture Botanical GardenTokyo University of Agriculture Botanical GardenThe is a botanical garden operated by the Tokyo University of Agriculture, and located at 1737 Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan.The garden was established in 1967, and now cultivates about 1,500 species of useful plants, including collections of Cactaceae and other succulents , Iris, Lilium,...
- Tokyo Polytechnic UniversityTokyo Polytechnic Universityis a private university in Honchō, Nakano, Tokyo. Its nickname is Shadai . It was formerly known as Tokyo College of Photography .The university was founded as Konishi Professional School of Photography in Shibuya in 1923...
, Atsugi, KanagawaAtsugi, Kanagawais a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 225,622 and a population density of 2,410 persons per km². The total area was 93.83 km²...
Campus
Noted people from Atsugi
- Akira AmariAkira Amariis a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the lower house. He was the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry from 2006 to 2008 and is currently Minister of State in charge of Administrative Reform....
– politician - Kyōko KoizumiKyoko Koizumi' is a Japanese singer and actress. Her music is released through Victor Entertainment . She is also known by the nickname Kyon Kyon. She had singles reach the Top ten for 12 consecutive years between 1983 and 1994, a female solo artist record, until this was broken by Namie Amuro...
– actress, singer - Azusa SenouAzusa SenouAzusa Senou is a J-pop singer, and a member of the group Coco.- Biography :Azusa was born in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and made her solo debut on 4 September 1991. She was a founding member of Coco, though she left in 1992. She has since retired from the entertainment business...
– singer - Fujimaro Suzuki – actor
- Keiko Fujita – actress, model
- Marina Abe – actress, model
- Nobuteru MaedaNobuteru Maedais a Japanese male singer-songwriter from Atsugi, Kanagawa. He is signed onto Sony Music Japan. He is also a leader of rock band Tube. He released the hits "Sobani Maeda" and "Try Boy, Try Girl".- References :...
– vocalist - Yoshiyasu Ichikawa – singer, songwriter, producer
- Yurina KumaiYurina Kumaiis a Japanese pop singer currently performing in the all-girl group Berryz Kobo, under Hello! Project. Kumai joined Hello! Project in 2002 after passing the Hello! Project Kids audition...
– singer - Sen Odagiri – newscaster
- Tatsunori HaraTatsunori Harais the current manager for the Yomiuri Giants baseball team in Nippon Professional Baseball. He also played for the Yomiuri Giants during his professional baseball career from to . Hara led the Japan national baseball team to victory in the final of the 2009 World Baseball Classic.- External links :...
– former baseball player, manager of Yomiuri GiantsYomiuri GiantsThe are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the... - Hitoshi TamuraHitoshi TamuraHitoshi Tamura is a Japanese professional baseball player with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.-External links:...
- baseball player - Teruyuki MoniwaTeruyuki Moniwais a Japanese football player who currenttly plays for J. League side Cerezo Osaka. The centre-back started his professional career at J. League Division 2 side Bellmare Hiratsuka. He was a first-choice defender but had to be transferred due to club's financial difficulties.He made his...
– football player - Genki NagasatoGenki NagasatoGenki Nagasato is a Japanese football player who is currently playing for Japanese club F.C. Tokyo.He primarily plays as a left-winger but is capable of switching flanks to play on the right...
– football player