Fukuyama, Hiroshima
Encyclopedia
is a city
located on the Ashida River
in Hiroshima Prefecture
, Japan
.
As of January 31, 2010, the city has an estimated population
of 465,238 and a population density
of 898.02 persons per km². The total area is 461.23 km². After Hiroshima City, it is the largest city in Hiroshima Prefecture
and is located on the far east side of the prefecture. The city's symbol is the rose and it holds an annual "Rose Festival" in the month of May. Fukuyama City is a vital commercial, industrial and communications center
. It produces machinery, koto
(Japanese harps), rubber products, electronics
, textiles, and processed foods.
, a cousin of shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu
. Mizuno was given command of a territory in western Japan consisting of southern Bingo Province
and southwestern Bitchu Province
. He built a new castle-town as his capital and called it Fukuyama.
After the abolition of the han system
in 1871, Fukuyama Prefecture was founded. A short time later the prefecture was renamed Fukatsu. Fukatsu Prefecture was merged with Kurashiki Prefecture in 1872 to form Oda Prefecture. In 1875 Oda Prefecture was merged into Okayama Prefecture
.
When the border between Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures was rearranged in 1876, Fukuyama Town became a part of Hiroshima Prefecture.
Fukuyama Town became Fukuyama City on July 1, 1916. The population of the city at that time was 32,356.
On August 8, 1945 (2 days after the atomic-bombing of Hiroshima
), 91 American
B-29
bombers made an air-raid on Fukuyama, destroying much of the city.
Fukuyama was named one of the core cities
of Japan on April 1, 1998.
from surrounding Fukayasu District
were merged into Fukuyama. Two additional villages from Numakuma District
were similarly merged in 1942.
On March 31, 1954, several towns
and villages in Kōrimatsu District merged to found the city of Matsunaga. Matsunaga City would eventually merge with Fukuyama City on May 1, 1966.
Several towns and villages from the Fukayasu District merged into Fukuyama in 1956, and Fukayasu Town merged in 1962.
Several other surrounding towns and districts eventually merged with Fukuyama:
on the Sanyō Shinkansen line (limited express Nozomi, express Hikari and local Kodama) stop there, making the city easily accessible from anywhere in Japan.
Regional and city buses carry passengers throughout the city and link it to other cities in the region. Some of the cities reachable by highway bus are Hiroshima, Kobe, Kyoto, Matsue, Okayama, Osaka, Tokyo and Yonago.
is located in the northwestern district of Matsunaga. The university offers many courses of study, but is best known for its excellent pharmacology
program. Fukuyama City Junior College for Women
is located in the Kita Honjo district.
The Holocaust Education Center in Fukuyama, inaugurated on June 17, 1995, is dedicated to the memory of 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. It has the distinction of being the first institution in Japan devoted to Holocaust education.
Further away from the center of town are the districts of Matsunaga, known for its traditional Japanese footwear, called geta, and Tomo-no-Ura, a fishing village known for its traditional sea bream netting display every May.
, Bulgaria
Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
Okazaki City, Japan
Pohang City
, South Korea
Tacloban City
, Philippines
Maui
, Hawaii
, United States
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 on the Ashida River
Ashida River
The is a river that flows through the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The river provides the primary drainage for the Bingo region.The source of the river is in the city of Mihara, Hiroshima and flows generally east toward Niimi, Okayama...
in Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
, 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 January 31, 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 465,238 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 898.02 persons per km². The total area is 461.23 km². After Hiroshima City, it is the largest city in Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
and is located on the far east side of the prefecture. The city's symbol is the rose and it holds an annual "Rose Festival" in the month of May. Fukuyama City is a vital commercial, industrial and communications center
Communications center
In telecommunication, the term communications center has the following meanings:# An agency charged with the responsibility for handling and controlling communications traffic...
. It produces machinery, koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
(Japanese harps), rubber products, electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, textiles, and processed foods.
History
What is today the city of Fukuyama was founded as a castle town in 1619 by Mizuno KatsunariMizuno clan
The was a Japanese clan which claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan. In the Edo period, the Mizuno clan produced many men who were fudai daimyo serving the Tokugawa shogun, as well as countless families of hatamoto...
, a cousin of shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
. Mizuno was given command of a territory in western Japan consisting of southern Bingo Province
Bingo Province
was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bitchu Provinces. Bingo bordered Bitchū, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, and Aki Provinces....
and southwestern Bitchu Province
Bitchu Province
was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bingo Provinces. Bitchu bordered Hōki, Mimasaka, Bizen, and Bingo Provinces....
. He built a new castle-town as his capital and called it Fukuyama.
After the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
in 1871, Fukuyama Prefecture was founded. A short time later the prefecture was renamed Fukatsu. Fukatsu Prefecture was merged with Kurashiki Prefecture in 1872 to form Oda Prefecture. In 1875 Oda Prefecture was merged into Okayama Prefecture
Okayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Okayama.- History :During the Meiji Restoration, the area of Okayama Prefecture was known as Bitchū Province, Bizen Province and Mimasaka Province.- Geography :...
.
When the border between Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures was rearranged in 1876, Fukuyama Town became a part of Hiroshima Prefecture.
Fukuyama Town became Fukuyama City on July 1, 1916. The population of the city at that time was 32,356.
On August 8, 1945 (2 days after the atomic-bombing of Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
), 91 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
B-29
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bombers made an air-raid on Fukuyama, destroying much of the city.
Fukuyama was named one of the core cities
Core city
A is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities...
of Japan on April 1, 1998.
Mergers with surrounding towns
In 1933 10 villagesVillages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
from surrounding Fukayasu District
Fukayasu District, Hiroshima
Fukayasu was a district located in Hiroshima Prefecture until 2006. On October 1, 1898, the district was formed by the mergers of both Fukatsu and Yasuna Districts. On March 1, 2006, the last remaining town of Kannabe merged into the city of Fukuyama and the district dissolved...
were merged into Fukuyama. Two additional villages from Numakuma District
Numakuma District, Hiroshima
Numakuma was a former district located in Hiroshima Prefecture.The original district areas contained some parts of the present city of Fukuyama...
were similarly merged in 1942.
On March 31, 1954, several towns
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
and villages in Kōrimatsu District merged to found the city of Matsunaga. Matsunaga City would eventually merge with Fukuyama City on May 1, 1966.
Several towns and villages from the Fukayasu District merged into Fukuyama in 1956, and Fukayasu Town merged in 1962.
Several other surrounding towns and districts eventually merged with Fukuyama:
- April 1, 1974, Ashida Town in Ashina District
- February 1, 1975, Kamo Town, Fukayasu District and Ekiya Town, Ashina District
- February 3, 2003, Utsumi Town in Numakuma District and Shin'ichi Town in Ashina District, thereby dissolving Ashina District
- February 1, 2005 NumakumaNumakuma, HiroshimaNumakuma was a town located in Numakuma District, Hiroshima, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 12,511 and a density of 404.49 persons per km². The total area was 30.93 km²....
Town, dissolving Numakuma District - March 1, 2006 KannabeKannabe, Hiroshimawas a town located in Fukayasu District, Hiroshima, Japan.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 40,498 and a density of 712.87 persons per km². The total area was 56.81 km²....
Town in Fukayasu District, dissolving the district
Transportation
The city is a regional rail hub and a stop on the coastal Sanyō line as well as a terminus for the Fukuen line extending north into Hiroshima Prefecture. Additionally, three types of Shinkansen trainShinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
on the Sanyō Shinkansen line (limited express Nozomi, express Hikari and local Kodama) stop there, making the city easily accessible from anywhere in Japan.
Regional and city buses carry passengers throughout the city and link it to other cities in the region. Some of the cities reachable by highway bus are Hiroshima, Kobe, Kyoto, Matsue, Okayama, Osaka, Tokyo and Yonago.
Education
Fukuyama is home to some 70 elementary schools, several dozen junior high schools and roughly twenty high schools, both public and private. Fukuyama UniversityFukuyama University
is a private university in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan, established in 1975.-External links:*...
is located in the northwestern district of Matsunaga. The university offers many courses of study, but is best known for its excellent pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
program. Fukuyama City Junior College for Women
Fukuyama City Junior College for Women
is a public women's junior college in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan, established in 1963.In August 2010 the college announced that it stopped admitting students in preparation for Fukuyama City University .-External links:*...
is located in the Kita Honjo district.
The Holocaust Education Center in Fukuyama, inaugurated on June 17, 1995, is dedicated to the memory of 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust. It has the distinction of being the first institution in Japan devoted to Holocaust education.
Shopping
Fukuyama is home to several large department stores, including Caspa, Lotz, Tenmaya, and Ito Yokado/Happy Town/Port Plaza. Kannabe-cho is home to the department store Fuji Grand. Many shops selling traditional Japanese goods can be found along the city's Hondori (covered shopping arcade), as well as throughout the city.Further away from the center of town are the districts of Matsunaga, known for its traditional Japanese footwear, called geta, and Tomo-no-Ura, a fishing village known for its traditional sea bream netting display every May.
Sights
- TomonouraTomonoura, formerly known as , is a port in Ichichi ward of Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is located on the southern point of the Numakuma Peninsula, and has been a prosperous port and bay area since ancient times. Its unique circular harbor shape was preserved even when modern port facilities...
- fishing port of numerous interesting temples and shrines; approximately 30 minutes south of Fukuyama by bus (14 km from Fukuyama). - MyōōinMyooin, HiroshimaMyōō-in is a Buddhist temple in Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan.-History:This temple was said to be constructed by the Ritsu school of Buddhism in 807, by Kukai. The original name of the temple was Jofuku-ji...
- Buddhist temple with two national treasures. - Taichōrō - temple hall on the hill behind the ferry terminal was built at the end of the 17th century to house a Korean delegation, which would at times pay its respects.
- Uono-sato - snack-food factory that processes most of the locally-caught fish. One can observe workers make chikuwa (ground-fish snacks) and senbei (rice crackers).
- Fukuyama CastleFukuyama Castle (Bingo Province)', sometimes called ' or ' was the castle of the Bingo-Fukuyama Han during the Edo period of Japanese history.The castle is located in Fukuyama Park in Fukuyama, Hiroshima near Fukuyama Station.-Overview:...
- Kusado SengenKusado Sengenis the name of a medieval town in Japan. It is located near the Ashida River in present day Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Investigators believe that Kusado Sengen was a minor commercial port town on the Seto Inland Sea during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.- Discovery : Kusado Sengen...
, a medieval town excavated in the Ashida River
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