Hanamaki, Iwate
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in Iwate Prefecture
, Japan
. As of March 31, 2011, the city has an estimated total population of 102,455, with a household
number of 35,831. Hanamaki is most famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazawa
and for its onsen
. The city recently celebrated the 50th anniversary since its consolidation from six smaller towns in 1954. Hanamaki as of 2006 is composed of the old Hanamaki city and three surrounding towns
, which merged
on January 1.
word Ihatov refers to Iwate prefecture in general, and is agreed to refer more specifically to Hanamaki itself.
On April 1, 1954 six towns consolidated
into the former city of Hanamaki. Those six towns (in rough order of size category) were: Hanamaki-cho, Yuguchi-mura, Yumoto-mura, Miyanome-mura, Yasawa-mura, and Ohta-mura. An additional village, Sasama-mura, joined the following year.
In January 2006 Hanamaki again cosolidated with three neighboring towns, Tōwa
-chō, Ōhasama
-machi, and Ishidoriya
-cho to establish a new city also called Hanamaki. With the merger, the population of Hanamaki increased from 72,926 to 106,414 people, and its geographic area expanded from 385.40 km² to encompass 908.32 km².
on the Sarugaishi River in the former town of Towa. Lake Hayachine on the Hienuki River in the former town of Ohasama is quite spectacular with steep mountains rising above it. Lake Toyosawa is in the western part of the city on the Toyosawa River.
The total city area is 908.32 km²http://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/contents_data/shimin_guide.pdf.
trains, both those going north-south along the Tohoku Main Line as well as those heading east to the coast on the Kamaishi line
stop at Hanamaki Station.
Shin Hanamaki station, which is on the Kamaishi line and significantly removed from the town center, is a stop on the Tohoku
Shinkansen
.
Hanamaki Airport
has regular flights to Sapporo, Nagoya and Osaka
Itami.
A night bus travels between Hanamaki and Tokyo
, departing at 22:08 from in front of the station.
.
Kenji Miyazawa's various legacies are the old Hanamaki city's other perennial tourist attraction.
The city also has a number of ski slopes
.
One of Hanamaki's most notable events is the Hanamaki Matsuri, an annual festival which takes place the second weekend of September and dates back to 1593. The three-day festivities include a dance of over one thousand synchronized traditional dancers; the carrying of over one hundred small shrines
; and the parading of a dozen or so large, hand-constructed floats depicting historical, fictional, or mythical scenes and accompanied by drummers, flautists, and lantern-carriers. Of these dances, the most famous is Shishi Odori (dance of the deer). This dance involves men dressing as deer and banging drums.
With the city's recent mergings, Hanamaki now lays claim to its merged towns' attractions.
Ōhasama is famous for local varieties of traditional Kagura
dance. Kagura dancers often appear at area festivals or functions. On a hill above the town of Ōhasama proper stands a statue resembling the wolf-like costumes donned by Hayachine Kagura dancers.
Mt. Hayachine, which at 1917 m (6289 ft) is the second highest mountain in Iwate Prefecture, lies in the northeast section of Ōhasama.
The area is home to the regionally well-known Edel Wine
. In September, the Ōhasama Wine House hosts the annual Wine Festival.
Around the time of Japan's Girls' Festival
, Ōhasama puts on displays of its collection of dolls, many of which are several hundred years old. Local history suggests that the dolls may have been given to residents of Ōhasama by travelers from Kyoto
on their way to trade in Hokkaidō
.
Ishidoriya has a history of sake-making connected with the Nambu Toji tradition.
.
Within Japan, Hanamaki conducts "friendship city" exchanges with Towada-shi in Aomori
and with Hiratsuka-shi in Kanagawa
.
Each of the erstwhile towns also conduct exchanges with sister cities of their own, which have been taken up by the new Hanamaki city.
Ōhasama has been sister cities with Berndorf, Austria
since 1965. Mt. Hayachine is also home to a particular species of edelweiss
, called Hayachine Usuyukisou, which grows exclusively on Mt. Hayachine. It was because of this flower that mountain climbers from Ōhasama forged a friendship with those from Berndorf, Austria.
Ishidoriya is sister cities with Rutland, Vermont.
Tōwa in turn carried on exchanges with many towns and cities while eschewing formal sister city agreements, starting with Clinton, Wisconsin
in 1975, and including locations in Athens, Ohio
and also Germany
, and Scotland
(Shetland).
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 Iwate Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
, 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 March 31, 2011, the city has an estimated total population of 102,455, with a household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
number of 35,831. Hanamaki is most famous as the birthplace of Kenji Miyazawa
Kenji Miyazawa
was a Japanese poet and author of children's literature in the early Shōwa period of Japan. He was also known as a devout Buddhist, vegetarian and social activist.-Early life:...
and for its onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
. The city recently celebrated the 50th anniversary since its consolidation from six smaller towns in 1954. Hanamaki as of 2006 is composed of the old Hanamaki city and three surrounding 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...
, which merged
Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan
Municipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan can take place within one municipality or between multiple municipalities and are required to be based upon consensus.- Merger policy:...
on January 1.
History
Kenji Miyazawa was born in Hanamaki in 1896, where he spent most of his life. Miyazawa’s invented EsperantoEsperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
word Ihatov refers to Iwate prefecture in general, and is agreed to refer more specifically to Hanamaki itself.
On April 1, 1954 six towns consolidated
Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan
Municipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan can take place within one municipality or between multiple municipalities and are required to be based upon consensus.- Merger policy:...
into the former city of Hanamaki. Those six towns (in rough order of size category) were: Hanamaki-cho, Yuguchi-mura, Yumoto-mura, Miyanome-mura, Yasawa-mura, and Ohta-mura. An additional village, Sasama-mura, joined the following year.
In January 2006 Hanamaki again cosolidated with three neighboring towns, Tōwa
Towa, Iwate
was a town located in Waga District, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It is currently a branch of Hanamaki City.On January 1, 2006 Tōwa was merged with the towns of Ishidoriya and Ōhasama, both from Hienuki District, and the old city of Hanamaki to form the new city of Hanamaki.As of 2003, the town had an...
-chō, Ōhasama
Ohasama, Iwate
, formerly an independent town, is now a district of Hanamaki in the heart of the Iwate Prefecture in the north of Honshū, Japan.As of November, 2005, the town had an estimated population of 6,766 people. The total area was 246.84 km² , formerly an independent town, is now a district of...
-machi, and Ishidoriya
Ishidoriya, Iwate
was a town located in Hienuki District, Iwate, Japan.On January 1, 2006 Ishidoriya was merged with the town of Tōwa, from Waga District, the town of Ōhasama, from Hienuki District, and the old city of Hanamaki to form the new city of Hanamaki....
-cho to establish a new city also called Hanamaki. With the merger, the population of Hanamaki increased from 72,926 to 106,414 people, and its geographic area expanded from 385.40 km² to encompass 908.32 km².
Geography
Hanamaki is located in the Kitakami River valley where three other rivers empty into the Kitakami; the Sarugaishi-gawa from the east and the Se-gawa and Toyosawa-gawa from the west. In the west the city rises to the foothills of the Ou Mountains with the highest point being Mt. Matsukura at 968 meters. To the east the city rises to the highest peak in the Kitakami Range, Mt Hayachine at 1917 meters. The largest reservoir is Lake TaseTase Dam
is a concrete dam located on the Sarugaishi River in the former town of Tōwa which is now a part of Hanamaki City in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.Work on the dam began in 1938, but it was not completed until 1954 due to World War II. Prefectural Road 178 passes over the top of the dam. The dam is used...
on the Sarugaishi River in the former town of Towa. Lake Hayachine on the Hienuki River in the former town of Ohasama is quite spectacular with steep mountains rising above it. Lake Toyosawa is in the western part of the city on the Toyosawa River.
The total city area is 908.32 km²http://www.city.hanamaki.iwate.jp/contents_data/shimin_guide.pdf.
Demographics
The city has an estimated population of 106,414 as of 2005. The population density of pre-merger Hanamaki as of 2003 was 189.22 persons per km².Transportation
Regular JREast Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
trains, both those going north-south along the Tohoku Main Line as well as those heading east to the coast on the Kamaishi line
Kamaishi Line
The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company which runs 90.2 km between Hanamaki and Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.-Stations:All stations are in Iwate Prefecture.-See also:...
stop at Hanamaki Station.
Shin Hanamaki station, which is on the Kamaishi line and significantly removed from the town center, is a stop on the Tohoku
Tohoku Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
Shinkansen
Shinkansen
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...
.
Hanamaki Airport
Hanamaki Airport
or Iwate-Hanamaki Airport is an airport located north northeast of Hanamaki, a city in the Iwate Prefecture of Japan. On 4th April, 2009, a new terminal building was opened on the opposite side of the runway, replacing the now-defunct old terminal building that is situated next to Route 4...
has regular flights to Sapporo, Nagoya and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
Itami.
A night bus travels between Hanamaki and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; 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...
, departing at 22:08 from in front of the station.
Tourist attractions
Hanamaki is known historically for its many onsenOnsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
.
Kenji Miyazawa's various legacies are the old Hanamaki city's other perennial tourist attraction.
The city also has a number of ski slopes
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
One of Hanamaki's most notable events is the Hanamaki Matsuri, an annual festival which takes place the second weekend of September and dates back to 1593. The three-day festivities include a dance of over one thousand synchronized traditional dancers; the carrying of over one hundred small shrines
Mikoshi
A is a divine palanquin . Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine...
; and the parading of a dozen or so large, hand-constructed floats depicting historical, fictional, or mythical scenes and accompanied by drummers, flautists, and lantern-carriers. Of these dances, the most famous is Shishi Odori (dance of the deer). This dance involves men dressing as deer and banging drums.
With the city's recent mergings, Hanamaki now lays claim to its merged towns' attractions.
Ōhasama is famous for local varieties of traditional Kagura
Kagura
- Fictional characters :*Kagura Tsuchimiya, the protagonist of Ga-rei*Kagura, an InuYasha character*Kagura Sohma , a Fruits Basket character*Kagura, an Azumanga Daioh character*Ten'nōzu Kagura, a Speed Grapher character...
dance. Kagura dancers often appear at area festivals or functions. On a hill above the town of Ōhasama proper stands a statue resembling the wolf-like costumes donned by Hayachine Kagura dancers.
Mt. Hayachine, which at 1917 m (6289 ft) is the second highest mountain in Iwate Prefecture, lies in the northeast section of Ōhasama.
The area is home to the regionally well-known Edel Wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. In September, the Ōhasama Wine House hosts the annual Wine Festival.
Around the time of Japan's Girls' Festival
Hinamatsuri
The Japanese , or Girls' Day, is held on March 3. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display a set of representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.- Origin and customs :...
, Ōhasama puts on displays of its collection of dolls, many of which are several hundred years old. Local history suggests that the dolls may have been given to residents of Ōhasama by travelers from Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
on their way to trade in Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
.
Ishidoriya has a history of sake-making connected with the Nambu Toji tradition.
City connections
Hanamaki is sister cities with Hot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
.
Within Japan, Hanamaki conducts "friendship city" exchanges with Towada-shi in Aomori
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
and with Hiratsuka-shi in Kanagawa
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...
.
Each of the erstwhile towns also conduct exchanges with sister cities of their own, which have been taken up by the new Hanamaki city.
Ōhasama has been sister cities with Berndorf, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
since 1965. Mt. Hayachine is also home to a particular species of edelweiss
Edelweiss
Edelweiss , Leontopodium alpinum, is a well-known European mountain flower, belonging to the sunflower family.-Names:The common name comes from German edel, meaning "noble", and weiß "white", thus signifying "noble whiteness".The scientific name Leontopodium is a Latin adaptation of Greek...
, called Hayachine Usuyukisou, which grows exclusively on Mt. Hayachine. It was because of this flower that mountain climbers from Ōhasama forged a friendship with those from Berndorf, Austria.
Ishidoriya is sister cities with Rutland, Vermont.
Tōwa in turn carried on exchanges with many towns and cities while eschewing formal sister city agreements, starting with Clinton, Wisconsin
Clinton, Wisconsin
Clinton is a village in Rock County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,162 at the 2000 census . The village is located within the town of Clinton...
in 1975, and including locations in Athens, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and also Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
(Shetland).