Komae, Tokyo
Encyclopedia
is a municipality
administered as a city
, in Tokyo
, Japan
. It is one of 30 municipalities in the western portion of Tokyo metropolis known as the Tama Area.
As of September 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population
of 76,952. The total area is 6.39 km². It is the smallest administrative city in Tokyo both in area and population. Its density
of 12,159 persons per km² makes it the third most densely populated municipality in Japan outside the 23 central wards of Tokyo
.
to Tokyo Prefecture. Odakyu Railways's Odawara line was constructed through Komae in 1926, linking it with Shinjuku in central Tokyo. Expanding population led to Komae being upgraded to the status of a town in 1952, and to a city on October 1, 1970.
On September 1, 1970, Tama River
's levee failed during a typhoon, and 19 houses were destroyed by torrential flooding. The riverbanks have now been strengthened. A small memorial stands at the location of the levee failure.
, an independent affiliated with the Japanese Communist Party
. The JCP is also the largest party in the assembly and forms a majority together with several smaller parties.
In the mayoral election held on June 22, 2008, Yutaka Yano
defeated two independent opponents, supported by the Liberal Democratic Party
and Democratic Party of Japan
, to win a fourth term.
Komae is nestled between the Tama River
to the southwest, and the much smaller Nogawa river to the north and east which flows near its boundaries with Chōfu
city and Setagaya Ward. It is mostly flat. It is a small municipality; its boundaries fit within a circle of 2 km radius centred on the city hall. It is essentially a residential suburb of Tokyo which urbanised rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, with most of the working population commuting to central Tokyo. There are several neighbourhood shopping areas, mainly around the train stations. The City Hall is located near Komae Station
.
Rail access in and out of the city is mainly via Komae
, Kitami
and Izumi-Tamagawa
stations, all of them minor stops on the Odakyu Odawara Line. Some areas in the north of the city have better access to Keiō Line stations in neighbouring Chōfu
city.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
operates Komae High School
.
Along with several Japanese actors, the following are from Komae:
Annual events in Komae include a raft-race on Tama River every July, and a city fair in mid-November.
Komae is home to six local Shinto shrines and four local Buddhist temple
s, all of them minor.
The city's name is thought to originate from the word koma, referring to migrants, especially Goguryeo
from the Korean peninsula
who settled here more than 1000 years ago.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
administered as 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...
, in 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...
, 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...
. It is one of 30 municipalities in the western portion of Tokyo metropolis known as the Tama Area.
As of September 1, 2008, 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 76,952. The total area is 6.39 km². It is the smallest administrative city in Tokyo both in area and population. Its 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 12,159 persons per km² makes it the third most densely populated municipality in Japan outside the 23 central wards of Tokyo
Special wards of Tokyo
The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
.
History
The administrative boundaries of the farming village of Komae was founded in 1889. In 1893, it was transferred from Kanagawa PrefectureKanagawa 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...
to Tokyo Prefecture. Odakyu Railways's Odawara line was constructed through Komae in 1926, linking it with Shinjuku in central Tokyo. Expanding population led to Komae being upgraded to the status of a town in 1952, and to a city on October 1, 1970.
On September 1, 1970, Tama River
Tama River
The is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government....
's levee failed during a typhoon, and 19 houses were destroyed by torrential flooding. The riverbanks have now been strengthened. A small memorial stands at the location of the levee failure.
Politics and government
Komae is run by a city assembly of 22 elected members. The current mayor is Yutaka YanoYutaka Yano
is the mayor of Komae, Tokyo in Japan. A member of the Japanese Communist Party, he was first elected in 1996.- References :...
, an independent affiliated with the Japanese Communist Party
Japanese Communist Party
The Japanese Communist Party is a left-wing political party in Japan.The JCP advocates the establishment of a society based on socialism, democracy and peace, and opposition to militarism...
. The JCP is also the largest party in the assembly and forms a majority together with several smaller parties.
- Komae city assembly election, 2007Komae city assembly election, 2007- Results :The Japanese Communist Party continued to be the largest party in the city assembly....
In the mayoral election held on June 22, 2008, Yutaka Yano
Yutaka Yano
is the mayor of Komae, Tokyo in Japan. A member of the Japanese Communist Party, he was first elected in 1996.- References :...
defeated two independent opponents, supported by the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
and Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
, to win a fourth term.
Geography
Tama River
The is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government....
to the southwest, and the much smaller Nogawa river to the north and east which flows near its boundaries with Chōfu
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
city and Setagaya Ward. It is mostly flat. It is a small municipality; its boundaries fit within a circle of 2 km radius centred on the city hall. It is essentially a residential suburb of Tokyo which urbanised rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s, with most of the working population commuting to central Tokyo. There are several neighbourhood shopping areas, mainly around the train stations. The City Hall is located near Komae Station
Komae Station
is a stop on the Odakyu Electric Railway Odawara Line in Komae City, Tokyo, Japan.It is the 15th station, about 13.8 km, from Shinjuku Station. It was used by about 42,000 passengers daily in 2005. It is serviced by local service and section semi-express trains; all other trains bypass the...
.
Rail access in and out of the city is mainly via Komae
Komae Station
is a stop on the Odakyu Electric Railway Odawara Line in Komae City, Tokyo, Japan.It is the 15th station, about 13.8 km, from Shinjuku Station. It was used by about 42,000 passengers daily in 2005. It is serviced by local service and section semi-express trains; all other trains bypass the...
, Kitami
Kitami Station (Tokyo)
Kitami Station is a minor stop on the Odakyu Electric Railway Odawara Line straddling the border between Setagaya Ward and Komae City in Tokyo, Japan....
and Izumi-Tamagawa
Izumi-Tamagawa Station
is a railway station on the Odakyu Odawara Line in Komae, Tokyo, Japan.-Platforms:-History:* 1927 - The station opens* 1937 - Promoted to 「Chokutsū」stop* 1948 - Promoted to Sakura Semi Express stop* 1952 - Promoted to Semi Express stop...
stations, all of them minor stops on the Odakyu Odawara Line. Some areas in the north of the city have better access to Keiō Line stations in neighbouring Chōfu
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
city.
Education
Komae operates public elementary and junior high schools.Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
operates Komae High School
Komae High School
is a public high school located in Komae, Tokyo, Japan. The school was established on April 1, 1972.- Access :The school is located approximately 3 minutes walk from Izumi-Tamagawa Station on the Odakyū Odawara Line.-External links:*...
.
Others
The town has a group of festival mascots called Komarangers; their purpose is to cheer up the citizens of the town. They come in five colors: red, blue, green, yellow, and pink.Along with several Japanese actors, the following are from Komae:
- Sadao ArakiSadao ArakiBaron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before World War II. A charismatic leader and one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the late Japanese Empire, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the politicized Japanese Army and served as...
- a leading pre-war rightwing politician, convicted Class A war criminal. - Sumire HarunoSumire Harunois a former member of Takarazuka Revue, specializing in otokoyaku. She joined the revue in 1991, became the top star in 2002 and resigned from the company in 2007...
- the former top star for the Flower Troupe of the Takarazuka RevueTakarazuka RevueThe Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
.
Annual events in Komae include a raft-race on Tama River every July, and a city fair in mid-November.
Komae is home to six local Shinto shrines and four local Buddhist temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, all of them minor.
The city's name is thought to originate from the word koma, referring to migrants, especially Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
from the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
who settled here more than 1000 years ago.