Otsu, Shiga
Encyclopedia
is the capital city
of Shiga
, Japan
. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years (15.42% of whom are under 15 and 16.81% are over 65) and a population density
of 905.28 persons per km². The total area is 374.06 km².
was founded by Emperor Tenji
. The Jinshin War
devastated Otsu, but a new capital Heian-kyō
(now Kyoto
) was established the immediate neighborhood in 794, and Otsu was revived as important traffic point and a satellite town of the capital. In the 12th century, the Battle of Awazu
occurred in southern Ōtsu, during which Kiso Yoshinaka was killed.
On 11 May 1891, the Ōtsu incident, a failed assassination
attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia (later Tsar Nicholas II), occurred.
Built during the 1890s and later expanded during the Taishō period
, the Lake Biwa Canal
played an important role in connecting Ōtsu and the nearby city of Kyoto
, facilitating water and passenger transportation and also providing electrical energy to power Japan's first streetcar railroad services. The city was founded on October 1, 1898.
On March 20, 2006 the town of Shiga
, in Shiga District
ceased to exist after merging into Ōtsu.
, the largest lake in Japan
, is in the center of the prefecture and is also a site of significant relevance to the Japanese tourism
industry. Scenic spots of Otsu have been known as The Eight Views of Omi
and attracted literary men such as Matsuo Bashō
. Sightseeing tours usually take up to several hours and tourists are given an opportunity to swim and take long strolls around the region. Lake Biwa is also a famous beach
spot in the summer. The city has an annual road race named after the lake: the Lake Biwa Marathon
.
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...
of Shiga
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...
, 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...
. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years (15.42% of whom are under 15 and 16.81% are over 65) 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 905.28 persons per km². The total area is 374.06 km².
History
In the years 667 to 672, the Ōmi Ōtsu PalaceCapital of Japan
The capital of Japan, where the seat of the Government of Japan and home of the Emperor are located, is de facto. While this is generally not in dispute, the capital de jure is unclear. There is a dispute as to exactly when Tokyo became the capital. Some state that it occurred when Tokyo...
was founded by Emperor Tenji
Emperor Tenji
, also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Tenji's reign spanned the years from 661 through 671.-Traditional narrative:...
. The Jinshin War
Jinshin War
The was a succession dispute in Japan which broke out in 672 following the death of Emperor Tenji. The name refers to the jinshin or ninth year of the sixty-year Jikkan Jūnishi calendrical cycle, corresponding to the Western year 673....
devastated Otsu, but a new capital Heian-kyō
Heian-kyo
Heian-kyō , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180....
(now 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:...
) was established the immediate neighborhood in 794, and Otsu was revived as important traffic point and a satellite town of the capital. In the 12th century, the Battle of Awazu
Battle of Awazu
Minamoto no Yoshinaka made his final stand at Awazu, after fleeing from his cousins' armies, which confronted him after he attacked Kyoto, burning the Hōjūjiden, and kidnapping Emperor Go-Shirakawa...
occurred in southern Ōtsu, during which Kiso Yoshinaka was killed.
On 11 May 1891, the Ōtsu incident, a failed assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia (later Tsar Nicholas II), occurred.
Built during the 1890s and later expanded during the Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
, the Lake Biwa Canal
Lake Biwa Canal
is a waterway in Japan built during the Meiji Period to transport water, freight, and passengers from Lake Biwa to the nearby City of Kyoto.This waterway was also used as Japan's first hydroelectric power generator, which served to provide electricity for Kyoto's trams.As of 2008, the waterway is...
played an important role in connecting Ōtsu and the nearby city of 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:...
, facilitating water and passenger transportation and also providing electrical energy to power Japan's first streetcar railroad services. The city was founded on October 1, 1898.
On March 20, 2006 the town of Shiga
Shiga, Shiga
was a town located in Shiga District, Shiga, Japan. It is on the western shore of Lake Biwa and the eastern foot of Hira Mountains.The original village called Shiga was located slightly north of Ōtsu, and merged with Ōtsu on May 10, 1932...
, in Shiga District
Shiga District, Shiga
Shiga was a district located in Shiga, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 21,964 and a density of 306.20 persons per km². The total area is 71.73 km²....
ceased to exist after merging into Ōtsu.
Lake Biwa
Lake BiwaLake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture , northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Because of its proximity to the ancient capital, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles.-...
, the largest lake in 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...
, is in the center of the prefecture and is also a site of significant relevance to the Japanese tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry. Scenic spots of Otsu have been known as The Eight Views of Omi
Eight Views of Omi
The Eight Views of Omi are the most scenic views of Omi Province, the present-day Shiga Prefecture, Japan. They were inspired by the Eight Views of Xiaoxiang in China...
and attracted literary men such as Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
. Sightseeing tours usually take up to several hours and tourists are given an opportunity to swim and take long strolls around the region. Lake Biwa is also a famous beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
spot in the summer. The city has an annual road race named after the lake: the Lake Biwa Marathon
Lake Biwa Marathon
The held in Otsu, Shiga, is one of the prominent Japanese marathon races of the year. It is a male only competition and has IAAF Gold Label status. First held in 1946 and having taken place every year since then, it is Japan's oldest annual marathon race...
.
Sister cities
- LansingLansing, MichiganLansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
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(since 1969). Both Lansing and Ōtsu are capitals of their respective states/prefectures, which have been sister states since 1968. - WürzburgWürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , 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... - InterlakenInterlakenInterlaken is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, a well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland.-History:...
, Bern, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - Mudanjiang, HeilongjiangHeilongjiangFor the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
, ChinaChinaChinese 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... - KumiKumiKumi is a Japanese word and also not commonly known a Persian name with the meaning 'group'. It is also a common feminine name.-Possible writings in Japanese:Kumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:...
, Gyeongsangbuk-doGyeongsangbuk-doGyeongsangbuk-do or shortly Gyeongbuk is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, then became part of South Korea.The Gyeongsangbuk-do Office is...
, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
External links
- Official website in English