Shirakawa, Fukushima
Encyclopedia
is a city in Fukushima
, Japan
. It is located in the southern portion of the prefecture.
The 2003 estimated population
was 48,297 and the density
in that year was 410.44 persons per km². The total area was 117.67 km². However, on November 7, 2005, after merging neighboring villages into its territory, the population increased to approximately 66,000, and the area is 305.30 km².
of Japan. Up to the Edo period
it had prospered under the control of the Shirakawa clan as a castle town
. In the Heian period
, monk
and waka poet
Nōin
composed the following short poem about the region:
During the Meiji Period
in 1889, the area was classified as the town
of Shirakawa. On April 1, 1949, Shirakawa was made a city after merging with the neighboring village of Ōnuma.
Subsequent mergers occurred in 1954 and 1955 with the inclusion of the villages of Shirasaka, Odagawa, Goka, and a portion of Omotegō
into the territory of Shirakawa. On November 7, 2005, the neighbouring villages of Taishin
, Higashi
, and the remainder of Omotegō were incorporated into Shirakawa.
s, eight junior high schools and fifteen elementary school
s.
There are also nineteen post offices
(including minor ones) within the boundaries of the city.
, located in the neighbouring village of Nishigō
, is also on the Tōhoku Shinkansen
and provides fast access to Tokyo
.
and National Routes 289
and 294
.
as the town's main claim to fame. The main attractions of the town, aside from the restaurants, include and Nankō ("South Lake") Park.
Festivals held in Shirakawa include "Daruma Ichi", celebrating the traditional Daruma doll
, wherein the city streets are packed with stalls selling Daruma, a variety of festival foods and charms, and "Chōchin Matsuri" (Lantern Festival), which is held each summer, with a special three-day celebration held once every three years.
Shirakawa is passed through in Oku no Hosomichi
by Basho
.
Shirakawa is the location of the village to which silk egg merchant Herve Joncour travels in the novel Silk by Alessandro Baricco
, first published in 1997.
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, 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 located in the southern portion of the prefecture.
The 2003 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...
was 48,297 and the 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...
in that year was 410.44 persons per km². The total area was 117.67 km². However, on November 7, 2005, after merging neighboring villages into its territory, the population increased to approximately 66,000, and the area is 305.30 km².
History
Shirakawa was formerly known as the gateway to the old Mutsu ProvinceMutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
of Japan. Up to 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....
it had prospered under the control of the Shirakawa clan as a castle town
Castle town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns are common in Medieval Europe. Good example include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles...
. In the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and waka poet
Waka (poetry)
Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...
Nōin
Noin
Nōin 能因 . Japanese poet and monk of the late Heian period. Lay name: Tachibana no Nagayasu 橘永愷. Along with Izumi Shikibu, Nōin is one of "Thirty-six Medieval Poetry Immortals" of waka poetry selected by Fujiwara no Norikane 藤原範兼 ....
composed the following short poem about the region:
During the Meiji Period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
in 1889, the area was classified as the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of Shirakawa. On April 1, 1949, Shirakawa was made a city after merging with the neighboring village of Ōnuma.
Subsequent mergers occurred in 1954 and 1955 with the inclusion of the villages of Shirasaka, Odagawa, Goka, and a portion of Omotegō
Omotego, Fukushima
was a village located in Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima, Japan.On November 7, 2005 Omotegō, along with the villages of Higashi and Taishin, all from Nishishirakawa District, was merged into the city of Shirakawa....
into the territory of Shirakawa. On November 7, 2005, the neighbouring villages of Taishin
Taishin, Fukushima
was a village located in Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima, Japan.On November 7, 2005 Taishin, along with the villages of Higashi and Omotegō, all from Nishishirakawa District, was merged into the city of Shirakawa....
, Higashi
Higashi, Fukushima
was a village located in Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima, Japan.On November 7, 2005 Higashi, along with the villages of Omotegō and Taishin, all from Nishishirakawa District, was merged into the city of Shirakawa....
, and the remainder of Omotegō were incorporated into Shirakawa.
City services
Shirakawa has four high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, eight junior high schools and fifteen elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s.
There are also nineteen post offices
Japan Post
was a government-owned corporation in Japan, that existed from 2003–2007, offering postal and package delivery services, banking services, and life insurance. It had over 400,000 employees and ran 24,700 post offices throughout Japan and was the nation's largest employer. One third of all Japanese...
(including minor ones) within the boundaries of the city.
Rail
The city can be easily reached via , , and stations on the Tōhoku Main Line. Shin-Shirakawa StationShin-Shirakawa Station
is an East Japan Railway Company railway station located in Nishigō, Fukushima, Japan.-History:The station first opened as Iwaki-Nishigō Station on 7 April 1959. On 23 June 1982, it was renamed Shin-Shirakawa Station coinciding with the opening of the Tōhoku Shinkansen.-Adjacent stations:...
, located in the neighbouring village of Nishigō
Nishigo, Fukushima
is a village located in Nishishirakawa District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 19,340 and a density of 100.56 persons per km². The total area is 192.32 km²....
, is also on the Tōhoku Shinkansen
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...
and provides fast access to 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...
.
Road
Shirakawa can be accessed by the nearby Tohoku ExpresswayTohoku Expressway
The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned by Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming:Tōhoku refers to the Tōhoku region, the northernmost region on the island of Honshū....
and National Routes 289
Route 289 (Japan)
National Route 289 is an incomplete national highway in Japan that will eventually connect central Niigata with Iwaki, Fukushima with a total length of ....
and 294
Route 294 (Japan)
National Route 294 is a national highway of Japan connecting Kashiwa, Chiba and Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima in Japan, with a total length of 249.9 km ....
.
Claims to fame
Residents point to the local variety of ramenRamen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...
as the town's main claim to fame. The main attractions of the town, aside from the restaurants, include and Nankō ("South Lake") Park.
Festivals held in Shirakawa include "Daruma Ichi", celebrating the traditional Daruma doll
Daruma doll
The , also known as a Dharma doll, is a hollow, round, Japanese traditional doll modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. These dolls, though typically red and depicting a bearded man , vary greatly in color and design depending on region and artist...
, wherein the city streets are packed with stalls selling Daruma, a variety of festival foods and charms, and "Chōchin Matsuri" (Lantern Festival), which is held each summer, with a special three-day celebration held once every three years.
Shirakawa is passed through in Oku no Hosomichi
Oku no Hosomichi
, translated alternately as The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Narrow Road to the Interior, is a major work by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō considered "one of the major texts of classical Japanese literature."...
by Basho
Basho
Basho may refer to:*Bashō, Edo-period Japanese haiku poet*Basho , a crater on Mercury*Bashō, a Noh play by Komparu Zenchiku* Basho, a concept in Kitaro Nishida's philosophy* Basho, a contest in sumo wrestling, especially one of the honbasho...
.
Shirakawa is the location of the village to which silk egg merchant Herve Joncour travels in the novel Silk by Alessandro Baricco
Alessandro Baricco
Alessandro Baricco is a popular Italian writer, director and performer. His novels have been translated into a wide number of languages...
, first published in 1997.