Yaizu, Shizuoka
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in central Shizuoka Prefecture
, Japan. As of March in 2011, the city has an estimated population
of 146,717 and a population density
of 2,080 persons per km². The total area is 70.55 km². The Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Shizuhama Air Base
is located in Yaizu.
coastline of Suruga Bay
, facing the Pacific Ocean
. The climate, tempered by the warm Kuroshio Current
offshore is maritime temperature, with hot, humid summers and short cool winters.
claiming to have been founded in the 5th century during the Kofun period
. During the Edo period
, Yaizu developed as a port under Tanaka Domain
, and fish from Yaizu was frequently supplied to the retired Shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu
at nearby Sumpu Castle. In the October 1, 1886 cadastral reform after the Meiji Restoration
, Yaizu Village was established within Mashizu District, Shizuoka prefecture. Mashizu District merged into neighboring Shida District
in 1896. The following year, in 1897, author Lafcadio Hearn
began his residence in Yaizu.
Yaizu was elevated to town status on June 28, 1901. Yaizu Fishing Cooperative was established in 1903, and started to take frozen catch from Yaizu to Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market
from 1908. Shipbuilding facilities, primarily for the production of fishing vessels, was established in 1924. The Yaizu Fishing Cooperative began the first wireless communication with its fishing fleet in Japan in 1925, but overfishing soon led to collapse of bonito
stocks in 1926, resulting in a five-year fishing moratorium. After the start of World War II
, the Yaizu fishing industry was again hit hard by the requisition of entire Yaizu fishing fleet (113 vessels) and crewmen by Imperial Japanese Navy
in 1941. Only 10 vessels survived the war.
Yaizu was elevated to city status on March 1, 1951. On November 1, 1953, Toyota Village merged into Yaizu City. The city name gained international prominence over the Daigo Fukuryū Maru
Incident, in which a Yaizu-based fishing vessel was irradiated by atomic testing
at Bikini Atoll
on March 4, 1954. The city further expanded on January 1, 1955 by annexation of the neighboring villages of Higashi Mashizu, Kogawa, Ōtomi, and Wada, and on April 1, 1957 when Hirohata Village was divided between Yaizu and Fujieda cities. Yaizu port underwent a major expansion in March 1968. The city was the site of the 2001 Japan Airlines mid-air incident
on January 31, 2001. On November 1, 2008, Ōigawa
, Shida District
merged
into Yaizu.
industry. Yaizu Port was first in Japan in terms of tonnage of bonito
and tuna
in 2002, and third in terms of mackerel
. Local industries are centered around food processing, including the production of katsuobushi
, shiokara
, tsukudani
, and kamaboko
(especially narutomaki
). Agricultural products include green tea
, melons, and tomatoes. Yaizu is also the home of the Hasegawa
plastic model kit manufacturing company. Yaizu is also home to one of Sapporo Brewery's Largest factories, as well as the company's new product development division.
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 central Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Japan. As of March in 2011, 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 146,717 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 2,080 persons per km². The total area is 70.55 km². The Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Japan Air Self-Defense Force
The , or JASDF, is the aviation branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace and other aerospace operations. The JASDF carries out combat air patrols around Japan, while also maintaining an extensive network of ground and air early warning radar systems...
Shizuhama Air Base
Shizuhama Air Base
is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located in the city of Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in central Japan. It is the smallest air base in Japan with a functional runway.-History:...
is located in Yaizu.
Geography
Yaizu is located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, on a heavily indentedRia
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
coastline of Suruga Bay
Suruga Bay
Suruga Bay is a bay on the Pacific coast of Honshū in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is situated north of an imaginary line joining Omaezaki Point and Irōzaki Point at the tip of the Izu Peninsula and surrounded by Honshū to the southwest and west and the Izu Peninsula to the east.-Geology:Suruga...
, facing the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The climate, tempered by the warm Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio Current
The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...
offshore is maritime temperature, with hot, humid summers and short cool winters.
Surrounding municiplities
- Suruga-ku, ShizuokaSuruga-ku, Shizuokais one of three wards of Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the southern part of the city. The north east of Suruga-ku faces Aoi-ku; the north west faces Shimizu-ku; the south west faces Yaizu city and south east faces Suruga Bay....
- ShimadaShimada, Shizuokais a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 100,846 and a population density of 319 persons per km². The total area is 315.88 km².-Geography:...
- FujiedaFujieda, Shizuokais a city located in Shizuoka, Japan. The modern city was founded on March 31, 1954. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 142,023 and a density of 732 persons per km². The total area is 194.03 km².-Geography:...
- YoshidaYoshida, Shizuokais a town located in Haibara District, southern Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2010, the town has an estimated population of 29,872 and a density of 1430 persons per km². The total area was 20.84 km².-Geography:...
History
Yaizu is an ancient settlement, with Yaizu ShrineYaizu Shrine
is a Shinto shrine in the city of Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is also referred to as the .The main festival of the shrine is annually on August 13.-Enshrined kami:...
claiming to have been founded in the 5th century during the Kofun period
Kofun period
The is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. It follows the Yayoi period. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...
. During 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....
, Yaizu developed as a port under Tanaka Domain
Tanaka Domain
' was a tozama Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Suruga Province, centered on what is now Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture...
, and fish from Yaizu was frequently supplied to the retired 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...
at nearby Sumpu Castle. In the October 1, 1886 cadastral reform after the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, Yaizu Village was established within Mashizu District, Shizuoka prefecture. Mashizu District merged into neighboring Shida District
Shida District, Shizuoka
was a rural district located in central Shizuoka, Japan.As of the end of 2008 , the district had an estimated population of 12,110 and a population density of 227.25 persons per km². Its total area was 53.29 km².-HIstory:Shida District was created in the early Meiji cadastral reforms of 1879...
in 1896. The following year, in 1897, author Lafcadio Hearn
Lafcadio Hearn
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn , known also by the Japanese name , was an international writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things...
began his residence in Yaizu.
Yaizu was elevated to town status on June 28, 1901. Yaizu Fishing Cooperative was established in 1903, and started to take frozen catch from Yaizu to Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market
Tsukiji fish market
The , commonly known as the , is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. The market is located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo, and is a major attraction for foreign visitors....
from 1908. Shipbuilding facilities, primarily for the production of fishing vessels, was established in 1924. The Yaizu Fishing Cooperative began the first wireless communication with its fishing fleet in Japan in 1925, but overfishing soon led to collapse of bonito
Bonito
Bonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish in the Scombridae family. First, bonito most commonly refers to species in the genus Sarda, including the Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito ; second, in Japanese cuisine, bonito refers to the skipjack tuna , which, in...
stocks in 1926, resulting in a five-year fishing moratorium. After the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Yaizu fishing industry was again hit hard by the requisition of entire Yaizu fishing fleet (113 vessels) and crewmen by Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
in 1941. Only 10 vessels survived the war.
Yaizu was elevated to city status on March 1, 1951. On November 1, 1953, Toyota Village merged into Yaizu City. The city name gained international prominence over the Daigo Fukuryū Maru
Daigo Fukuryu Maru
was a Japanese tuna fishing boat, which was exposed to and contaminated by nuclear fallout from the United States' Castle Bravo thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll, on 1 March 1954....
Incident, in which a Yaizu-based fishing vessel was irradiated by atomic testing
Bikini atomic experiments
The Bikini Atomic Experiments were a series of nuclear and thermonuclear tests conducted on Bikini Atoll in the Bikini Islands. The experiments were part of the United States' research into the full effects of the atomic bomb, including post-detonation radioactive fallout...
at Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
on March 4, 1954. The city further expanded on January 1, 1955 by annexation of the neighboring villages of Higashi Mashizu, Kogawa, Ōtomi, and Wada, and on April 1, 1957 when Hirohata Village was divided between Yaizu and Fujieda cities. Yaizu port underwent a major expansion in March 1968. The city was the site of the 2001 Japan Airlines mid-air incident
2001 Japan Airlines mid-air incident
On Wednesday, January 31, 2001, Japan Airlines Flight 907, using a Boeing 747-446 Domestic bound from Tokyo International Airport in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan to Naha International Airport in Naha, Okinawa, Japan and Japan Airlines Flight 958, using a Douglas DC-10-40D bound from Gimhae International...
on January 31, 2001. On November 1, 2008, Ōigawa
Oigawa, Shizuoka
was a town located in Shida District, Shizuoka, Japan.-Surrounding municipalities:*Fujieda*Yaizu*Shimada*Yoshida, Haibara District-History:*April 1, 1889 - Aikawa Village, Yoshinaga Village and Shizuhama Village founded....
, Shida District
Shida District, Shizuoka
was a rural district located in central Shizuoka, Japan.As of the end of 2008 , the district had an estimated population of 12,110 and a population density of 227.25 persons per km². Its total area was 53.29 km².-HIstory:Shida District was created in the early Meiji cadastral reforms of 1879...
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:...
into Yaizu.
Economy
The economy of Yaizu is dominated by the commercial fishingCommercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
industry. Yaizu Port was first in Japan in terms of tonnage of bonito
Bonito
Bonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish in the Scombridae family. First, bonito most commonly refers to species in the genus Sarda, including the Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito ; second, in Japanese cuisine, bonito refers to the skipjack tuna , which, in...
and tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
in 2002, and third in terms of mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
. Local industries are centered around food processing, including the production of katsuobushi
Katsuobushi
is the Japanese name for dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna .Shaved Katsuobushi and dried kelp - kombu - are the main ingredients of dashi, a broth that forms the basis of many soups and sauces in Japanese cuisine.Katsuobushi's distinct umami flavor comes from its high...
, shiokara
Shiokara
is a food in Japanese cuisine made from various marine animals that consists of small pieces of meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal's heavily salted, fermented viscera. The raw viscera are mixed with about 10% salt, 30% malted rice, packed in a closed container, and fermented for up to a...
, tsukudani
Tsukudani
is small seafood, meat or seaweed that has been simmered in soy sauce and mirin. High osmotic pressure preserves the ingredients. Its name originates from Tsukudajima, the island where it was first made in the Edo period. Many kinds of tsukudani are sold...
, and kamaboko
Kamaboko
is a type of cured surimi, a Japanese processed seafood product, in which various white fish are pureed, combined with additives such as MSG, formed into distinctive loaves, and then steamed until fully cooked and firm. The steamed loaves are then sliced and served unheated with various dipping...
(especially narutomaki
Narutomaki
or is a type of kamaboko, or cured fish surimi produced in Japan. Each slice of naruto has a pink or red spiral pattern, which resembles the Naruto whirlpools in the Naruto Strait between Awaji Island and Shikoku in Japan.-Usage:...
). Agricultural products include green tea
Green tea
Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...
, melons, and tomatoes. Yaizu is also the home of the Hasegawa
Hasegawa (model company)
The is a company that manufactures plastic model kits of a variety of vehicles, including model aircraft, model cars, model ships, model armor, model space craft and science fiction kits...
plastic model kit manufacturing company. Yaizu is also home to one of Sapporo Brewery's Largest factories, as well as the company's new product development division.
Rail
- JR CentralCentral Japan Railway CompanyThe is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...
- Tōkaidō Main LineTokaido Main LineThe is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
- Yaizu StationYaizu Stationis a railway station in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the Tōkaidō Main Line. It is located 193.7 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station, and is operated by Central Japan Railway Company .- Station history:...
- Nishi-Yaizu StationNishi-Yaizu Stationis a railway station in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the Tōkaidō Main Line. It is located 197 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station, and is operated by Central Japan Railway Company .- Station history:...
- Yaizu Station
Notable people from Yaizu
- Itsuko HasegawaItsuko Hasegawais a noted Japanese architect.-Biography:Hasegawa was born in Shizuoka, received her degree in architecture from Kanto Gakuin University , trained with Kiyonori Kikutake. In 1969, Hasegawa entered Kazuo Shinohara’s lab at the Tokyo Institute of Technology as a graduate student...
, architect - Tetsuya IshidaTetsuya Ishidawas a Japanese painter, best known for his surreal portrayal of an ordinary Japanese life. He was accidentally killed by a train in 2005.- Biography :...
, artist - Yoshikiyo KuboyamaYoshikiyo KuboyamaYoshikiyo Kuboyama is a former Japanese football player.- Career :...
, professional soccer player - Tomohiro MatsunagaTomohiro Matsunagais a Japanese freestyle wrestler. Matsunaga was born in Shizuoka. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he won silver in his category ....
, Olympic silver-medalist wrestler - Taisuke Muramatsu, professional soccer player
- Katayama ShinjiKatayama ShinjiKatayama Shinji is a former sumo wrestler from Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan. His highest rank was maegashira 13.-Career:...
, sumo wrestler - Masaharu Suzuki, professional soccer player
External links
- City of Yaizu (English)