Yokkaichi 四日市市 | |||
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Yokkaichi City skyline | |||
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Location of Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture | |||
Coordinates: 34°57′54.1″N136°37′27.9″E / 34.965028°N 136.624417°E Coordinates: 34°57′54.1″N136°37′27.9″E / 34.965028°N 136.624417°E | |||
Country | Japan | ||
Region | Kansai, Tōkai | ||
Prefecture | Mie Prefecture | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Tomohiro Mori | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 206.44 km2 (79.71 sq mi) | ||
Population (August 2015) | |||
• Total | 306,107 | ||
• Density | 1,480/km2 (3,800/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) | ||
- Tree | Cinnamomum camphora | ||
- Flower | Salvia splendens | ||
-Bird | Black-headed gull | ||
Phone number | 059-354-8244 | ||
Address | 1-5 Suwa-chō, Yokkaichi-shi, Mie-ken 510-8601 | ||
Website | www |
Yokkaichi(四日市市 Yokkaichi-shi, literally "fourth day market") is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2015, the city had an estimated population of 306,107 and a population density of 1,480 persons per km2. The total area was 206.44 square kilometres (79.71 sq mi).
A city is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as towns and villages, with the difference that they are not a component of districts. Like other contemporary administrative units, they are defined by the Local Autonomy Law of 1947.
Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan, which is part of the Kansai region on the main Honshu island. The capital is the city of Tsu.
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.
The area around modern Yokkaichi has been settled since prehistoric times. Numerous Kofun period burial mounds have been discovered and the area was once of the battle sites of the Asuka period Jinshin War. However, until the end of the Heian period, the area was sparsely settled, and was only a small port village. The area developed during the Kamakura period and by the Azuchi–Momoyama period, the port was developed and a regular market was open on 4, 14, 24 in each month. Thus, the city is named Yokkaichi because "yokkaichi" means "market on fourth day." After the Honnō-ji Incident during which warlord Oda Nobunaga was assassinated, Tokugawa Ieyasu fled from Yokkaichi port by sea to his castle at Edo. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Yokkaichi was tenryō territory controlled directly by the shōgun and administered by a daikan based at the Yokkaichi Jin'ya. Throughout the Edo period, the area prospered as Yokkaichi-juku, the forty-third station on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. However, the city was largely destroyed by the Ansei great earthquakes.
The Kofun period is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD, following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is the earliest era of recorded history in Japan, but studies depend heavily on archaeology since the chronology of historical sources tends to be distorted.
The Asuka period was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the Asuka region, about 25 km south of the modern city of Nara.
The Jinshin War was a succession dispute in Japan which broke out in 672 following the death of Emperor Tenji. The name refers to the jinshin (壬申) or ninth year of the sixty-year Jikkan Jūnishi calendrical cycle, corresponding to the Western year 673.
Following the Meiji Restoration, Yokkaichi Town was designated the capital of Mie Prefecture. Yokkaichi's port advanced remarkably during the Meiji period, primarily under the guidance of Inaba Sanuemon, a resident merchant interested increasing trade into Yokkaichi and the Ise area by modernizing the port facilities. Started in 1872, the project took 12 years to complete due to typhoons and difficulties in financing the project. This led to the port city being designated an Official International Port in 1899. The primary trade items shipped through Yokkaichi were originally seed oil, Banko ware, and Ise tea; but now it has developed into a port that now handles cotton, wool, glass, and heavy equipment.
The Meiji Restoration, also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Reform, or Renewal, was an event that restored practical imperial rule to the Empire of Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ruling Emperors before the Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical abilities and consolidated the political system under the Emperor of Japan.
The Meiji period, or Meiji era, is an era of Japanese history which extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. This era represents the first half of the Empire of Japan, during which period the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonisation by European powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialised nationstate and emergent great power, influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas. As a result of such wholesale adoption of radically-different ideas, the changes to Japan were profound, and affected its social structure, internal politics, economy, military, and foreign relations. The period corresponded to the reign of Emperor Meiji and was succeeded upon the accession of Emperor Taishō by the Taishō period.
Banko ware is a type of Japanese pottery (Stoneware) traditionally from Yokkaichi, Mie. It is therefore also known as Yokkaichi-Banko ware.
Yokkaichi was elevated to city status on August 1, 1897.
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Yokkaichi as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom. [1]
The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
The United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but more commonly known as the UK or Britain, is a sovereign country lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.
From 1939, Yokkaichi became a center for the chemical industry, with the Imperial Japanese Navy constructing a large refinery near the port area.
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 until 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender in World War II. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) was formed after the dissolution of the IJN.
Yokkaichi was one of the first cities bombed by the United States during World War II, when on April 18, 1942 the city was attacked by aircraft from the Doolittle Raid. During the final stages of World War II, on June 18, 1945, 89 B-29 Superfortress bombers dropped 11,000 incendiary bombs destroying 35% of the urban area and killing 736 people. This attack on Yokkaichi was followed by another eight air raids until August 8, 1945, killing another 808 people.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, on Saturday, April 18, 1942, was an air raid by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on the island of Honshu during World War II, the first air operation to strike the Japanese Home Islands. It demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attack, served as retaliation for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle of the United States Army Air Forces.
The bombing of Yokkaichi in World War II on June 18, 1945, was part of the strategic bombing campaign waged by the United States against military and civilian targets and population centers during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing stages of World War II.
From 1960 to 1972, the city residents suffered health problems caused by the emission of SOx into the atmosphere from local petrochemical and chemical plants. In Japan, a disease called Yokkaichi zensoku (Yokkaichi asthma) derives its name from the city, and it is considered one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan.
Yokkaichi attained special city status on November 1, 2000, with increased local autonomy.
On February 7, 2005, the town of Kusu (from Mie District) was merged into Yokkaichi.
Yokkaichi is located in north-central of Mie Prefecture, which is northeastern Kii Peninsula. It stretches the width of Mie Prefecture, and is bordered by Ise Bay on the Pacific Ocean to the east, and Shiga Prefecture to the northwest.
Yokkaichi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is much lower in winter.
Climate data for Yokkaichi, Mie | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 8.6 (47.5) | 8.9 (48) | 12.0 (53.6) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.1 (71.8) | 25.1 (77.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 30.5 (86.9) | 26.9 (80.4) | 21.5 (70.7) | 16.5 (61.7) | 11.3 (52.3) | 19.2 (66.5) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) | 4.6 (40.3) | 7.5 (45.5) | 13.3 (55.9) | 17.8 (64) | 21.4 (70.5) | 25.0 (77) | 26.4 (79.5) | 22.7 (72.9) | 16.9 (62.4) | 11.8 (53.2) | 6.7 (44.1) | 14.9 (58.8) |
Average low °C (°F) | 0.3 (32.5) | 0.7 (33.3) | 2.9 (37.2) | 8.7 (47.7) | 13.4 (56.1) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.0 (71.6) | 23.1 (73.6) | 19.3 (66.7) | 12.6 (54.7) | 7.3 (45.1) | 2.4 (36.3) | 10.9 (51.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43.1 (1.7) | 66.8 (2.63) | 118.7 (4.67) | 173.2 (6.82) | 180.0 (7.09) | 263.9 (10.39) | 268.5 (10.57) | 167.7 (6.6) | 241.1 (9.49) | 128.2 (5.05) | 86.0 (3.39) | 40.6 (1.6) | 1,777.8 (70) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 7 (3) | 6 (2) | 1 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 14 (5) |
Average relative humidity (%) | 63 | 63 | 62 | 67 | 71 | 79 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 71 | 67 | 65 | 71 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 152.0 | 141.9 | 174.0 | 171.2 | 198.2 | 145.9 | 155.7 | 187.7 | 133.7 | 158.3 | 152.0 | 158.2 | 1,928.8 |
Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [2] |
Yokkaichi is a manufacturing center that produces Banko ware (a kind of porcelain), automobiles, cotton textiles, chemicals, tea, cement, and computer parts such as flash memory by Toshiba subsidiary Yokkaichi Toshiba Electronics.
Yokkaichi has 38 public elementary schools, 22 public and three private middle schools, and ten public and five private high schools.
Yokkaichi has two sister cities and one sister port.
Tsu is the capital city of Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Matsusaka is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Kuwana is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Suzuka is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Toba is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Inabe is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.
Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station is a major Kintetsu railway station in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan. The Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway uses a part of the station as its terminal Asunarou Yokkaichi Station.
The Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway Utsube Line is a 762 mm narrow gauge railway line operated by the Japanese private railway company Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway, connecting Asunarou Yokkaichi Station and Utsube Station, both in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan.
The Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway Hachiōji Line is a 762 mm narrow gauge railway line operated by the Japanese private railway company Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway, connecting Hinaga Station and Nishihino Station, both in the city of Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan. With a total length of 1.3 km.
Kintetsu-Tomida Station is a railway station on the Nagoya Line in Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu Railway. Kintetsu Tomita Station is 31.6 rail kilometers from the terminus of the line at Kintetsu Nagoya Station and is also a terminus for the Sangi Railway’s Sangi Line.
The Yunoyama Line is a railway line of the Japanese private railway company Kintetsu Railway, connecting Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station and Yunoyama-Onsen Station in Japan.
Nishihino Station is a terminal railway station on the two-station Kintetsu Hachiōji Line in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu. It is 1.3 rail kilometers from the terminus of the Hachiōji Line at Hinaga Station and is 3.1 rail kilometers Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station.
Hinaga Station is a railway station on the Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway Utsube Line and the Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway Hachiōji Line in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway. It is 1.9 rail kilometers from the terminus of the Utsube Line at Asunarou Yokkaichi Station and is a terminal station for the Hachiōji Line.
Akahori Station is a railway station on the Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway Utsube Line in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway. It is 1.0 rail kilometers from the terminus of the Utsube Line at Asunarou Yokkaichi Station.
Minami-Hinaga Station is a railway station on the Kintetsu Utsube Line in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu. It is 2.5 rail kilometers from the terminus of the line at Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station.
Oiwake Station is a railway station on the Kintetsu Utsube Line in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Kintetsu. It is 4.3 rail kilometers from the terminus of the line at Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station.
The Hokusei Line, commonly known as the Sangi Hokusei Line, is a 762 mm narrow gauge railway line owned and operated by the Sangi Railway, a Japanese private railway company. The line connects Nishi-Kuwana Station in Kuwana, Mie with Ageki Station in Inabe, Mie, in Japan. For many years the line was owned by major railway operator Kintetsu but control was transferred to Sangi in April 2003.
A list of two foot six inch gauge railways in Japan.
The Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway is a railway company in Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan. The company operates the Utsube Line and the Hachiōji Line in Yokkaichi. Both lines are 762 mm gauge railways.
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