Gyōda(Hành điền thị,Gyōda-shi)is acitylocated inSaitama Prefecture,Japan.As of 1 November 2020[update],the city had an estimatedpopulationof 80,236 in 40,482 households and apopulation densityof 1200 persons per km2.[1]The total area of the city is 67.49 square kilometres (26.06 sq mi).
Gyōda
Hành điền thị | |
|---|---|
 Gyōda City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Gyōda in Saitama Prefecture | |
  Gyōda | |
| Coordinates:36°8′20″N139°27′20.3″E/ 36.13889°N 139.455639°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kantō |
| Prefecture | Saitama |
| First official recorded | early 5th century (official)[citation needed] |
| Oshi town settled | April 1, 1889 |
| Gyōda city settled | May 3, 1949 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kuniko Kōda(since May 2023) |
| Area | |
• Total | 67.49 km2(26.06 sq mi) |
| Population (January 2021) | |
• Total | 80,236 |
| • Density | 1,200/km2(3,100/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9(Japan Standard Time) |
| – Tree | Ginkgo biloba |
| – Flower | Chrysanthemum,Nelumbo nucifera |
| Phone number | 048-556-1111 |
| Address | 2–5 Honmaru, Gyoda-shi, Saitama-ken 361-8601 |
| Website | Official website |
Geography
editGyōda is located in north-central Saitama Prefecture, with theTone Riverseparating it from Gunma Prefecture. The entire city is located on thealluvial plainof the Tone River and theArakawa River.The altitude is 19.7 meters above sea level (Gyoda City Hall), and the city as a whole is around 20 meters above sea level. The highest point is 36 meters above sea level (in Saitama Kofun Park).
Surrounding municipalities
editClimate
editGyōda has aHumid subtropical climate(KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Gyōda is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1300 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.5 °C.[2]
Demographics
editPer Japanese census data,[3]the population of Gyōda peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 58,164 | — |
| 1970 | 63,582 | +9.3% |
| 1980 | 76,960 | +21.0% |
| 1990 | 87,014 | +13.1% |
| 2000 | 90,530 | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 85,786 | −5.2% |
| 2020 | 78,617 | −8.4% |
History
edit
Gyōda contains manyKofun periodburial moundsand has been inhabited since prehistoric times. “Saitama” is a local place name within Gyōda, and is recorded inNara perioddocuments. During theSengoku period,Oshi Castlefamously withstood a siege byIshida Mitsunariin 1590. During theEdo periodTokugawa shogunate,the castle was the center ofOshi Domain,ruled by a branch of theMatsudaira clanuntil 1871, during which time thecastle townprospered from its location on theNakasendōhighway.
The town of Gyōda was created within Kitasaitama District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1937, Gyōda annexed the neighboring villages of Nagano, Hoshikawa and Mochida. It was elevated to city status on April 23, 1949. From 1954 to 1955, the city expanded by anne xing the neighboring villages of Araki, Suka, Kitakawahara, Saitama, Hoshimiya, and Ōi. On January 1, 2006, the village ofMinamikawara(fromKitasaitama District) was merged into Gyōda.
Government
editGyōda has amayor-councilform of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameralcity council of 20 members. Gyōda contributes one member to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part ofSaitama 12th districtof thelower houseof theDiet of Japan.
Economy
editGyōda has amixed economyof agriculture and light manufacturing, especially for automobile components.SHOWA Corporation,a global manufacturer of automotive, motorcycle and outboard suspension systems, is headquartered in the city.[4]
Education
edit- Institute of Technologists
- Gyōda has 16 public elementary schools and eight public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.
Transportation
editRailway
edit
Chichibu Railway–Chichibu Main Line
Highway
edit
Sister cities
edit
Kuwana, Mie,Japan- Shirakawa, Fukushima,Japan
Local attractions
editImportant historical sites
edit
- Ancient Lotus Park(Cổ đại liên の,Kodai hasu no sato)haslotusesthat were grow from seeds estimated to date back 1,400 to 3,000 years which had been found by chance during excavation for the building of a waste disposal facility. After a few thousand years of dormancy, they awoke and germinated. The large pink blossoms bloom only in the morning for about a month from mid-July after the close of the rainy season.[5]
- Oshi Castle(Nhẫn thành ngự tam giai lỗ,Oshi-jo Gosankai Yagura)is a 1988 reconstruction of the thirdyaguratower of Oshi Castle. The daimyō Narita Akiyasu built Oshi Castle near the end of the 15th century using the natural levee of the surrounding marshlands and river. It was considered impregnable. When it was attacked by the 20,000 man army ofIshida Mitsunariin 1590, it did not fall even when it was flooded by water drawn in from the nearby river, leading to the rumor that it floated on water. The existing turret was reconstructed in 1988.[6]The castle grounds are also the home ofOshi Tōshō-gūshrine.
- Saitama Kofun Park(さきたま cổ mồ công viên)is a 300,000 square metres (3,229,173 sq ft) historic park dotted withlarge ancient tombs,including the Maruhakayama Kofun, one of the largest round burial mounds in Japan. At Shogunyama Kofun, a key-hole shaped 91 metres (299 ft) long burial mound that is square at the head and rounded at the foot, there is a display room of its interior where the stone cave hut and excavated articles have been restored to their original conditions in the 5th to 7th centuries.[7]
Food culture
editZeri Furaiis a local speciality consisting of fried bean curd, carrots, onion, and potato. There are many shops which sell it around town, especially during the warmer seasons.[8]
Traditional handicrafts
editGyōda is a center for traditionaltabisocks, worn withkimono.[9]Gyoda still makes half of thetabimade in Japan.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^"Gyōda city official statistics"(in Japanese). Japan. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-03.Retrieved2021-01-27.
- ^Gyōda climate data
- ^Gyōda population statistics
- ^"Company OverviewArchived2018-11-05 at theWayback Machine."SHOWA Corporation.Retrieved on November 23, 2018
- ^Indepth Guide to the Regions.Jnto.go.jp. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
- ^Japan National Tourism Organization |Arrange Your Travel |Attractions |Tourist Facilities of Japan.Jnto.go.jp. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
- ^Japan National Tourism Organization |Find a Location |Saitama |Gyoda.Jnto.go.jp. Retrieved on 2011-05-14.
- ^Trautlein, Steve, "The chow-down tour of Kanto's local dishesArchived2012-09-27 at theWayback Machine",Japan Times,24 August 2012, p. 15
- ^[1]ArchivedMay 26, 2008, at theWayback Machine
External links
edit
- Official Website(in Japanese)