Imabari, Ehime
Imabari
Nay trị thị | |
---|---|
![]() View of Seto Inner Sea and downtown Imabari | |
![]() Location of Imabari in Ehime Prefecture | |
![]() | |
Coordinates:34°4′N133°0′E/ 34.067°N 133.000°E | |
Country | Japan |
Region | Shikoku |
Prefecture | Ehime Prefecture |
Government | |
• Mayor | Shigeki Tokunaga(since February 2021) |
Area | |
• Total | 419.14 km2(161.83 sq mi) |
Population (August 31, 2012) | |
• Total | 152,111 |
• Density | 360/km2(940/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+09:00(JST) |
City hall address | 1-4-1 Bekku-chō, Imabari-shi, Ehime-ken 794-8511 |
Climate | Cfa |
Website | Official website |
Symbols | |
Flower | Azalea |
Tree | Camphor Laurel |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Imabari_City_Hall_2021-08_ac_%281%29.jpg/220px-Imabari_City_Hall_2021-08_ac_%281%29.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Imabari_city_center_area_Aerial_photograph.2016.jpg/220px-Imabari_city_center_area_Aerial_photograph.2016.jpg)
Imabari(Nay trị thị,Imabari-shi)is acityinEhime Prefecture,Japan.It is the second largest city in Ehime Prefecture. As of 31 August 2022[update],the city had an estimatedpopulationof 152,111 in 75947 households and apopulation densityof 360 persons per km².[1]The total area of the city is 468.19 square kilometres (180.77 sq mi). The population is the second largest in Ehime Prefecture after Matsuyama City.
Geography
[edit]Imabari is located in central Ehime Prefecture, facing theSeto Inland Seato the east and northwest, and including a portion of theGeiyo Islandsin betweenShikokuandHonshu,includingŌmishima,Ōshimaand Hakatajima. The land portion occupies the northeastern part of the Takanawa Peninsula. The highest elevation in the city is Mound Kirō on Ōshima Island at 307.8 meters.
Neighbouring municipalities
[edit]Ehime Prefecture
Climate
[edit]Imabari has ahumid subtropical climate(KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Imabari is 15.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1740 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January(???), at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.1 °C.[2]
Climate data for Imabari (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) |
21.7 (71.1) |
28.1 (82.6) |
30.0 (86.0) |
33.6 (92.5) |
35.4 (95.7) |
37.7 (99.9) |
37.7 (99.9) |
36.3 (97.3) |
33.1 (91.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
20.8 (69.4) |
37.7 (99.9) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.8 (49.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.6 (56.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
26.4 (79.5) |
30.7 (87.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
28.2 (82.8) |
22.9 (73.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
12.2 (54.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) |
6.1 (43.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.4 (81.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
18.6 (65.5) |
13.0 (55.4) |
8.1 (46.6) |
16.0 (60.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
1.7 (35.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
13.7 (56.7) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
20.4 (68.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
8.9 (48.0) |
4.1 (39.4) |
11.9 (53.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
10.9 (51.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 49.6 (1.95) |
59.8 (2.35) |
96.6 (3.80) |
97.0 (3.82) |
111.8 (4.40) |
196.2 (7.72) |
191.8 (7.55) |
93.8 (3.69) |
165.2 (6.50) |
122.2 (4.81) |
69.6 (2.74) |
59.4 (2.34) |
1,325.5 (52.19) |
Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.7 | 7.2 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 8.6 | 11.0 | 9.3 | 6.7 | 9.5 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 99.8 |
Mean monthlysunshine hours | 139.6 | 146.0 | 184.7 | 198.8 | 215.0 | 163.4 | 202.4 | 229.7 | 161.6 | 165.3 | 136.8 | 129.7 | 2,072.9 |
Source:JMA[3][4] |
Demographics
[edit]Per Japanese census data,[5]the population of Imabari has been declining since the 1980s.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1920 | 143,218 | — |
1930 | 155,568 | +8.6% |
1940 | 156,810 | +0.8% |
1950 | 198,109 | +26.3% |
1960 | 193,816 | −2.2% |
1970 | 189,918 | −2.0% |
1980 | 197,818 | +4.2% |
1990 | 191,504 | −3.2% |
2000 | 180,627 | −5.7% |
2010 | 166,532 | −7.8% |
2020 | 151,672 | −8.9% |
History
[edit]The area in which Imabari is situated is part of ancientIyo Provinceand had long been a strategic point for the control of the Seto Inland Sea. In theSengoku periodit was dominated by the Murakami clan, a maritime clan who engaged in shipping or as pilots for vessels through the complex channels and rocky straits in between Shikoku and Honshu, but who also occasionally acted as pirates or as the mercenary naval force for a powerful warlord. After theBattle of Sekigahara,Tokugawa Ieyasuinstalled his generalTōdō Takatoraasdaimyōof the 200,000kokuImabari Domain.Tōdō Takatora constructedImabari Castleand thecastle townwhich forms the core of the modern city. The domain was subsequently ruled by a cadet branch of theHisamatsu-Matsudaira clanuntil the end of theEdo period.The town of Imabari was established on December 15, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The town merged with the village of Hiyoshi on February 11, 1920, to become the city of Imabari. Industrialization progressed rapidly in the early 20th century, centered around the textile and shipbuilding industries. The city was bombed three times in the final months ofWorld War II,with the firstair raidon April 24, 1945, killing 68 civilians, the second on May 8 killing 29 (mostly students of Imabari Girls' High School) and the third and largest on August 5, during which 454 people died and 80% of the city center was destroyed. The city reconstructed rapidly in the post-war era.
On January 16, 2005, the towns ofHakata,Kamiura,Kikuma,Miyakubo,Namikata,Ōmishima,Ōnishi,Tamagawa,andYoshiumi,and the villages ofAsakuraandSekizen(all fromOchi District) were merged into Imabari. As a result, there are no more villages within Ehime Prefecture.
Government
[edit]Imabari has amayor-councilform of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameralcity council of 28 members. Imabari, together with Kamijima, contributes six members to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ehime 2nd district of thelower houseof theDiet of Japan.
Economy
[edit]Imabari is home to a large number of shipbuilding and maritime servicing facilities along the northern and eastern coastlines of the city. Facilities include a small container port and maintenance and construction shipyards belonging toImabari Shipbuilding,Japan's largest ship builder.
The port has also long been a trading center within Shikoku. The city is home to a large cotton processing industry, with particular emphasis on towels. The city produces around 60% of the towels made in Japan. As of 1998, there were over 200 towel production plants in the city. The city also specializes in the dyeing industry.
Education
[edit]Imabari has 26 public elementary schools and 15 public middle schools operated by the city government and one private combined elementary/middle school. The city has six public high schools operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education and five private high schools. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped. TheImabari Meitoku Junior Collegeis located in the city, as is theOkayama University of ScienceFaculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Transportation
[edit]Railways
[edit]Shikoku Railway Company-Yosan Line
Highways
[edit]TheKurushima-Kaikyō Bridge,a toll road suspension bridge and integratedexpressway,connects Imabari and Shikoku across a series of islands in the Seto Inland Sea toHiroshima Prefecture.Opened in 1999 the bridge is part of theShimanami Kaidō,a features both anexpresswayfor road vehicles, as well as dedicated pedestrian and cycle lanes.
Ports
[edit]Sister cities
[edit]Imabari is twinned with:
Panama City, Panama(since March 2, 1977)
Lakeland, Florida,United States (since July 6, 1995)
Local attractions
[edit]- Imabari Castle,built in 1604. The castle is unusual in that seawater is used in its moat.
- Shikoku Pilgrimagetemples #54 to #59:Emmei-ji,Nankō-bō,Taisan-ji,Eifuku-ji,Sen’yū-ji,andIyo-Kokubun-ji.
- Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture,opened in 2011.[6]
Sports
[edit]FC Imabari,current men'sassociation footballleague,J3 League,FC Imabari Ladies, women's association football league,Nadeskiko League,both home stadium at Thanks Dream Stadium. (Arigatou Yume Stadium)[citation needed]
Notable people
[edit]- Shikuichi Shigemi(1865–1928), novelist and academic, was born in Imabari. A teacher atGakushuinand practiced as a medical physician in Tokyo. Wrote and publishedA Japanese Boy by Himselfin 1889, while studying atYale University.
- Kenji Nagai,grew up and went to high school in Imabari, he was a freelance journalist that was murdered in 2007 while he was filming during the Saffron Revolution, a popular uprising in Myanmar against the military dictatorship regime, his last film and camera was eventually recovered and given to his sister.[7]
- Kenzo Tange(1913–2005), noted modernist architect, born in Osaka, but spent much of his early school years in Imabari. Returned to design Imabari City Hall in 1958.[8]
- Yuya Uemura(1994 - ), professional wrestler and former collegiate wrestler.New Japan Pro-Wrestlingyoung lion.[9]
References
[edit]- ^"Imabari city official statistics"(in Japanese). Japan.
- ^Imabari climate data
- ^Quan trắc sử thượng 1~10 vị の trị ( trong năm を thông じて の trị ).JMA.RetrievedMarch 1,2022.
- ^Khí tượng sảnh / năm thường trị ( năm ・ nguyệt ごと の trị ).JMA.RetrievedMarch 1,2022.
- ^Imabari population statistics
- ^Kirsten, Kiser."Museum of Architecture, Toyo Ito & Associates".arcspace.Danish Architecture Center (DAC).Retrieved21 May2015.
- ^"Kenji Nagai: Missing camera reveals journalist's last moments in Myanmar".BBC News.2023-04-26.Retrieved2023-07-10.
- ^"Imabari City Hall Complex".tangeweb.Tange Associates.Retrieved22 May2015.
- ^"Yuya Uemura".New Japan Pro-Wrestling.Retrieved19 July2018.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Imabari City official website(in Japanese)
Geographic data related toImabari, EhimeatOpenStreetMap