Tsuyama, Okayama

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Map showing location of Tsuyama in Okayama Prefecture (as of 2006).

Tsuyama (津山市; -shi) is a city located in Okayama, Japan.

As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 89,974 and the density of 484.43 persons per km². The total area was 185.73 km². The area increased in 2005 as the result of a merger with adjacent towns, which also boosted the city's population to more than 100,000.

The city was founded on February 11, 1929.Tsuyama natives of note include singer of B'z Koshi Inaba.

Tsuyama is known for the 17th-century Tsuyama Castle, whose grandeur was said to rival that of Himeji Castle in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture. The castle was destroyed in 1874, and today only the stone foundations remain, save for a single turret that was reconstructed in 2005. The castle ruins remain Tsuyama's main tourist attraction along with Joto Street, a narrow street of old, traditional buildings that was once part of the pilgrimage route from Kyoto to Izumo, and Shurakuen Garden, a traditional Japanese garden constructed in 1657.

The 1938 Tsuyama massacre, in which 21-year-old Mutsuo Toi murdered 30 people in the course of one and a half hours, took place in a village near Tsuyama which became part of the city of Tsuyama in 2005. It was considered for several decades to be the world's largest massacre committed by a single criminal.

[edit] Festivals

Cherry Blossom Festival (Early April) - This event is held in Kakuzan Park where around 5000 Cherry Blossom Trees attract people from all over western Japan.

Gongo Festival (First Saturday and Sunday of August) - The Gongo, or Kappa, is a fictitious animal said to live in rivers. The festival is based around the legend that the Gongo can be seen in the Yoshii River in summer and culminates in a spectacular firework display.

Tsuyama Fall Festival (Mid to late October) - Many people parade through the town wearing omikoshi and pulling danjiri.