Sanda, Hyōgo

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This article is about the city of Sanda in Japan. For other uses, see Sanda.

**Sanda**
**三田市**
Sanda's location in Hyōgo, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Hyōgo
Physical characteristics
Area	210.22 km² (81.17 sq mi)
Population (as of April 2008)
Total	113,585
Density	540 /km² (1,399 /sq mi)
Location	34°53′N, 135°14′E
Symbols
Tree	Japanese Red Pine
Flower	Satsuki azalea
Bird	Green Pheasant
Flag
Sanda Government Office
Mayor	Hideaki Takeuchi
Address	〒669-1595 2-1-1, Miwa, Sanda-shi, Hyōgo-ken
Phone number	079-563-1111
Official website: City of Sanda

Residential street in Sanda, Hyōgo

Sanda (三田市, Sanda-shi^?) is a city located in Hyōgo, Japan.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 113,585 and the density of 540 persons per km². The total area is 210.22 km².

The city was founded on July 1, 1958.

[edit] History

Sanda city is located in the southeast of the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan, and it is about 25 km to the north of the city of Kobe beyond the Rokkō Mountains and in a region about 35 km northwest of the city of Osaka. Sanda city adjoins to the north the city of Sasayama and to the east are Takarazuka and Inagawa. Sanda is joined to the south by Kobe and just to the west are the towns of Tōjō, Yokawa and Yashiro.

The name "Sanda" has a long history. Records found within the Buddhist statue "Mirokubutsuzazo" in the ancient Konshinji Temple reads: "These areas are decreed as Matsuyama's land, which includes Onden, Hiden and Keiden, which are three rice fields, and is thus renamed Sanda." (In Japanese, "San" means three and "ta" (here pronounced "da") means rice field.) This indicates that the name Sanda has been in use for an estimated 1,300 years.

The history of the inhabitants on this land, blessed with a mild climate and an abundant natural environment, is even older than the city and goes as far back as 30,000 years ago.

At the end of the 7th century, the temple town of the Konshinji Temple was created near the current location of Yashiki. Sanda castle was erected during the Muromachi Era. Also, a castle town was built during the Azuchi-Momoyama era, and Sanda flourished as a castle town governed by the Kuki clan producing 36,000 koku (equivalent of 184,000 bushels) of crops during the Edo period. After the Meiji period, Sanda expanded as the center of Arima county with a railroad system being completed. In 1956, Ai and Honjō merged together becoming Aino. Also Miwa, Hirono, Ono, Takahira merged into the town of Sanda. Then, Sanda annexed Aino in 1957. Sanda was upgraded from a town to a city in July, 1958.