Hamamatsu

This article is about the city in Shizuoka Prefecture. For the area in eastern Tōkyō, see Hamamatsuchō
Hamamatsu
浜松
—  Designated city  —
浜松市 · Hamamatsu City[1]
A bird's-eye view of downtown Hamamatsu.

Flag
Location of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka
Hamamatsu is located in Japan
Hamamatsu
 
Coordinates:
Country Japan
Region Chūbu
Prefecture Shizuoka
Government
 - Mayor Yasutomo Suzuki
Area
 - Total 1,511.17 km2 (583.5 sq mi)
Population (February 2009)
 - Total 813,369
 - Density 538/km2 (1,393.4/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree Pine
- Flower Mikan
- Bird Japanese Bush Warbler
Phone number 53-457-2111
Address 103-2 Motoshiro-chō, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken
430-8652
Website City of Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu (浜松市 Hamamatsu-shi?) is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns. It became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2007.

Contents

History

Hamamatsu downtown from Shinkawa river

The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from the Jomon period and Kofun period having been discovered within the present city limits, including the Akamonue Kofun in what is now present-day Hamakita-ku In the Nara period, it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province. During the Sengoku period, Hamamatsu Castle was the home of future Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hamamatsu flourished during the Edo period under a succession of daimyo rulers as a castle town, and as a post town on the Tōkaidō. After the Meiji Restoration, Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871–1876, after which it was united with Shizuoka Prefecture. The Tōkaidō Main Line railway opened Hamamatsu Station in 1889. The same year, in a cadastal reform of Japan, Hamamatsu became a town.

Geography

Hamamatsu consists of a flat plain and the Mikatahara Plateau in the south, and a mountainous area in the north. It is roughly bordered by Lake Hamana to the west, the Tenryū River to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The climate in southern Hamamatsu is mild with little snow fall in the winter; however, it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon called Enshū no Karakaze, which is unique to the region. The climate in northern Hamamatsu is much harsher because of foehn winds. In summers, the highest temperature often exceeds 35 degrees in the Tenryu-ku area, while it snows in winter.

Wards

Wards of Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu is administratively divided into seven wards:

Tourism

Industry

Act-City Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially for musical instruments and motorcycles. It also has been known for fabric industry, but most of those companies and factories went out of business in the 1990s. Of the 274,700 Japanese Brazilians working in Japan, currently 19,000 work in Hamamatsu.[2]

Companies headquartered in Hamamatsu

Companies founded in Hamamatsu

Transportation

Railways

Hamamatsu is a station on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Tōkaidō Main Line. As of 2009, this station is served by a small selection of Hikari services and all passing Kodama services. Hamamatsu is approximately halfway along the Tōkaidō line, as the journey time to both Tokyo and Shin-Osaka is approximately one and half hours with Hikari, and two hours with Kodama.

Tōkaidō Main Line stops at the following stations:

Iida Line stops at several stations in Sakuma area.

Enshu Railway Line, also known as Akaden (the red train), is a local line running north from Shin-Hamamatsu Station through Nishikajima Station.

Tenryū Hamanako Line stops at several stations in Kita-ku, Hamakita-ku, and Tenryū-ku.

Roads

Bus

Bus is the major public transportation in Hamamatsu. Almost all services are operated by Enshu Railway Co. (Entetsu Bus).

Airport

There are no civilian airports in Hamamatsu. Shizuoka Airport() is the closest, located 43 kilometres (27 mi) from Hamamatsu station () between Makinohara and Shimada

Chūbu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture, located about 87 kilometres (54 mi)[3] west of the city, is the second closest.

Festivals

Akiha Fire Festival

Ever since long ago, Mount Akiha was believed to have supernatural powers to prevent fires. Bow and arrow, sword, and fire dances are performed at the Akiha Shrine. At the Akiha Temple a firewalking ceremony is performed where both believers and spectators celebrate the festival. (Haruno, Tenryu-ku — December)

Enshu Dainenbutsu

When a family commemorates the first Obon holidays after the death of a loved one, they may request that a dainenbutsu (Buddhist chanting ritual) be performed outside their house. This is one of the local performing arts of the region. The group always forms a procession in front of the house led by a person carrying a lantern and marches to the sound of flutes, Japanese drums and cymbals. (Saigagake Museum, Hamamatsu City — July 15)

Hamamatsu Festival

Hamamatsu Festival, held from May 3 through May 5 each year, is well-known for Takoage Gassen, or the kite fight, and luxuriously decorated palace-like floats. The festival originated about 430 years ago, when the lord of Hamamatsu Castle celebrated the birth of his first son by flying kites. In the Meiji Era, the celebration of the birth of a first son by flying Hatsu Dako, or the first kite, became popular, and this tradition has survived in the form of Hamamatsu Festival. It is extremely exciting to see over 160 large kites flying in the sky to the sound of trumpets. Those who visit Hamamatsu at this time of the year can experience the city at its most exciting time.

During the nights of Hamamatsu Festival, people parade downtown carrying over 70 yatai, or palace-lake floats, that are beautifully decorated while playing Japanese traditional festival music. The festival reaches its peak when groups of people compete by violently marching across town. (Naka-ku, Minami-ku — May)

Hamakita Hiryu Festival

This festival is held in honor of Ryujin, the god of the Tenryu River, and features a wide variety of events such as the Hamakita takoage (kite flying) event and the Hiryu himatsuri (flying dragon fire festival) which celebrates water, sound, and flame. (Hamakita-ku — June)

Hamamatsu International Piano Competition

This festival celebrates Hamamatsu's history as a city of musical instruments and music, and brings dozens of the best young pianists from all over the world. It has been held triennially since 1991 at the Act City Concert Hall and Main Hall. (November)

Hamakita Manyo Festival

This event takes place in Manyo-no-Mori Park to commemorate the Manyo Period and introduce its culture. As part of the festival, people reenact the ancient past by wearing traditional clothes from the Heian period and presenting Japanese poetry readings. (Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu — October)

Inasa Puppet Festival

One of the few puppet festivals held in Japan, featuring 60 performances of about 30 plays by puppet masters from all over the country. The shows provide a full day of enjoyment for both children and adults. (Inasa, Kita-ku — November)

Princess Road Festival

This reenactment of a procession made by the princess in her palanquin along with her entourage of over 100 people including maids, samurai, and servants makes for a splendid scene beneath the cherry blossoms along the Toda River. In the Edo period, princesses enjoyed traveling this road which came to be known as a hime kaidō (princess road). (Hosoe, Kita-ku — April)

Shoryu Weeping Ume Blossom Festival

In Ryusui Garden there is a stream with seven small waterfalls and about 80 weeping ume trees pruned to give the appearance of dragons riding on clouds to the heavens. There are also 200 young trees planted along the mountainside. (Inasa, Kita-ku — late February to late March)

Famous people

Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) After the establishment of Suzuki Loom Works in Hamamatsu City in 1909, Suzuki kept expanding his business and, in 1929, invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights. He started on a protocol of an automobile in 1939 and laid the foundation of Suzuki Motors, the car maker, by releasing the Colleda motorcycle and a light-weight car called the Suzulight.

Soichiro Honda (1906–1991) The founder of Honda is a pioneer of Hamamatsu as "the city of motorcycles". Born in Tenryu, Honda learned auto-repair skills in Tokyo before opening the Hamamatsu branch of Ahto Shokai. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and developed the motorcycle widely known as "Pon-Pon". Honda's extraordinary ideas kept laying new paths for the company, making Honda a leading motorcycle/automotive manufacturer.

Torakusu Yamaha (1851–1916) In 1884, Yamaha first repaired an organ in an elementary school while still working as a repair engineer for medical equipment. He became fascinated by the organ and started developing them himself. After painstaking effort, Yamaha finally built his first reed organ, which was highly praised by experts in the field. In 1888, he established "Yamaha Fukin Seizōjo", which later became Yamaha, a leading musical instrument maker. Torakusu Yamaha laid the foundation of the musical instrument industry in the Hamamatsu area.

Kenjiro Takayanagi (1899–1990) Born in Hamamatsu City. After becoming an assistant professor of engineering at what is now Shizuoka University in 1924, Takayanagi dedicated himself to the development of the television. After repeated mistakes, he successfully completed the first all-electronic TV system in the world. Takayanagi also succeeded in inventing the first domestic TV set, establishing the foundation of modern television. The growth of the optical technological industry in Hamamatsu is largely thanks to Takayanagi and his research.

Koichi Kawai (1886–1955) Hamamatsu-born Kawai became an apprentice to Torakusu Yamaha at the young age of 11. The piano mechanism which Kawai helped design contributed greatly to the birth of the first piano made in Japan. He invented many mechanisms, such as the stop device for the organ, and was nicknamed "Koichi, the inventor". Kawai Gakki Kenkyūjo, which was established in 1927, became Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. Co., Ltd. in 1929, which has received over 20 patents on inventions like new types of mechanism and soundboard.

Koji Suzuki (1953 - ) Japanese writer who was born in Hamamatsu and currently lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring cycle of novels, which has been adapted into a manga series, and several movies. He has also written a number of short stories, including the source material for the movie Dark Water. He has written several books on the subject of fatherhood. He is currently on the selection committee for the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.

Radio stations

Colleges and universities

International Relations

Hamamatsu has ratified Music Culture Exchange Treaty with the following cities (however, of the following Rochester is the only official sister city):

Twin towns and Sister cities

Hamamatsu is twinned with:

References

  1. ↑ Hamamatsu's official English name
  2. ↑ Sanchanta, Mariko (July 19, 2007). "Signs betray ‘hidden workers’ of Japan". The Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/70f96792-360f-11dc-ad42-0000779fd2ac.html. 
  3. ↑ from Chūbu Centrair International Airport() to Hamamatsu station() (surveying http://vldb.gsi.go.jp/sokuchi/surveycalc/bl2stf.html(Japanese))
  4. ↑ (Polish) "Miasta partnerskie Warszawy". um.warszawa.pl. Biuro Promocji Miasta. 2005-05-04. http://um.warszawa.pl/v_syrenka/new/index.php?dzial=aktualnosci&ak_id=3284&kat=11. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 

External links

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