Kōchi, Kōchi

Kōchi 高知
—  Core city  —
高知市 · Kōchi City
Downtown Kochi, Japan
Flag
Location of Kōchi in Kōchi Prefecture
Kōchi
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Shikoku
Prefecture	Kōchi Prefecture
Government
- Mayor	Seiya Okazaki
Area
- Total	309.22 km2 (119.4 sq mi)
Population (March 2010)
- Total	340,361
- Density	1,100/km2 (2,849/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Chinaberry[1]
- Flower	Winter-hazel[1]
- Bird	Japanese Wagtail[1]
Phone number	088-822-8111
Address	Kōchi-shi, Honmachi 5-1-45 780-0571
Website	City of Kōchi

Kōchi (高知市, Kōchi-shi^?) is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.

Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,361 and a density of 1,100 persons per km². The total area is 309.22 km².

A symbol of the city is its most famous dish, katsuo tataki, made by lightly searing and seasoning tuna.^[2]

Geography

The area of Kōchi has three distinct geographic sections. The major settled part of the city lies at the head of Urado Bay, in a narrow alluvial plain crossed by several rivers, notably the Kagami River and Kokubu River. The plain is bounded by mountains to the north and a range of hills to the south and west.

The northern mountains form the least densely populated part of the city, with the only settlement being along narrow river valleys. The highest point in Kōchi is Kuishi-yama at 1176 m.

To the south of the city centre, Urado Bay cuts through the hills to its outlet into the Pacific Ocean. The land surrounding the bay and a small strip of the coastline form the third part of the city. This area, although hillier and lense dense than the plain, is nevertheless a major location of housing and port-related industry.

History

Kochi Castle

The river plain now containing the city centre was originally settled as a castle town around the seat of the lords of Tosa Province, Kōchi Castle. The castle site was chosen by Lord Yamauchi Katsutoyo in 1601. The city takes its name from that of the castle. As the centre of administration for the province, and the prefecture which succeeded it, the town rapidly grew to become the largest settlement of the region.

During the time of the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi became famous as a centre of pro-imperial ideology, and later for incubating democratic and human rights movements.

The city was incorporated on April 1, 1889.

Tram service began in the city on May 2, 1904, and the city was connected to the national rail network on November 12, 1951.

On April 1, 1998, the city was designated as the first core city on Shikoku.

On January 1, 2005 the villages of Kagami and Tosayama, both from Tosa District, merged with the city, and on January 1, 2008 the town of Haruno from Agawa District also merged with the city.

Government

The administrative functions of the city of Kōchi are directed by an elected mayor and 42-member assembly. The current mayor (since 2003) is Seiya Okazaki.

Education

Kōchi is home to two universities, Kōchi University and Kōchi Women's University, and four junior colleges. The city directly administers Kōchi Commercial High School, and 15 other high schools are located within the city boundaries.

Events

Kōchi's most famous festival is the Yosakoi which is held in August. Teams of dancers dance to traditional and modern songs at various places around Kōchi. The total number of dancers is in the thousands.

Obiyamachi in downtown Kochi

Tourism

Kōchi Castle still exists in its pre-restoration form, and is one of the main tourist attractions. Other places of interest in the city centre are the Obiyamachi (帯屋町^?) shopping arcade, the regular Sunday street markets which are close to a kilometre in length, and Harimaya-bashi (はりまや橋^?), a bridge that featured in a famous Kōchi song about the forbidden love of a Buddhist priest.

The mountain Godaisan (五台山^?) holds a public park with views of the city, and is home to stop 31 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, Chikurin-ji (竹林寺^?), as well as the Makino Botanical Garden.

Harimaya-bashi

Off of Museum Road (Kenritsu Bijutsukandori) is the Kōchi Art Museum, where the main collection is composed of expressionistic works related to Kōchi.^[3]

At the mouth of Urado Bay, the remnants of Urado Castle (an earlier provincial seat) stand above Katsurahama (桂浜^?), a famous beach with an aquarium and statue of the Kōchi hero Sakamoto Ryoma. Nearby on the grounds is the Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum.^[4]

Transport

The most visible form of transport within Kōchi is the tram service run by Tosa Electric Railway. Its three lines with historic cars service the major north-south and east-west axes of the city.

The city also has an extensive bus network.

Kōchi is located on the JR Shikoku's Dosan Line connecting it to northern Shikoku, and via interchanges with the Tosa Kuroshio Railway to the eastern and western parts of Kōchi Prefecture. JR's central station in Kōchi is Kōchi Station.

Kōchi is also serviced by the Kōchi interchange of the Kōchi Expressway which connects to the national expressway system.

Kōchi Ryōma Airport in nearby Nankoku serves Kōchi.

Notable Natives and Residents

• Sakamoto Ryōma
• Okada Izō
• Itagaki Taisuke
• Nakahama Manjirō
• Tsutomu Seki
• Nobuo Uematsu
• Ryoko Hirosue
• Aaron Zagory

Sister cities

• - Fresno, California, USA
• - Wuhu, China
• - Kitami, Japan
• - Surabaya, Indonesia
• - Kuching, Malaysia
• - Castanhal, Brazil
• - Cotia, Brazil

Notes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "City Symbols" Kochi City Online Guide in English
2. ↑ "Tosa Cuisine" Kochi City Online Guide, in English
3. ↑ "Welcome to the Museum of Art, Kōchi" 財団法人 高知県文化財団 (Cultural Foundation, Kochi Prefecture, Japan) in English
4. ↑ "Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum" 財団法人 高知県文化財団 (Cultural Foundation, Kochi Prefecture, Japan) in English

External links

• Kōchi official website in Japanese
• Kōchi official website in English
• Kōchi Castle official site in Japanese
• Kōchi Asakura Website in Japanese