| Iwaki いわき |
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| — Core city — | |||
| いわき市 · Iwaki City | |||
| Looking south from Iwaki Station | |||
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| Location of Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture | |||
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Iwaki
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Tōhoku | ||
| Prefecture | Fukushima prefecture | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Takao Watanabe (since September 2009) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,231.35 km2 (475.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (May 1, 2011) | |||
| • Total | 337,288 | ||
| • Density | 273.9/km2 (709.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Japanese Black Pine | ||
| - Flower | Azalea | ||
| - Bird | Seagull | ||
| Phone number | 0246-22-1111 | ||
| Address | 21 Umemoto, Taira 970-8686 |
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| Website | Iwaki City | ||
Iwaki (いわき市 Iwaki-shi) is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.
A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km²[1], making it the 10th largest city in Japan (2010). Its estimated population as of May 2011 is 337,288.[2]
The present "Iwaki City" started as the merger of 14 municipalities on October 1, 1966. The city was the third hiragana city, following Chino, Nagano and Mutsu, Aomori. The area was the largest in Japan at the time. The city works as an industrial hub of Tōhoku region, and is rich in sightseeing resources. As of 2005, about 7.6 millions sightseers visited the city a year.[3]
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Iwaki's origin dates back to 708 AD, during the Nara period. The Yamato government constructed a barrier in Iwaki against possible invasion by the Emishi, a Japanese people from the north.[4]
When the Taika Reform was established in AD 645, the central government formed "Iwaki district (磐城郡)" in the northern part of the present city and "Kikuta district (菊多郡)" in the southern part.[5]
In 653, the Iwaki district incorporated with a part of Taga Province and became Iwaki district(岩城評).[5]
In 718, Iwaki Province was formed, which was composed of five districts with Mutsu Province: Iwaki (岩城), Shineha, Namekata, Uta, Watari and Kikuta which was given from Hitachi Province. Shineha was the present Naraha. Namekata and Uta were the present Soma. Watari was the present Watari, Miyagi. The area of the present Iwaki City was composed of Kikuta and Iwaki (岩城 or 磐城).[5]
In the late 11th century, Iwaki clan (岩城氏) of Hitachi Province invaded Iwaki district (磐城郡) and divided it into four districts of Yoshima, Iwasaki, Iwaki, Naraha. The clan settled Iwaki district.
In 1189, Minamoto no Yoritomo appointed Iwaki Taro Kiyotaka (岩城太郎清隆) to jito of Yoshima.
In 1532, the Battle of Kidogawa.
In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi came in Tohoku region and demanded sword hunt and kenchi.
In 1600, Iwaki Sdataka (岩城貞隆) didn't fight in Ieyasu's corner on the Battle of Sekigahara. As a result, the Iwaki clan was ousted and Torii Tadamasa was appointed as the lord of Iwakitaira han (磐城平藩, old Iwaki Province) by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu put Tadamasa of his Fudai in fear of Date Masamune of Sendai han. The han has about 100 thousand goku.[5]
In 1603 Edo period, Torii Tadamasa started to construct Iwakidaira Castle in Taira.
Izumi han (1634) and Yunagaya (1670) hans were placed, following Kubota(1622) and Tanagura (1634) hans.
In 1684, Kubota han's territory was confiscated.
In 1860, Ando Nobumasa of Iwakitaira han was appointed as a Roju of Tokugawa shogunate. In 1862, he was wounded near the sakashitamon-gate in Edo Castle.
In the Boshin War, the hans in Iwaki lost and were controlled by the new government (新政府). In 1871, Abolition of the han system was practiced and the hans in Iwaki became ken(means old prefectures): Iwakitaira ken, Yunagaya ken and Izumi ken. These hans were incorporated to Iwamae (Iwasaki) Prefecture (磐前県) and to the current Fukushima Prefecture (1876).[5]
In 1896, Iwaki Bank and Taira Bank were established.
In 1897, Nihon Tetsudo filled in the inner moat of Iwakidaira Castle and made Taira Station. Jōban coalfield, which was the biggest coalfield in Honshū and the nearest from the Japanese capital Tokyo, was started to exploit it under the Fukoku kyōhei policy. After which Iwaki developed into an industrial city for the exploitation of the coalfield. The Jōban Line was made for the haulage of the coal. Iwaki's fishery, forestry and agricultural sectors also developed from this time.[4]
After WWII, the Jōban coalfield was closed. The same natural hot springs that were troublesome to the coal miners were put to good use and a hot springs resort was developed Spa Resort Hawaiians.
The present city was incorporated on October 1, 1966, with the merger of 14 municipalities (5 cities, 4 towns and 5 villages). The cities were Taira (平), Uchigō (内郷), Iwaki (磐城), Nakoso (勿来), and Jōban (常磐); the towns, Yotsukura, (四倉) Tōno (遠野), Ogawa (小川) and Hisanohama (久之浜); and the five villages were Yoshima (好間), Miwa (三和), Tabito (田人), Kawamae (川前) and Ōhisa (大久).[5] Taira was chosen as the location for City Hall and other administrative offices and continues to function as the centre of Iwaki. This stem from that Torii clan's castle town was Taira.
In April 1979, an "Iwaki Number" as an automobile number plate was introduced.
On April 1, 1999, the city was designated a "core city".
The city is located at the southern end of Tōhoku Region and close to Ibaraki Prefecture, (). The city covers a total area of 1,231.35 km², making it the largest city in Fukushima Prefecture and the tenth largest in Japan. The city occupies around 8.9 percent of the total area of Fukushima Prefecture.
The eastern part of the city is made up of 60 kilometres of coastline which faces the Pacific Ocean and the western part goes through the Abukuma highlands and joins up with the central part of Fukushima Prefecture. The western part is a range of mountains and forests, occupies about 70 percent of the city. The rivers which flow to the east from the mountains have riverbeds with steep inclines which form the deep valleys of the Natsuigawa Gorge and the Shidokigawa Gorge. The flatter eastern part of the city is where most of the population is located. There are seven beaches on the coastline. Off the coast of Iwaki the Kuroshio Current(warm) and the Oyashio Current(cold) meet and make for an abundant fishing ground. The prevailing winds from the ocean are warm and wet.
Iwaki is situated in a temperate climate zone and has a moderate climate. The city's average temperature is 13.1°C (55.6°F) and its average annual precipitation is 1,383.0 mm. The highest recorded temperature in the city is 37.7°C (99.9°F), and the lowest recorded temperature is -10.7°C (12.7°F). The average year has 14.4 days with a high temperature over 25°C and only 3.1 days with a low temperature below 0°C, which is smaller compared to other Japanese cities. The city is rarely hit by typhoons, and experiences only 0.7 days with more than 10 cm of snowfall in the average year. The duration of bright sunshine is 2058.1 hours in average year.[6]
Iwaki was mildly affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
The central area of the city is Taira. In Taira, main urban function builds up; Iwaki City Hall (main government office), Iwaki City Lyceum, Iwaki Station, etc. Iwaki is a decentralized city and consists of several other urban areas including Onahama and Yumoto.
Yumoto is home to Iwaki Yumoto onsen, one of the oldest onsens in Japan. There are many ryokan hotels. It is also home to Spa Resort Hawaiians, a spa resort which draws 1.5 million visitors per year and was the subject of the 2006 movie Hula Girls.
Onahama is a port town where many factories, fisheries and port facilities are located. There is also an aquarium, some beaches and seaside restaurants.
Izumi is a residential town section. The other towns are Ueda, Nakoso, Uchigō, Yotsukura et al.
There are thirteen zones in the city.[7]
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As of October 1, 2007, the city had an estimated population of 350,119, giving a population density of 284.33 persons per km². Iwaki is the second most populous city in Tōhoku region, following Sendai, and the 59th most populous nationwide. The conurbation is the third biggest in the prefecture, following Kōriyama and Fukushima.
Iwaki City has 130,814 households as of 2007. The average household has approximately 2.67 members. The number of males is 169,932 and the number of females is 180,187. The city has many people in their 50s and in their 40s compared to other age groups. The average age in Iwaki is 44.31.
| zone | population | households | area | density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taira | 99,901 | 38,685 | 109.88 km² | 909.18/km² |
| Onahama | 77,857 | 29,182 | 87.64 km² | 888.37/km² |
| Nakoso | 51,783 | 18,651 | 104.74 km² | 494.39/km² |
| Jōban | 35,904 | 13,550 | 48.23 km² | 744.43/km² |
| Uchigō | 28,214 | 11,462 | 31.62 km² | 892.28/km² |
| Yotsukura | 15,686 | 5,284 | 63.73 km² | 246.13/km² |
| Tōno | 6,404 | 1,913 | 104.53 km² | 61.26/km² |
| Ogawa | 7,567 | 2,481 | 112.49 km² | 67.26/km² |
| Yoshima | 13,597 | 5,319 | 26.69 km² | 509.44/km² |
| Miwa | 3,676 | 1,107 | 214.90 km² | 17.10/km² |
| Tabito | 2,117 | 713 | 158.07 km² | 13.39/km² |
| Kawamae | 1,448 | 509 | 116.44 km² | 12.43/km² |
| Hisanohama, Ōhisa | 5,965 | 1,958 | 52.38 km² | 113.87/km² |
| total | 350,119 | 130,814 | 1231.34 km² | 284.33/km² |
As of October 1, 2007 [8]
The main foundation of economy is industry and agriculture. The industrial production of Iwaki City is no.1 in Tōhoku region. Iwaki is rich in sightseeing resources and 7.64 million tourists visit a year. Within Fukushima prefecture, the industrial and sightseeing center is Iwaki, while the political center is Fukushima city.
Statistics (2006)[3]
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Principal head offices in Iwaki |
Principal companies which have factories in Iwaki
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(As of 2007)
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Onahama Port (2003)
Surrounded by the ocean and mountains, Iwaki is related more closely to the Kantō region than to Koriyama or Fukushima. Iwaki is 80 km from Koriyama, 150 km from Sendai and 190 km from Tokyo. Most of the residents usually use cars to commute because Iwaki is large and the urban areas are dispersed. There are many trucks on the roads related to hauling the freight of Onahama Port in Iwaki.
The Jōban Line runs north and south in the city. The central station is Iwaki station (old Taira station). There are banks, business hotels and shops in front of the station. Many trains stop at the station in mid course between Sendai and Tokyo. East Ban'etsu Line links to Koriyama, but the users are few because highway buses are more convenient and cheaper than the railway.
Fukushima Airport in Sukagawa is the nearest airport.
Iwaki-Taira Velodrome is located within the city.
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Taira
Nakoso
Uchigō
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Onahama
Jōban(Yumoto)
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The others
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Besides them, the city has many institutions.
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Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Iwaki,_Fukushima Iwaki, Fukushima] at Wikimedia Commons
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