Maebashi, Gunma
| Maebashi 前橋 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Core city | ||
| 前橋市 · Maebashi City | ||
 | ||
| ||
 | ||
  Maebashi | ||
| Coordinates: 36°23′N 139°4′E / 36.383°N 139.067°ECoordinates: 36°23′N 139°4′E / 36.383°N 139.067°E | ||
| Country | Japan | |
| Region | Kantō | |
| Prefecture | Gunma Prefecture | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Ryu Yamamoto (since February 2012) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 311.64 km2 (120.32 sq mi) | |
| Population (October 1, 2010) | ||
| • Total | 344,871 | |
| • Density | 1,106.63/km2 (2,866.2/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | |
| Symbols | ||
| - Tree | Ginkgo & Zelkova | |
| - Flower | Rose & Azalea | |
| Address |
2-12-1, Ote-Machi, Maebashi-shi, Gunma-ken 371-8601 | |
| Phone number | 27-224-1111 | |
| Website | Maebashi | |
Maebashi (前橋市 Maebashi-shi) is a Japanese city in the Kantō region on the island of Honshu.[1] It is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture.[2] The city was founded on April 1, 1892, by the samurai Makuba Kawai.
As of October 2010 population data, the city has an estimated population of 344,871 and a population density of 1,106.63 persons per km². The total area is 311.64 km². It was traditionally the most populous city within Gunma Prefecture until Takasaki merged with nearby towns.
Maebashi hosted the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Geography
Maebashi is located at the foot of Mt. Akagi in the northeast corner of the Kantō Plain. The Tone River, Japan's second-longest, runs through the western part of the city. Also, Maebashi is farthest from the sea (about 120 km) among all Japanese prefectural capitals.
Climate
Maebashi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). In the winter, the Karakaze, or "dry wind" blows through Maebashi from the north. This is due to the snow clouds coming from the Sea of Japan being blocked by the Echigo Mountain Range between Gunma and Niigata. Because of this, the city has a dry winter and is probably the sunniest place in Japan at over 2,210 hours of sunshine per year.[3] In the summer, it is hot since the location is inland. On July 24, 2001, Maebashi hit 40 °C (104 °F), the fifth hottest temperature ever in Japan.
| Climate data for Maebashi, Gunma (1897～2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) |
24.6 (76.3) |
27.1 (80.8) |
32.4 (90.3) |
36.5 (97.7) |
38.3 (100.9) |
40.0 (104) |
39.1 (102.4) |
38.1 (100.6) |
33.0 (91.4) |
26.6 (79.9) |
23.5 (74.3) |
40.0 (104) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.4 (47.1) |
8.9 (48) |
12.1 (53.8) |
18.0 (64.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.4 (77.7) |
28.9 (84) |
30.1 (86.2) |
25.9 (78.6) |
20.7 (69.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
11.0 (51.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.8 (71.2) |
18.0 (64.4) |
11.5 (52.7) |
5.7 (42.3) |
0.8 (33.4) |
9.4 (48.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.8 (10.8) |
−9 (16) |
−7.8 (18) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
0.3 (32.5) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.9 (53.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 24.3 (0.957) |
34.1 (1.343) |
54.1 (2.13) |
79.5 (3.13) |
103.1 (4.059) |
161.5 (6.358) |
189.7 (7.469) |
190.9 (7.516) |
204.1 (8.035) |
121.5 (4.783) |
46.2 (1.819) |
24.1 (0.949) |
1,233.1 (48.548) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 6.5 (2.56) |
7.9 (3.11) |
4.5 (1.77) |
0.5 (0.2) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.9 (0.35) |
20.3 (7.99) |
| % humidity | 57.0 | 56.2 | 56.6 | 61.7 | 67.7 | 75.2 | 79.3 | 78.9 | 79.4 | 73.4 | 65.6 | 59.8 | 67.57 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 214.6 | 198.2 | 218.1 | 203.7 | 206.0 | 148.8 | 157.7 | 185.3 | 136.3 | 163.4 | 184.0 | 204.4 | 2,220.5 |
| Source #1: Japan Meteorological Agency[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[5] | |||||||||||||
Surrounding municipalities
History
- 1892 - Maebashi City was founded.
- 1901 - A portion of Kamikawabuchi Village was merged into Maebashi.
- 1945 - On 5 August approximately 64.2% of the urban core of the city was destroyed by B-29 air raids following the dropping of propaganda leaflets warning of the impending attacks.[6][7]
- 1951 - A portion of Kaigaya Village was merged into Maebashi.
- 1954 - Kamikawabuchi Village, Shimokawabuchi Village, Azuma Village, Minamitachibana Village, Kaigaya Village, Haga Village, Motosōja Village and Sōja Village were merged into Maebashi.
- 1957 - A portion of Jōnan Village was merged into Maebashi.
- 1960 - A portion of Tamamura Town and another portion of Jōnan Village were merged into Maebashi.
- 1967 - Jōnan Village (remaining portions) was merged into Maebashi.
- 2004 - Mayor Masao Takagi was elected.
- On December 5, 2004 - The town of Ōgo, and the villages of Kasukawa and Miyagi (all from Seta District) were merged into Maebashi.
- On May 5, 2009 - The village of Fujimi (from Seta District) was merged into Maebashi. Seta District was dissolved as a result of this merger.[8]
Transportation
Rail
East Japan Railway Company
Jōmō Electric Railway
Bicycle rental
The Maechari bicycle rental scheme, begun in May 2010, offers bicycles for low-price rental, from a stand in front of JR East Maebashi Station.[9]
Sports
Thespa Kusatsu at Shikishima Stadium was originally formed in Kusatsu, but plays in Maebashi due to J. League stadium requirements.
Festivals
- Ogo Gion Festival
Notable people
- Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, founder of Shinkage-ryū martial arts school and master of Yagyū Munetoshi who later introduced Shinkage-ryū to Tokugawa Ieyasu.[10]
Sister cities
Birmingham, Alabama, USA- Menasha, Wisconsin, USA
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Orvieto, Italy
References
- ↑ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Maebashi" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 600; "Kantō" at pp. 478-479.
- ↑ Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), "Maebashi area"; retrieved 2012-2-11.
- ↑ Maebashi Hours of Bright Sunshine
- ↑ "Monthly Mean Climate Data". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- ↑ "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
- ↑ Craven, Wesley; Cate, James (editors) (1953). The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Volume V. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 656, 675. OCLC 256469807.
- ↑ Caidin, Martin (1960). A Torch to the Enemy: The Fire Raid on Tokyo. Bantam War Books. ISBN 0-553-29926-3.
- ↑
- ↑ "Rental bicycles eyed to boost tourism". Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan). 19 July 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- ↑ Yagyū, Toshinaga (1957, 1989) Shōden Shinkage-ryū. Kōdansha, reprinted by Shimazu Shobō, ISBN 4-88218-012-X.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maebashi, Gunma. |
- Maebashi City official website (Japanese)
| ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||