Ōta, Gunma

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Ōta 太田
Special city
太田市 · Ōta
Location of Ōta in Gunma Prefecture
Ōta Location in Japan
Coordinates: 36°17′N 139°23′E / 36.283°N 139.383°E / 36.283; 139.383Coordinates: 36°17′N 139°23′E / 36.283°N 139.383°E / 36.283; 139.383
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Gunma Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Masayoshi Shimizu (since June 1995)
Area
• Total	175.66 km² (67.82 sq mi)
Population (October 1, 2010)
• Total	219,789
• Density	1,251.22/km² (3,240.6/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols
- Tree	Osmanthus, Maple Leaf, Ginkgo
- Flower	Chrysanthemum, Sage, Spring orchid, Azalea
Address	2-35 Hama-cho, Ōta-shi, Gumma-ken 373-8718
Phone number	0276-47-1111
Website	http://www.city.ota.gunma.jp/

Not to be confused with Ōta, Tokyo.

Ōta (太田市, Ōta-shi) is a city in eastern Gunma Prefecture, Japan.^[1] Ōta is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Tokyo between the Tone and Watarase rivers.

Ōta's leading industry is manufacturing, centered in the southeast part of the city. Ōta leads the prefecture in manufacturing revenue, which exceeds ¥1.3 trillion annually. It is the home of the car manufacturer Subaru, a subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. However, the northern part of Ōta is characterized by its farms, most of which produce rice. Also, Ōta is a major transportation hub in the Tomo (Eastern Gunma) region and the home of the Sanyo Wild Knights rugby team.

The city became a special city on April 1, 2007 (the neighboring city, Isesaki also became a special city on the same day).

History

Ōta was the location of a shukuba post town during the Edo period (1600-1868). The Ōtajuku (太田宿), from which the city takes its name, was on the Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō, a route which connected the capital at Edo to the present-day city of Nikkō in Tochigi Prefecture.^[1]

The original city of Ōta lasted from May 31, 1948 until March 27, 2005. The mayor of the new city of Ōta is Masayoshi Shimizu, the last mayor of the original city of Ōta. During the years before World War II, airplane production was the industrial mainstay of Ōta. After the war, much of the skills and technology used in the production of aircraft was redirected into the production of automobiles.

Original City of Ōta

On April 1, 1889, as the modern town and village system was introduced, the town of Ōta, and rge villages of Kuai, Sawano, Shimanogō, Gōdo and Hōsen were incorporated withiin Nitta District; and the villages of Niragawa and Morita were incorporated within Yamada District.
On July 15, 1893, the villages of Yabagawa and Kyūhaku became independent from Niragawa.
On April 1, 1940, Ōta, Kuai, Sawano and Niragawa were merged to create new town of Ōta.
On November 1, 1943, Ōta absorbed Shimanogō.
On May 3, 1948, Ōta was elevated to city status (the current city of Hitachiota in Ibaraki Prefecture had the same name in the past, while Hitachiota was a town as Ōta).
On April 1, 1957, Ōta absorbed the village of Kyodo (from Nitta District), and the village of Kyūhaku (from Yamada District).
On July 1, 1960, Ōta absorbed parts of the village of Yabakawa (from Yamada District).
On April 1, 1963, Ōta absorbed the village of Hosen (from Nitta District).
On December 1, 1963, Ōta absorbed the village of Kesatoda (from Yamada District).
In 1977, "Belltown," located in front of Ōta Station opens (Uni Ota store was also opened at the same time ※closed on January 2007)
In 1995, Masayoshi Shimizu (current mayor) defeated Hisao Tozawa to become the mayor of Ōta until the former city of Ōta dissolves.
In 1998, the new city hall building (the current city hall) completed.
On October 10, 1998, FM Taro launched its airwaves from Ota Hall located next to the city hall.
On December 5, 2003, the largest shopping center in the Kita-Kantō Region, "Aeon Ota Shopping Center" opened at Ishihara-cho, northwestern area of the city.
On November 25, 2004, Ōta station was elevated to an over-cross station.
On March 27, 2005, the old city of Ōta closes.

The new city of Ōta (March 28, 2005-present)

On March 28, 2005, the old city of Ōta absorbed the towns of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahon (all from Nitta District), and the area became the new city of Ōta.
- As of the merger, the total area is 176.49 km², and the population went over 200,000 with 217,000 people.
- The former city of Ōta had a population of 152,000, with a total area of 97.96 km².
  The city hall is located at the former Ota City Hall and the former town halls of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahon became synthesis branch offices.
On April 17, 2005, the mayor election was held upon this merger and the former mayor of the old city of Ōta, Masayoshi Shimizu, was elected as the first mayor of the new city of Ōta.
On July 1, 2005, the city's seal was selected.
In 2006, The new train station building of Ōta has been completed.
On April 1, 2007, the city has become a special city. (Next door neighbor Isesaki also became a special city on the same day)
In September 2007, Ōta and Yabutsuka interchanges on the Kita-Kantō Expressway had open.

Mayor

the post-merger of the city of Ōta

1st: Masayoshi Shimizu (since April 18, 2005)
- interim mayor: Akira Yamazaki (山﨑昭, the former mayor of the town of Nitta, March 28 to April 17, 2005)

former city of Ōta

preceding： Hisao Tosawa (戸澤久夫, ~1995)
last: Masayoshi Shimizu (currently the mayor of Ōta, 1995 to March 27, 2005)

Also, the city council has it own council from the old city of Ōta, and the old towns of Nitta, Ojima, and Yabuzukahonmachi, with a combined council members of 73.

Places of interest

Daikoin Temple - Founded in 1618 by Ieyasu Tokugawa. Popular with nickname Kosodate Donryu (meaning kid-raising Saint Donryu). Located 2.4 km northwest of the downtown.
Kanayama Castle - A Kamakura-era castle on the top of Mt. Kanayama (244 m). Located 3.2 km north of the downtown. Mt. Kanayama is the symbol of Ota City.
Tenjin'yama Coffin - A large ancient burial mound (from around the 5th century). The Haniwa unearthed in Ota are the only Haniwa to be designated as national treasures, and are on display in the National Museum in Tokyo.
Yabuzuka Onsen - Ōta's hot springs. Originally it was Yabuzukahoncho Town area annexed by Ōta. 9.7 km northwest of the downtown.
Snake Center - Located in Yabuzuka Onsen area. Famous for collection of rare kinds of snakes.

Transportation

Rail

Ōta Station is one of Tobu Railway's hub stations. The Isesaki Line, Kiryū Line, and Koizumi Line all meet here. Following are approximate times by train from Ōta:

Takasaki, Gunma: 1 hr
Maebashi, Gunma: 50 min
Isesaki, Gunma: 30 min
Kiryu, Gunma: 20 min
Ashikaga, Tochigi: 10 min
Tatebayashi, Gunma: 25 min
Tokyo: 1 hr 10 min (by Ryomo limited express)

Bus

Intercity/Express bus: for Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Toyama and Sendai
Local buses: for Kumagaya, Saitama (40 minutes) and Aeon Shopping Mall (10 minutes)

Roads

Kita-Kantō Expressway
National Route 17
National Route 50
National Route 122- connects to Tokyo, Saitama City, Tatebayashi, Kiryu, and Nikkō.
National Route 354
National Route 407- connects to Higashimatsuyama, Kumagaya, and Ashikaga.

Education

Gunma Kokusai Academy, an English immersion school

Sister cities

Burbank, California, United States
Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Yingkou, China

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ōta". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2013. OCLC 56431036. Retrieved 2013-11-08.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ota, Gunma.

Ōta City official website (Japanese)
Ota International Association Website (English)
Ota travel guide from Wikivoyage

v t e Gunma Prefecture

Cities	Annaka Fujioka Isesaki Kiryū Maebashi (capital) Midori Numata Ōta Shibukawa Takasaki Tatebayashi Tomioka

Districts	Agatsuma Kanra Kitagunma Ōra Sawa Tano Tone

See also: Towns and villages by district

Metropolitan cities of Japan

Tokyo Metropolis	Special wards of Tokyo (Adachi Arakawa Bunkyo Chiyoda Chūō Edogawa Itabashi Katsushika Kita Koto Meguro Minato Nakano Nerima Ōta Setagaya Shibuya Shinagawa Shinjuku Suginami Sumida Toshima Taitō)

Designated cities	Chiba Fukuoka Hamamatsu Hiroshima Kawasaki Kitakyushu Kobe Kumamoto Kyoto Nagoya Niigata Okayama Osaka Sagamihara Saitama Sakai Sapporo Sendai Shizuoka Yokohama

Core cities	Akita Amagasaki Aomori Asahikawa Fukuyama Funabashi Gifu Hakodate Higashiōsaka Himeji Iwaki Kagoshima Kanazawa Kashiwa Kawagoe Kōchi Kōriyama Kurashiki Kurume Maebashi Matsuyama Miyazaki Morioka Naha Nagano Nagasaki Nara Nishinomiya Ōita Okazaki Ōtsu Shimonoseki Takamatsu Takasaki Takatsuki Toyama Toyohashi Toyonaka Toyota Utsunomiya Wakayama Yokosuka

Special cities	Akashi Atsugi Chigasaki Fuji Fukui Hachinohe Hirakata Hiratsuka Ibaraki Ichinomiya Isesaki Jōetsu Kakogawa Kasugai Kasukabe Kawaguchi Kishiwada Kōfu Koshigaya Kumagaya Kure Matsue Matsumoto Mito Nagaoka Neyagawa Numazu Odawara Ōta Sasebo Sōka Suita Takarazuka Tokorozawa Tottori Tsukuba Yamagata Yamato Yao Yokkaichi

Prefectural capitals (not included above)	Fukushima Tsu Saga Tokushima Yamaguchi

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