Chichibu, Saitama
| Chichibu 秩父市 | ||
|---|---|---|
| City | ||
|
Chichibu Night Traditional Festival | ||
| ||
 Location of Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture | ||
  Chichibu Location in Japan | ||
| Coordinates: 36°0′N 139°5′E / 36.000°N 139.083°ECoordinates: 36°0′N 139°5′E / 36.000°N 139.083°E | ||
| Country | Japan | |
| Region | Kantō | |
| Prefecture | Saitama Prefecture | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Kuniyasu Kuki (since April 2009) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 577.69 km2 (223.05 sq mi) | |
| Population (April 1, 2011) | ||
| • Total | 68,701 | |
| • Density | 120/km2 (310/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | |
| Symbols | ||
| - Tree | Kaede | |
| - Flower | Shiba-zakura | |
| - Bird | Blue-and-White Flycatcher | |
| Address |
8-15 Kumaki, Chichibu, Saitama 368-8686 | |
| Phone number | 0494-22-2211 | |
| Website |
www | |
Chichibu (秩父市 Chichibu-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 68,701, with 26,230 households and a population density of 120 persons per km². The total area is 577.69 km².
Chichibu was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1950, although the region had already existed for hundreds of years and had developed many local traditions. Since that time, the area of the city has grown through a series of mergers, the most recent in 2005.
Geography
The city is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unlike other parts of the prefecture, it is largely mountainous and the population is concentrated in river terraces along the Arakawa River. It is Saitama's largest municipality in terms of surface area and shares borders with Tokyo, Yamanashi, Nagano and Gunma Prefectures. A large portion of the city belongs to Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park.[1]
Because the region is not suitable for growing rice, many people have depended on sericulture farming. Limestone from Mount Bukō, which rises south of the city center, is another major source of income for the region. The city is shifting its focus toward sightseeing, taking advantages of its rich natural environment and relative closeness to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The city is also famous for its brewing industry.
Climate
Chichibu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cold winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from June to October.
| Climate data for Chichibu, Saitama | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 8.6 (47.5) |
8.9 (48) |
12.2 (54) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.8 (73) |
25.0 (77) |
28.5 (83.3) |
30.5 (86.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.0 (68) |
15.6 (60.1) |
11.2 (52.2) |
18.89 (66.02) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
5.3 (41.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
16.5 (61.7) |
20.0 (68) |
23.6 (74.5) |
25.0 (77) |
20.5 (68.9) |
14.1 (57.4) |
8.3 (46.9) |
3.0 (37.4) |
12.54 (54.57) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −5.5 (22.1) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
5.5 (41.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
15.6 (60.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.8 (69.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
9.4 (48.9) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
7.24 (45.03) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 28.2 (1.11) |
39.8 (1.567) |
59.9 (2.358) |
79.3 (3.122) |
98.4 (3.874) |
153.4 (6.039) |
152.6 (6.008) |
210.4 (8.283) |
205.2 (8.079) |
129.9 (5.114) |
56.9 (2.24) |
24.3 (0.957) |
1,238.3 (48.751) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 11 (4.3) |
17 (6.7) |
11 (4.3) |
2 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (1.2) |
44 (17.3) |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 63 | 64 | 64 | 68 | 71 | 79 | 81 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 76 | 69 | 73 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 196.6 | 171.9 | 188.8 | 166.4 | 187.7 | 111.6 | 122.6 | 152.9 | 95.6 | 128.5 | 155.1 | 187.1 | 1,864.8 |
| Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [2] | |||||||||||||
History
The city was developed as a marketplace of the district as well as the town around Chichibu Shrine. The city's older name, Ōmiya ("big shrine"), was derived from the shrine. It is a coincidence that Ōmiya Ward of the prefectural capital Saitama, which houses Hikawa Shrine, has the same name.
Timeline
- 708: Deposits of the metal copper are discovered in the region and offered to the Imperial Court. The era name Wadō (和銅, meaning "Japanese copper") is proclaimed in recognition of this welcome event in the initial months of Empress Gemmei's reign.[3] The copper is used to mint Wadō Kaihō or Wadō Kaichin, which are amongst the oldest examples of coinage in Japan.-- see image of Wado Kaichin from Japan Mint Museum
- 1884: The Chichibu Incident: uprising of impoverished peasants under the influence of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Seven are sentenced to death and over 4,000 people punished.
- 1889: Ōmiya Town was founded.
- 1914: The Chichibu Railway opened.
- 1916: Ōmiya Town was renamed as Chichibu Town.
- 1950: Chichibu Town became Chichibu City.
- 1954: Chichibu City absorbed the villages of Odamaki, Haraya and Kuna.
- 1957: Chichibu City absorbed the villages of Takashino and Ōta.
- 1958: Chichibu City absorbed the town of Kagemori.
- 1969: The Seibu Chichibu Line opened.
- 2005: Chichibu City absorbed the town of Yoshida, and the villages of Arakawa and Ōtaki (all from Chichibu District).
Sightseeing
On December 3, Chichibu holds an annual night festival. It attracts crowds from Chichibu, Saitama prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, and the Kantō region. Kawase matsuri is Chichibu shrine's summer festival. It takes place every July 19 and July 20. Eight groups carrying special dashi floats march along to festival music around the city. Mikoshi (sacred portable shrines) are brought to special places in each neighborhood where they are enshrined. Neighborhood association heads wash the mikoshi in the Arakawa river.
Other attractions of the city include:
- Chichibu Muse Park
- Chichibu Shrine
- Hitsujiyama Park
- Okuchichibu Mountains
- Lake Chichibu
- Lake Chichibu Sakura
- Mitsumine Shrine
- Nakatsugawa Gorge
- Chichibu Kannon Pilgrimage (Thirty-four temples)
Depiction
As a picturesque area within fairly easy reach of Tokyo, Chichibu has been much photographed. However, the photography of Chichibu by the Chichibu native Bukō Shimizu (1913–1995) is particularly extensive: Shimizu presented photographs of the mountains, people and customs of Chichibu in numerous books for the Japanese market, starting in 1954.[4][5]
Connection with The Mikado
The city considers itself as the inspiration for Gilbert and Sullivan's 1885 comic opera, The Mikado; the name of the opera's setting, "Titipu", is pronounced "Chichipu" in Japanese. Rokusuke Ei, a popular essayist, was convinced that Chichibu, the site of a peasant uprising in 1884, inspired the author, W. S. Gilbert, to set the opera in Japan. Other Japanese researchers have concluded that Gilbert may simply have heard of Chichibu silk, an important export in the 19th century. A theatre company from Chichibu has presented The Mikado in Japanese in Chichibu and throughout Japan.[6][7] In August 2006, it travelled with this production to the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England.[8]
Transportation
Rail
Two lines serve the city: the Chichibu Main Line and Seibu Chichibu Line. The Chichibu Railway was constructed along the Arakawa River and first opened in 1914. Seibu Railway reached the city in 1969 and considerably reduced the travel time to Tokyo. It takes approximately one and a half hours to travel from Seibu-Chichibu Station to Ikebukuro Station, one of the major train terminals in Tokyo. These lines carry people as well as limestone from Mount Bukō. The two lines were directly connected on April 1, 1989. Chichibu Railway also had the Mitsumine Ropeway, which carried passengers visiting Mitsumine Shrine. The ropeway has been out of service since May 19, 2006, and was officially abandoned on December 1, 2007.[9]
Road
Two national roads, Route 140 and 299, serve the city. Route 140 connects the city to its nearest expressway interchange, Hanazono Interchange of the Kan-Etsu Expressway. The city had no road communication to Yamanashi Prefecture due to steep Okuchichibu Mountains, but the opening of the Karisaka Tunnel in 1998 enabled the city to connect to Yamanashi.[10]
Notable people from Chichibu
- Seijuro Arafune, Former Minister of Transport
- Arisa Nakajima, professional wrestler[11]
- Bukō Shimizu, photographer[5]
- Akira Taue, professional wrestler[12]
Sister cities
-
Toshima, Tokyo, since October 14, 1983 - Sanyō-Onoda, Yamaguchi, since May 20, 1996
-
Antioch, California, United States, since September 16, 1967 -
Gangneung, South Korea, since February 16, 1983 -
Linfen, Shanxi Province, China, since October 7, 1988 -
Warringah, Australia, since April 26, 1996
References
- ↑ http://www.env.go.jp/park/chichibu/intro/index.html
- ↑ "Chichibu Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ↑ Titsingh, Issac. (1834). Nipon o daï itsi ran, p. 63.
- ↑ Mihashi Sumiyo (三橋純予), "Shimizu Bukō", Nihon shashinka jiten (日本写真家事典) / 328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers (Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2000; ISBN 4-473-01750-8), p.175. (Japanese) (Despite the English-language alternative title, all in Japanese.)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 埼玉ゆかりの偉人/検索結果（詳細）/清水 武甲 (in Japanese). Saitama, Japan: Saitama Prefecture. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ↑ Sumiko Enbutsu: The Mikado in the Town of Chichibu
- ↑ Brooke, James. "Japanese Hail The Mikado, Long-Banned Imperial Spoof", The New York Times, 3 April 2003, accessed 15 July 2014
- ↑ ; and
- ↑ http://www.saitama-np.co.jp/news10/06/01x.html
- ↑ 雁坂トンネル
- ↑ "JWP女子プロレス 中島安里紗" [JWP Female Professional Wrestling: Arisa Nakajima]. JWP Official Information (in Japanese). Japan: JWP Female Professional Wrestling. 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ↑ "Akira Taue profile". Pro Wrestling NOAH Official Site (in Japanese). Japan: NOAH. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
Further reading
- Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). [Siyun-sai Rin-siyo/Hayashi Gahō, 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. ...Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book (in French)
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chichibu, Saitama. |
- Chichibu City official website (Japanese)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
