Maebashi
| Maebashi 前橋市 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Core city | ||
|
A view of Maebashi with Mt. Akagi, from the top of the Prefectural Government building (Kencho) | ||
| ||
 Location of Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture | ||
  Maebashi Location in Japan | ||
| 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 (March 31, 2015) | ||
| • Total | 339,491 | |
| • Density | 1,089.37/km2 (2,821.5/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 city on the island of Honshu in Japan and is located in the Northern Kantō region. It is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture. [1]
As of March 2015 population data, it has an estimated population of 339,491 and a population density of 1,089.37 persons per km².[2] Since its merge with the village of Fujimi in 2009, the city covers an area of about 311.64 km².[3] It was the most populous city within Gunma Prefecture until Takasaki merged with nearby towns between 2006 and 2009.[4]
Maebashi is known to be the "City of Water, Greenery and Poets" because of its pure waters, its rich nature and because it gave birth to several Japanese contemporary poets, such as Sakutaro Hagiwara. [5]
Maebashi hosted the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Name Origins
Maebashi area was called Umayabashi (厩橋) during the Nara Period. This name finds its origins in the fact that there was a bridge (hashi 橋) crossing the Tone River and not far from the bridge there was a small refreshment house with a stable (umaya 駅家), often used by people travelling on the Tōzan-dō (the way that was connecting the capital to the Eastern regions of Japan). The name was officially changed into Maebashi (前橋) in 1649 during the Edo Period.[6]
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.[7][8]
- 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.[9]
Geography
Maebashi is located at the foot of Mt. Akagi in the northeast corner of the Kantō Plain.
It is also surrounded by Mt. Haruna and Mt. Myogi.
Two rivers run through the city: the Tone River, Japan's second-longest, and the Hirose River.
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.[10] 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) |
| Average 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) |
| Average 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) |
| Average relative 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[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[12] | |||||||||||||
Surrounding municipalities
Economy
The air conditioning system and compressor manufacturing company Sanden Corporation as well as the tofu and tofu products company Sagamiya Foods have manufacturing sites in the city.[13]
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.[14]
Sports
Thespakusatsu Gunma at Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma 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.[15]
Twin towns – Sister cities
Maebashi is twinned with:
Hagi, Japan
Birmingham, Alabama, USA- Menasha, Wisconsin, USA
Orvieto, Italy
References
- ↑ Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), "Maebashi area"; retrieved 2012-2-11.
- ↑ Maebashi City Office. October 1, 2014. "Demography Study"
- ↑ Maebashi City Office. September 30, 2011. "Area Study"
- ↑ Takasaki City Office. September 30, 2014. "Demography Study"
- ↑ Maebashi City Office. March 27, 1989. "Declaration from the Municipal Council"
- ↑ Maebashi no Rekishi (History of Maebashi) (July 24, 2012)
- ↑ 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.
- ↑
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Major Corporations in Gunma Prefecture". Department of Industry and Economy, Gunma Prefecture. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ↑ "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)
| |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||