Tokoname, Aichi

Tokoname
常滑市
City

Tokoname ware tiles

Flag
Seal

Location of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture
Tokoname

 

Coordinates: 34°53′N 136°50′E / 34.883°N 136.833°ECoordinates: 34°53′N 136°50′E / 34.883°N 136.833°E
Country Japan
Region Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture Aichi Prefecture
Government
 • Mayor Norihiko Kataoka
Area
 • Total 55.63 km2 (21.48 sq mi)
Population (November 2011)
 • Total 55,322
 • Density 994/km2 (2,570/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree Japanese Black Pine
- Flower Camellia sasanqua
Phone number 0569-35-5111
Address 4-1 Shinkai-chō, Tokoname-shi, Aichi-ken 479-0837
Website City of Tokoname

Tokoname (常滑市 Tokoname-shi) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 55,322 and a population density of 994 persons per km². The total area is 55.63 km².

Geography

Tokoname is located on the western coast of Chita Peninsula in southern Aichi Prefecture, and is bordered by Ise Bay to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

History

Tokoname has been associated with ceramics production since at least the Heian period, and Tokoname-yaki works from this period have been found from Aomori Prefecture in the north of Japan to Kagoshima prefecture in the south. By the Kamakura period, over 3000 kilns were active. During the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the Isshiki clan, and later came under the rule of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

During the Edo period, the area around present-day Tokoname was part of Owari Domain. In the post Meiji Restoration cadastral reforms of 1889, the town of Tokoname was created.

Tokoname was elevated to city status on April 1, 1954 by the merger of Tokoname town with the towns of Onizaki, Nishiura and Ono, and the village of Miwa. Chubu Centrair International Airport built on an artificial island offshore Tokoname opened on February 17, 2005, providing a major boost to local development.

Economy

Tokoname is a regional commercial center, and has been known since the Heian period for its production of ceramics, notably Tokoname-yaki, and ceramics production remains the mainstay of the local economy. With its long coastline, commercial fishing also plays an important role in the local economy.

Transportation

Airport

Railway

Highway

Noted people from Tokoname

References

    External links

    Media related to Tokoname, Aichi at Wikimedia Commons