Takasaki, Gunma

Takasaki
高崎市
Core city

City view from Takasaki Kannon

Flag
Seal

Location of Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture
Takasaki

 

Coordinates: 36°19′18.8″N 139°0′11.8″E / 36.321889°N 139.003278°E / 36.321889; 139.003278Coordinates: 36°19′18.8″N 139°0′11.8″E / 36.321889°N 139.003278°E / 36.321889; 139.003278
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Gunma Prefecture
Government
 • Mayor Kenji Tomioka (since May 2011)
Area
 • Total 459.16 km2 (177.28 sq mi)
Population (December 2015)
 • Total 371,750
 • Density 810/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols  
• Tree Zelkova serrata, Cyclobalanopsis
• Flower Sakura
• Bird Japanese bush-warbler
Phone number 027-321-111
Address Takamatsu-cho 35-1, Takasaki-shi, Gunma-ken 370-8501
Website Official website
Takasaki City Hall

Takasaki (高崎市 Takasaki-shi, [takasakiɕi]) is a city located in southwestern Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of December 2015, the city had an estimated population of 371,750 and a population density of 810 persons per km2. Its total area was 459.16 square kilometres (177.28 sq mi). Takasaki is famous as the hometown of the Daruma doll, theoretically representing the Buddhist sage Bodhidharma and in modern practice a symbol of good luck.

Geography

Takasaki is located in the southwestern portion of Gunma Prefecture in the flat northern portion of the Kantō Plain.

Surrounding municipalities

History

During the Edo period, the area of present-day Takasaki was the center of the Takasaki Domain, a feudal domain held by a branch of the Matsudaira clan under the Tokugawa shogunate in Kōzuke Province. The area also prospered from its location on the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. Post stations located within the borders of modern Takasaki were: Shinmachi-shuku, Kuragano-shuku, and Takasaki-shuku. Following the Meiji Restoration, Takasaki was briefly capital of Gunma Prefecture, before the capital was moved to Maebashi in 1881.

Takasaki Town was created within Gunma District, Gunma on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system. It was raised to city status on April 1, 1900. On April 1, 1927, Takasaki annexed the neighboring villages of Tsukasawa and Kataoka, followed by Sano on October 1, 1937. The city largely escaped damage in World War II. Following the war, it continued to expand its borders by annexing the village of Rokugo on April 1, 1951, Shintakao and Nakamura as well as Yawata and Toyooka from Ushi District on January 20, 1955. This was followed by Orui village and Sano village from Tano District on September 30, 1956. The city celebrated its 360th anniversary in 1963 and annexed the town of Kuragano on March 31 of the same year. On September 1, 1965 the village of Gunnan was annexed.

In September 1987, five-year-old Yoshiaki Ogiwara, the son of a local firefighter, was abducted and subsequently murdered in Takasaki. The murder received heavy media coverage across Japan.[1]

On April 1, 2001 Takasaki was proclaimed a Special City (Tokurei-shi), which gave it greater autonomy.

On January 23, 2006, the towns of Gunma, Kurabuchi and Misato (all from Gunma District), and the town of Shinmachi (from Tano District) were merged into Takasaki. On October 1, 2006, the town of Haruna (from Gunma District) was merged into Takasaki. Gunma District was dissolved as a result of this merger. On June 1, 2009, the town of Yoshii (from Tano District) was merged into Takasaki.[2]

Takasaki was elevated to a Core city with even greater autonomy on April 1, 2011.

Economy

Takasaki is a regional commercial center and transportation hub, and is a major industrial center within Gunma Prefecture. Companies headquartered in Takasaki include:

Education

There are 9 public and 5 private high schools, 25 middle schools, and 60 elementary schools in Annaka.

Universities and colleges

Primary and secondary education

Transportation

Railway

The city of Takasaki is served by the following JR East lines:

Highway

Local attractions

Sport

Sister-city relations

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ Kristof, Nicholas D. "Kidnap-murder of 5-year-old shakes Japan," The New York Times, 20 September 1987. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Information at kokudo.or.jp Archived August 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "100 Soundscapes of Japan". Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
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