Fukui (city)
Fukui is the capital city of Fukui Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 255,332 in 107,553 households. Its total area is and its population density is about 476 persons per km2. Most of the population lives in a small central area; the city limits include rural plains, mountainous areas, and suburban sprawl along the Route 8 bypass. Having suffered devastation during World War II and an earthquake in 1948, Fukui was nicknamed 'Phoenix City', symbolising its rebirth from ashes and destruction.
Overview
Cityscape
Geography
Fukui is located on the coastal plain in the north-central part of the prefecture. It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Ryōhaku Mountains to the east. The Kuzuryū River flows through the city.Climate
Fukui has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high throughout the year, and is especially heavy in December and January.Neighbouring municipalities
;Fukui Prefecture- Echizen
- Eiheiji
- Ikeda
- Katsuyama
- Ōno
- Sabae
- Sakai
Demographics
History
Origins
Fukui originally consisted of the old provinces of Wakasa and Echizen, before the prefecture was formed in 1871.During the Edo period, the daimyō of the region was surnamed Matsudaira, and was a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Sengoku period
In 1471, Asakura had displaced the Shiba clan as the shugo military commander of Echizen Province. The same year, Asakura Toshikage fortified the Ichijōdani by constructing hilltop fortifications on the surrounding mountains and constructing walls and gates to seal off the northern and southern end of the valley. Within this area, he contracted a fortified mansion, surrounded by the homes of his relatives and retainers, and eventually by the residences of merchants and artisans, and Buddhist temples. He offered refuge to people of culture or skills from Kyoto attempting to escape the conflict of the Ōnin War, and the Ichijōdani became a major cultural, military, and population center, and by the time of Asakura Takakage it had a peak population of over 10,000 inhabitants. Yoshikage succeeded his father as head of the Asakura clan and castle lord of Ichijōdani Castle in 1548.The Asakura maintained good relations with the Ashikaga shogunate, and thus eventually came into conflict with Oda Nobunaga. Following Nobunaga's capture of Kyoto, Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki appointed Asakura Yoshikage as regent and requested aid in driving Nobunaga out of the capital. As a result, Nobunaga launched an invasion of Echizen Province. Due to Yoshikage's lack of military skill, Nobunaga's forces were successful at the Siege of Kanegasaki and subsequent Battle of Anegawa in 1570, leaving the entire Asakura Domain open to invasion.
Ichijōdani was razed to the ground by Nobunaga during the 1573 Siege of Ichijōdani Castle.
Kitanosho Castle is known, though that it was built by Shibata Katsuie in 1575. Also, it appears that the tenshu was nine stories high, making it the largest of the time.
Edo period
and centre of Fukui Domain during the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate.Fukui Domain played a key role in the Meiji restoration.
The modern city of Fukui was founded with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.
Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods
During the pre-war period, Fukui grew to become an important industrial and railroad centre. Factories in the area produced aircraft parts, electrical equipment, machine motors, various metal products, and textiles.Fukui was largely destroyed on June 19, 1945 during the Bombing of Fukui during World War II. Of the city's at the time, 84.8% of Fukui was destroyed, per the United States Army Air Forces's Strategic Bombing Survey.
Modern Fukui
Fukui was again devastated by a major earthquake in 1948.On February 1, 2006, the town of Miyama, the town of Shimizu, and the village of Koshino were merged into Fukui.
Fukui's city status was designated a core city on April 1, 2019.
Government
Fukui has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 32 members. The city also contributes 12 members to the Fukui Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Fukui forms part of Fukui 1st district, a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan.International relations
Sister cities
International
Fukui is twinned with:;Sister cities
| City | Country | State | since | ||
 New JerseyNational;Sister cities
|
Flag of Kumamoto, Kumamoto.svg