Shiogama
Shiogama is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 52,662, and a population density of 3,032 persons per km² in 23,270 households. The total area of the city is.
Geography
Shiogama is in north-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east.Neighboring municipalities
- Miyagi Prefecture
- *Rifu
- *Shichigahama
- *Tagajō
Climate
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Shiogama peaked around 1990 and has declined since.Etymology
"Shiogama" means "salt furnace" and refers to a local Shinto ritual involving the making of salt from sea water, still performed every July. The name is sometimes written using the kanji 塩釜 rather than 塩竈 and both spellings are officially permitted. Both 釜 and 竈 are pronounced gama in compounds, but as lone words they are pronounced kama and kamado, respectively. A kamado is what a kama is placed upon, and so the two are not completely interchangeable. 塩竈 is the form officially used by the city, but for ease of writing, the 10-stroke 釜 is often used in place of the 21-stroke 竈, such as in Shiogama Station.Shiogama Jinja uses the rendering 鹽竈, with an archaic character for salt. This third form is rarely seen outside of this context.
History
The area of present-day Shiogama was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people. During the Nara period, the area came under the control of colonists from the imperial dynasty based at nearby Tagajō and was the most important seaport in Mutsu. The ruins of the provincial capital of Mutsu Province have been found within the city borders. During later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate.The town of Shiogama was established with the post-Meiji restoration creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Parts of Tagajō and Shichigahama were incorporated into Shiogama of September 1, 1938. Shiogama was raised to city status on November 23, 1941. The city annexed the Gyūchi area of neighboring Tagajō on December 1, 1949 and the village of Urato on April 1, 1950.
The city was affected by the tsunami caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, although damage to its fishing industry turned out to be light.
Government
Shiogama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.Economy
The economy of Shiogama is largely based on commercial fishing, especially of tuna, and fish processing. The city also boasts one of the highest density of sushi restaurants in Japan.Education
Shiogama has six public elementary schools and four middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education.Transportation
Railway
- East Japan Railway Company – Senseki Line
- *,,
- East Japan Railway Company – Tōhoku Main Line
- *
Highway
National highways
Miyagi Prefectural Highways
- Miyagi Prefectural Route 3
- Miyagi Prefectural Route 10
- Miyagi Prefectural Route 11
- Miyagi Prefectural Route 23
- Miyagi Prefectural Route 35
- Miyagi Prefectural Route 58
Local attractions
Festivals
- Shiogama 'Hote' festival
- Shiogama Flower festival and Shiogama Citizens Festival
- Shiogama Harbor festival
Specialties and crafts
- raw tuna catches in Japan
- Sushi restaurant density in Japan
- Sasa Kamaboko processed fishery production in Japan
- Sweets
- Japanese ''sake''
Visitor attractions
- Shiogama Jinja
- Shiwahiko Jinja
- Okama Jinja
- Magaki Jinja
- Shiogama Port
- Shiogama Fish Market
- Urato Islands
- Nagai Shiyouiti Manga Museum
- Shiogama Kyokusui
- Noda no Tamagawa
- Mother and child stone
- Marine Gate Shiogama
Notable people from Shiogama
- Masao Maruyama
- Masashi Nakano
- Nobunaga Shimazaki
- Koichi Yamadera