Maizuru


Maizuru is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34,817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km2. The total area of the city is.

Geography

Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Prefecture, facing scenic Maizuru Bay on the Sea of Japan to the north and Fukui Prefecture to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

Fukui Prefecture
  • Takahama
Kyoto Prefecture
  • Ayabe
  • Fukuchiyama
  • Miyazu

    Climate

Like Toyooka in Hyōgo Prefecture, Maizuru has a climate resembling the Hokuriku region rather than the rest of Kansai, though it is less wet than other Hokuriku towns during the late autumn and winter because its location on a deep inlet means the northerly winds driven by the Siberian High and Aleutian Low do not produce as much rain and/or snow. In the summer, however, Maizuru can be extremely oppressive as the intense radiation creates extreme humidity around the bay: on August 13, 1994 the town recorded a minimum temperature of.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Maizuru has declined gradually over the past 30 years.

History

The area of Maizuru has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and numerous traces of Jomon and Yayoi period settlements have been discovered by archaeologists. The Yura River valley in particular was densely populated, and many kofun burial mounds have been found. The area became part of Tango Province in the Nara period. During the Muromachi period, the Isshiki clan ruled as shugo of the province, but were replaced in the Sengoku period with the Hosokawa clan, who constructed Tanabe Castle, whose nickname "Maizuru Castle" was later adopted as the name of the city. Following the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the entire province of Tango to Kyōgoku Takatomo, who established Miyazu Domain. To ensure the succession of his line, Kyōgoku Takatomo gave 35,000 koku of his holdings to his third son, Kyōgoku Takamitsu, and established a cadet branch of the clan at Tango-Tanabe Domain, based at Maizuru Castle. The Kyōgoku were replaced by a cadet branch of the Makino clan, who ruled until the Meiji restoration in 1871. The town of Maizuru was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The same year, the Maizuru Naval District was created and the associated Maizuru Naval Arsenal for ship basing, construction, and repair was created in 1901. In the Russo-Japanese War, many warships were based there, due to its proximity to the Sea of Japan. Maizuru was raised to city status on August 1, 1938.
After the Second World War, Maizuru was a key port for returning Japanese servicemen and detainees from continental Asia for over 13 years. Today, JMSDF Maizuru Naval Base is a key district headquarters for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Government

Maizuru has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 26 members. Maizuru contributes two members to the Kyoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kyoto 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Maizuru has a mixed economy, with commerce, agriculture, forestry, tourism and commercial fishing all playing major roles. Industry, centered on wood processing and shipbuilding, have declined severely due to overseas competition, but Japan Marine United, a large shipbuilding corporation, has one of its main shipyards in Maizuru.

Education

Colleges and universities

Maizuru has 20 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the town government and two public high schools operated by the Kyoto Prefectural Department of Education. There is also one private high school.
The community previously had a North Korean school, Maizuru Korean Elementary and Junior High School.

Transportation

Railways

– Maizuru Line
  • - -
JR West – Obama Line
  • -
Kyoto Tango Railway – Miyazu Line
Maizuru is dotted with sightseeing spots. There is Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum, a commemorative hall which documents the return of half a million servicemen and detainees from Soviet internment, and an observatory which overlooks the Rias seashore of the Maizuru Bay.

Notable people from Maizuru