Shizuoka (city)
Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in both population and area. It has been populated since prehistoric times. the city had an estimated population of 677,867 in 106,087 households, and a population density of.
Overview
The city's name is made up of two kanji, 静 shizu, meaning "still" or "calm"; and 岡 oka, meaning "hill". In 1869, Shizuoka Domain was first created out of the older Sunpu Domain, and that name was retained when the city was incorporated in 1885. In 2003, Shizuoka absorbed neighboring Shimizu City to create the new and expanded city of Shizuoka, briefly becoming the largest city by land area in Japan. In 2005, it became one of Japan's "designated cities".Geography
Shizuoka City lies in central Shizuoka Prefecture, about halfway between Tokyo and Nagoya along the Tōkaidō Corridor, between Suruga Bay to the south and the Minami Alps in the north. Shizuoka had the largest area of any municipality in Japan after merging with Shimizu City in April 2003, until February 2005, when Takayama in Gifu Prefecture superseded it by merging with nine surrounding municipalities.The total area of the city is. Shizuoka is the 5th largest city in Japan in terms of geographic area after Takayama, Hamamatsu, Nikkō, and Kitami. It is also the 2nd largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture in terms of both geographic area and population after Hamamatsu, but ranks higher as an Urban Employment Area, and leads as a metropolitan area and business region.
The fan-like shape of the Shizuoka Plain and Miho Peninsula were formed over the ages by the fast-flowing Abe River, carrying along collapsed sand and earth. These areas form the foundations of the city today. The isolated Mount Kunō separates the Suruga coastline from the Shimizu coastline.
Basic data
- Area of densely populated region
- *
- Urban planning area
- *
- Area zoned for urbanization
- *
Nature
Mountains
- Mount Aino
- Mount Shiomi
- Mount Warusawa
- Mount Akaishi
- Mount Hijiri
- Mount Tekari
- Mount Yanbushi
- Mount Daimugen
- Mankan Pass
- Mount Mafuji
- Mount Jūmai
- Mount Ryūsō
- Mount Shizuhata
- Mount Yatsu
- Mount Yahata
- Mount Udo
- Mount Kajiwara
- Mount Satta
- Mount Hamaishi
- Mount Ōmaru
- Mount Ōhira
Rivers
- Ōi River
- Abe River
- Warashina River
- Mariko River
- Tomoe River
- Ōya River Drainage Ditch
- Nagao River
- Fuji River
- Okitsu River
- Ōzawa River
- Ihara River
- Yamakiri River
- Nakagōchi River
- Ōhashi River
- Kogōchi River
Lakes
- Lake Ikawa
- Lake Hatanagi
- Asahata Marsh
- Kujira Pond
- Udosaka Pond
- Futatsu Pond
- Funakoshi Dike
Climate
On the south-central Pacific coast Shizuoka has a humid subtropical climate, which is hot and humid in the summer, and rarely snows in the winter. It is close to the warm Kuroshio Current and is wet even by Japanese standards with only slightly less precipitation than Kanazawa on the opposite side of Honshū, but it is paradoxically the sunniest of Japan's major cities owing to the absence of summer fog and its sheltered location from the northwesterly winds off the Sea of Japan. Further north, the mountainous Ikawa area is part of the Japanese snow country, where there are ski areas.Area
Wards
;Aoi-ku, Shizuoka;Suruga-ku, Shizuoka
;Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
Administrative district "image colours"
On 22 December 2006, colours and logos were established for each of the wards.| Aoi Ward | Aoi Ward Green |
| Suruga Ward | Suruga Ward Red |
| Shimizu Ward | Shimizu Ward Blue |
Demographics
the city had an estimated population of 704,989 in 286,013 households and a population density of.| Demographic | Population | As of |
| Male | 343,339 | August 2019 |
| Female | 361,651 | August 2019 |
| Households | 286,013 | August 2019 |
| Foreign | 9,389 | May 2019 |
| Total | 704,989 | August 2019 |
Historic population
Per Japanese census data, the population of Shizuoka has been declining slowly since 1990.Bordering municipalities
;Shizuoka Prefecture;Yamanashi Prefecture
;Nagano Prefecture
History
Ancient history
The area that is now the city of Shizuoka has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Numerous kofun have been found within the city limits, and the Toro archaeological site indicates that a major Yayoi period settlement existed in what is now part of the central city area.Suruga was established as a province of Japan in the early Nara period. At some point between the year 701 and 710, the provincial capital was relocated from what is now Numazu, to a more central location on the banks of the Abe River at a location named Sunpu or alternatively "Fuchū".
Pre-modern Shizuoka
During the Muromachi period, Sunpu was the capital of the Imagawa clan. The Imagawa were defeated at the Battle of Okehazama, and Sunpu was subsequently ruled by Takeda Shingen, followed by Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Ieyasu, and installed Nakamura Kazutada to rule Sunpu. After the Toyotomi were defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara, Ieyasu recovered Sunpu, reassigning it to his own retainer, Naitō Nobunari in 1601. This marked the start of Sunpu Domain.In April 1606, Ieyasu officially retired from the post of shōgun, and retired to Sunpu, where he established a secondary court, from which he could influence Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada from behind the scenes. Subsequently, aside for brief periods, Sunpu was tenryō, ruled by the Sunpu jōdai, an appointed official based in Sunpu.
From the Meiji period to World War II
In 1869, after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the former shogunal line, headed by Tokugawa Iesato was sent to Sunpu and assigned the short-lived Sunpu Domain. The same year, Sunpu was renamed "Shizuoka". Shizuoka Domain became Shizuoka Prefecture with the abolition of the han system in 1871, which was expanded in 1876 through merger with the former Hamamatsu Prefecture and western portions of Ashigaru Prefecture in 1876. Shizuoka Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line was opened on 1 February 1889. The same day, a fire burned down most of downtown Shizuoka.The modern city was founded on 1 April 1889. At the time, the population was 37,681, and Shizuoka was one of the first 31 cities established in Japan.
An electric tram service began in 1911. In 1914, due to heavy rains caused by a typhoon, the Abe River flooded, inundating the downtown area. In the national census of 1920, the population of Shizuoka was 74,093. The area of the city continued to expand through the 1920s and 1930s through merger with outlying towns and villages. In 1935, the city was struck by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, resulting in much damage. Although soon rebuilt, a large fire in 1940 again destroyed much of the center of the city.
During World War II, Shizuoka lacked targets of major military significance, and was initially only lightly bombed during several American air raids. However, in a major firebombing raid of 19 June 1945, the city suffered an extreme amount of damage with high civilian casualties.
Post-war Shizuoka
The area of the city continued to expand through the 1950s and 1960s through merger with outlying towns and villages. On 1 October 1964, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen began services to Shizuoka, and on 25 April 1969 the city was connected to the Tōmei Expressway. On 7 July 1974, the Abe River flooded, and landslides occurred during heavy rains, killing 23 people.On 16 August 1980, a major gas leak in an underground shopping center near Shizuoka Station resulted in an explosion, killing 15 people and seriously injuring 233 others. The Shizuoka City Hall moved to new premises in 1986. On 1 April 1992, Shizuoka was designated a core city by the central government, giving it increased autonomy.
The 1 April 2003 merger with Shimizu City greatly expanded the area and population of Shizuoka, which then became a designated city on 1 April 2005, and was divided into three wards.
Despite being somewhat geographically isolated from the rest of the city, the town of Kanbara was merged into Shizuoka on 31 March 2006, becoming part of Shimizu-ku. On 1 November 2008, the town of Yui was also merged into Shimizu-ku, resulting in the dissolution of Ihara District.
Government
Shizuoka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 48 members. The city contributes 13 members to the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between Shizuoka 1st district and Shizuoka 4th district in the lower house of the Japanese Diet.Mayors
Former Shizuoka city from 1889 to 2003
| Term | Name | Start | Finish |
| 1 | Tetsutaro Hoshino | 13 May 1889 | 17 April 1902 |
| 2 | Hiroyasu Nagashima | 14 May 1902 | 13 May 1914 |
| 3 | Keisuke Komori | 28 May 1914 | 27 May 1918 |
| 4 | Kinpei Banno | 18 June 1918 | 2 July 1926 |
| 5 | Genzaburo Kojima | 8 September 1926 | 7 September 1929 |
| 6 | Michinosuke Miyazaki | 3 March 1931 | 25 January 1933 |
| Term | Name | Start | Finish |
| 7 | Sadahito Suga | 14 March 1933 | 12 August 1935 |
| 8 | Motojiro Ozaki | 12 October 1935 | 30 June 1938 |
| 9 | Seiji Inamori | 29 August 1938 | 5 August 1942 |
| 10 | Motojiro Ozaki | 7 October 1942 | 21 August 1944 |
| 11 | Michinosuke Miyazaki | 11 September 1944 | 11 November 1946 |
| 12 | Shigeru Masuda | 5 April 1947 | 9 April 1955 |
| Term | Name | Start | Finish |
| 13 | Jyunsaku Yamada | 2 May 1955 | 1 May 1959 |
| 14 | Hikoo Matsunaga | 2 May 1959 | 1 May 1963 |
| 15 | Jyunpei Ogino | 2 May 1963 | 1 May 1983 |
| 16 | Daigo Kawai | 2 May 1983 | 1 May 1987 |
| 17 | Shingo Amano | 2 May 1987 | 31 July 1994 |
| 18 | Zenkichi Kojima | 28 August 1994 | 31 March 2003 |
Former Shimizu city from 1924 to 2003
| Term | Name | Start | Finish |
| 1 | Yozo Oshima | 7 July 1924 | 9 September 1925 |
| 2 | Katsushiro Yamada | 13 January 1926 | 8 March 1929 |
| 3 | Tokisaburo Shiobara | 12 October 1929 | 22 February 1932 |
| 4 | Enao Oishi | 18 March 1932 | 14 June 1937 |
| 5 | Katsushiro Yamada | 11 July 1937 | 15 November 1946 |
| 6 | Masaharu Yamamoto | 6 April 1947 | 7 April 1955 |
| 7 | Heiichiro Suzuki | 30 April 1955 | 30 April 1959 |
| 8 | Toru Ina | 1 May 1959 | 22 July 1960 |
| 9 | Kamezo Ina | 15 September 1960 | 12 September 1964 |
| 10 | Zensaku Ikegami | 13 September 1964 | 6 July 1965 |
| 11 | Torajiro Sato | 20 August 1965 | 19 August 1977 |
| 12 | Yoshio Ina | 20 August 1977 | 19 August 1985 |
| 13 | Hiromasa Miyagishima | 20 August 1985 | 31 March 2003 |
Administration
Ward offices
- Shizuoka City Office/Aoi Ward Office:
- *Aoi Ward Ikawa Branch Office:
- Suruga Ward Office:
- *Suruga Ward Osada Branch Office:
- Shimizu City Office/Shimizu Ward Office:
- *Shimizu Ward Kanbara Branch Office:
Sister cities
Shizuoka has twin and friendship relationships with several cities.International
;Sister cities| City | Country | State | since | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stockton |  National;Sister cities
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