Toyohashi
Toyohashi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was. By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31, 2005, when it was surpassed by the city of Toyota, which had merged with six peripheral municipalities.
Geography
Toyohashi is located in southeastern Aichi Prefecture, and is the capital of the informal "Higashi-Mikawa Region" of the prefecture. It is bordered by Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, and by Mikawa Bay and the headlands of the Atsumi Peninsula to the west. To the south is the Enshū Sea of the Pacific Ocean. The presence of the warm Kuroshio Current offshore gives the city a temperate climate. The Katahama Jusan-ri Beach stretching in adjacent city of Tahara to the west, Toyohashi, and the city of Hamamatsu to the east is a sea turtle nesting spot.Climate
The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters. The average annual temperature in Toyohashi is. The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around.Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Toyohashi has grown steadily over the past 60 years.Neighboring municipalities
;Aichi Prefecture- Shinshiro
- Tahara
- Toyokawa
- Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu
- Kosai
City scape
History
Origins
The area around present-day Toyohashi has been inhabited for many thousands of years.Archaeologists have found human remains from the Japanese Paleolithic period, which have been carbon dated to more than 10,000 BC along with the bones of Naumann elephants.
Numerous remains from the Jōmon period, and especially from the Yayoi and Kofun periods have also been found, including many kofun burial mounds.
During the Nara period, the area was assigned to Atsumi, Hoi and Yana Districts of Mikawa Province and prospered during subsequent periods as a post town on an important river crossing of the Tōkaidō connecting the capital with the eastern provinces.
Sengoku period
During the Sengoku period, the area was a highly contested zone between the Imagawa clan based in Suruga Province and various local warlords, who built a number of fortifications in the area, including Yoshida Castle.The rising power of the Matsudaira clan and its alliance with Oda Nobunaga eventually neutralized the threat posed by the Imagawa, and the area became part of the holdings of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Following the Battle of Odawara in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the Tokugawa clan to relocate to the Kantō region and assigned the castle to Ikeda Terumasa. Ikeda developed the surrounding castle town and embarked on a massive and ambitious plan to rebuild Yoshida Castle. However, following the Battle of Sekigahara, he was relocated to Himeji Castle.
Edo period
After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, Yoshida Castle became the center of Yoshida Domain, a clan fief. The domain was assigned to several different fudai daimyō clans until coming into the possession of the Matsudaira clan in 1752, which remained in residence at Yoshida until the Meiji Restoration.The final daimyō of Yoshida, Matsudaira Nobuhisa, surrendered the domain to the Meiji government in 1868. In 1869, the name of the domain was formally changed from Yoshida to Toyohashi.
Meiji period
With the establishment of the modern municipalities system under the Meiji government in 1879, Toyohashi Town was created within Atsumi District, Aichi Prefecture. Toyohashi Zoo was established in 1899.The town achieved city status in 1906.
Taishō period
A tram system was established in 1925.Shōwa period
In 1932, Toyohashi expanded its borders by annexing Shimoji Town, Takashi Village, Muroyoshida Village, and Shimokawa Village.Toyohashi suffered considerable damage during the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, and even more damage during the Toyohashi Air Raid, which destroyed more than 60% of the city in June 1945.
Modern Toyohashi
In 1955, Toyohashi's geographic extent was expanded again with the annexation of neighboring Maeshiba Village, Futagawa Village, Takatoyo Village, Oitsu Village and Ishimaki Village. Toyohashi achieved core city status in 1999 with increased autonomy from the prefectural government.Government
Mayor-council
Toyohashi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 36 members.Prefectural Assembly
The city contributes five members to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly.House of Representatives
In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District15 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.List of mayors of Toyohashi (from 1907)
| Mayor | Term |
| Kiroku Okuchi | 7 January 1907 to 10 January 1912 27 April 1914 to 20 February 1916 17 September 1938 to 10 December 1940 |
| Shojuro Takahashi | 12 February 1912 to 8 March 1913 |
| Bengo Sakakibara | 29 August 1913 to 28 March 1914 |
| Tadao Hosotani | 18 January 1917 to 20 August 1923 |
| Ichitaro Yoshikawa | 10 June 1924 to 8 December 1925 |
| Katsuzo Tamegai | 5 August 1926 to 4 August 1930 |
| Mayor | Term |
| Tohei Marumo | 30 August 1930 to 29 August 1934 |
| Shotaro Kanbe | 3 September 1934 to 7 July 1938 |
| Junichiro Kondo | 18 April 1941 to 17 April 1945 |
| Tamotsu Mizuno | 6 May 1945 to 29 January 1946 |
| Shinobu Yokota | 29 March 1946 to 4 April 1947 |
| Fujitomo Otake | 5 April 1947 to 28 June 1952 |
| Mayor | Term |
| Sacho Ono | 28 July 1952 to 30 June 1960 |
| Mutsuro Kawai | 1 July 1960 to 26 March 1975 |
| Shigeru Aoki | 30 April 1975 to 26 April 1983 |
| Akira Takahashi | 27 April 1983 to 2 October 1996 |
| Masaru Hayakawa | 17 November 1996 to 16 November 2008 |
| Koichi Sahara | 17 November 2008 to 16 November 2020 |
| Yoshitaka Asai | 17 November 2020 to present |
Public
Police
- Aichi Prefectural Police
- *Toyohashi police station
Firefighting
- Toyohashi Fire department
- *Toyohashi-Minami fire department
- *Toyohashi-Naka fire department
Health care
- Hospital
- *Toyohashi City Hospital
Post office
- Toyohashi Post office
- Toyohashi-Minami Post office
Library
- Toyohashi City Library
- *Toyohashi City Central Library
- *Toyohashi City Mukaiyama Liburary
- *Toyohashi City Oshimizu Liburary
International relations
- Nantong, Jiangsu, China, since May 1987
- Toledo, Ohio, United States, since April 2000
- Panevėžys, Lithuania, since June 2019
- Jinju, South Gyeongsang, South Korea, since 1992
- Paranavaí, Paraná, Brazil, since 2008
- Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, since 2011
Economy
Agriculture
- Cabbage
- Napa cabbage
- Tomato
- Diospyros kaki
- Pyrus pyrifolia
- Grape
- Chikuwa
- JA Toyohashi
Manufacturing
;Motors
- Toyota
- Mitsubishi
- Suzuki Motors
- Honda
- VOLKSWAGEN Group Japan
Trade and services
Mikawa Port is a major port for worldwide trade, and its presence has made Toyohashi the largest import and export hub in Japan for automobiles, in volume terms. Compared to other ports around the world, Mikawa is roughly on a par with the German port of Bremerhaven.
;Shopping center
- APiTA Mukaiyama
- Æon Toyohashi-Minami Shopping center
- Æon Town Toyohasihashira
- Cocola Avenue
Media
Studio
- FM Toyohashi
Newspaper
- Higashi Aichi Newspaper
- Tonichi Shimbun Newspaper
Education
Universities
;National university- Toyohashi University of Technology
- Aichi University
- Toyohashi Sozo College
- Aichi Junior College
Primary and secondary schools
- Toyohashi has 52 public elementary schools and 22 public middle schools operated by the city government, and eight public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. The city also has one private middle school and three private high schools. The prefecture also operated three special education schools for the handicapped.
International schools
- Escola Alegria de Saber - Brazilian school
- Escola Cantinho Brasileiro - Brazilian primary school
- EJA Interativo – Educação de Jovens e Adultos - Brazilian institution
- Toyohashi Korean Elementary School and Kindergarten - North Korean school
Transportation