Itoigawa

Itoigawa 糸魚川市
City
Itoigawa City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Itoigawa in Niigata
Itoigawa
Coordinates: 37°2′20.5″N 137°51′45.6″E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) (Hokuriku)
Prefecture	Niigata
Area
• Total	746.24 km2 (288.12 sq mi)
Population  (July 1, 2019)
• Total	41,513
• Density	56/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Siebold's beech
• Flower	Lilium japonicum
• Bird	Common kingfisher
• Stone	Jade
Phone number	025-552-1511
Address	1-2-5 Ichinomiya, Itoigawa-shi, Niigata-ken 941-8501
Website	Official website

Hokuriku Expressway and Route 8 Oyashirazu coast

Itoigawa (糸魚川市, Itoigawa-shi) is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2019, the city had an estimated population of 41,513, and a population density of 55.6 persons per km². The total area of the city is 746.24 square kilometres (288.12 sq mi).

Geography

Itoigawa is located in the far southwestern corner of Niigata Prefecture, bordered by the Sea of Japan to the north, Nagano Prefecture to the south, and Toyama Prefecture to the west. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park or the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park. Itoigawa is also famous for its jade which can be found on local beaches. Itoigawa also lends its name to the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line, a major fault that runs from Itoigawa, through Lake Suwa to the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, forming the western border of the Fossa Magna.

Surrounding municipalities

• Niigata Prefecture
  • Jōetsu
  • Myōkō
• Nagano Prefecture
  • Otari
  • Hakuba
• Toyama Prefecture
  • Asahi

Climate

Itoigawa has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Itoigawa is 13.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2173 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Itoigawa has declined steadily over the past 40 years.

Census Year	Population
1970	67,785
1980	61,488
1990	56,803
2000	53,021
2010	47,702

History

The area of present-day Itoigawa was part of ancient Echigo Province. Historically, Itoigawa lies at the end of the shio no michi (salt road) that supplied salt to from the Sea of Japan to Edo via Shinano Province. During the Edo period, Itoigawa was the castle town for Itoigawa Domain. After the Meiji restoration, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, Itoigawa became a town within Nishikubiki District, Niigata.

The modern city was created on June 1, 1954. On April 1, 2005, the towns of Nō and Ōmi (both from Nishikubiki District) were merged into Itoigawa.

Oldest known jadeite-using culture

A great many jadeite beads and axe eads as well as the remains of jadeite workshops from the Neolithic era have been uncovered in Itoigawa. These beads and axes were traded throughout Japan and the Korean Peninsula and were produced by the world's oldest known jadeite-using culture, centered on the Itoigawa region.

Government

Itoigawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.

Economy

Commercial fishing and the production of limestone and cement are the mainstays of the local economy.

Education

Itoigawa has seventeen public elementary schools and four public middle schools. There are three public high schools, and also two special education schools.

Transportation

Railway

– Hokuriku Shinkansen

• Itoigawa

JR West - Ōito Line

• Hiraiwa - Kotaki - Nechi - Kubiki-Ōno - Himekawa - Itoigawa

Echigo Tokimeki Railway - Nihonkai Hisui Line

• Ichiburi - Oyashirazu - Ōmi - Itoigawa - Kajiyashiki - Uramoto - Nō - Tsutsuishi

Ainokaze Toyama Railway

• Ichiburi

Highway

• Hokuriku Expressway – Oyashirazu IC, Itoigawa IC, Nō IC
• National Route 49
• National Route 290
• National Route 8
• National Route 148

Local attractions

• The entire territory of Itoigawa is "Itoigawa Global Geopark" which is a member of the Japanese Geoparks Network and Global Geoparks Network on account of its outstanding geological heritage, educational programs and projects, and promotion of geotourism.
• The city is known for its distinctive black-colored yakisoba.
• Itoigawa is also known for its unique bugaku, a variety of traditional Japanese performance art. Itoigawa Bugaku can be seen at festivals taking place at Hakusan Shrine and Amatsu Shrine, and has been nationally designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Asset.

National Historic Sites

• Chōjagahara Site, Jōmon period archaeological site
• Terachi Site, Jōmon period archaeological site
• Matsumoto Kaidō

Notable people from Itoigawa

• The poet Ryōkan (1758-1831) writes that Itoigawa is his former village.

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)