Capital city of Gunma Prefecture, Japan
Core city in Kant?, Japan
Maebashi
(
前橋市
,
Maebashi-shi
)
is the
capital
city
of
Gunma Prefecture
, in the northern
Kant? region
of Japan.
[2]
As of 31 August 2020
[update]
, the city had an estimated
population
of 335,352 in 151,171 households,
[3]
and a
population density
of 1100 persons per km
2
. The total area of the city is 311.59 km
2
(120.31 sq mi). It was the most populous city within
Gunma Prefecture
until
Takasaki
merged with nearby towns between 2006 and 2009.
[4]
Maebashi is known to be the "City of Water, Greenery and Poets" because of its pure waters, its rich nature and because it gave birth to several Japanese contemporary poets, such as
Sakutar? Hagiwara
.
[5]
Etymology
[
edit
]
The Maebashi area was called
Umayabashi
(
?橋
) during the
Nara period
. This name finds its origins in the fact that there was a bridge (
hashi
,
橋
) crossing the
Tone River
and not far from the bridge there was a small refreshment house with a stable (
umaya
,
?家
), often used by people travelling on the
T?zan-d?
(the road connecting the capital to the eastern regions of Japan). The spelling was officially changed into
Maebashi
(
前橋
) in 1649 during the
Edo period
when Maebashi became a
castle town
and the center of
Maebashi Domain
, a
feudal domain
under the
Tokugawa shogunate
.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
The town of Maebashi was established within
Higashigunma District
, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the
Meiji Restoration
. Maebashi was raised to city status on April 1, 1892. In 1901, it annexed a portion of Kamikawabuchi village from
Seta District
.
[
citation needed
]
On August 5, 1945, approximately 64.2% of the urban core of the city was destroyed during
World War II
during
air raids
which followed the dropping of propaganda leaflets warning of the impending attacks.
[7]
[8]
In 1951, a portion of Kaigaya Village from Seta District was merged into Maebashi. The city expanded further on April 1, 1954, by annexing the villages of Kamikawabuchi, Shimokawabuchi, Azuma, Minamitachibana, Kaigaya, Haga, Motos?ja, and S?ja from Seta District, followed by a portion of J?nan village in 1957. On April 1, 1960, a portion of Tamamura Town and another portion of J?nan village were merged into Maebashi, which finally annexed the remainder of J?nan village in 1967.
[
citation needed
]
Maebashi hosted the
1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships
.
[
citation needed
]
On April 1, 2001, Maebashi was designated a
special city (
tokureishi
)
with increased local autonomy.
On December 5, 2004, the town of
?go
, as well as the villages of
Kasukawa
and
Miyagi
(all from Seta District), were merged into Maebashi. On May 5, 2009, the village of
Fujimi
(Seta District) was merged into Maebashi. Seta District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
[9]
Maebashi became a
core city (
Ch?kakushi
)
on April 1, 2009.
[
citation needed
]
Geography
[
edit
]
Maebashi is located at the foot of
Mount Akagi
in the northeast corner of the
Kant? Plain
. It is also surrounded by
Mount Haruna
and
Mount My?gi
. Two rivers run through the city: the
Tone River
, Japan's second-longest, and the Hirose River. Although it is located inland more than 100 kilometers away from the coast, the elevation of the southern part of the city is only around 100 meters. The highest elevation is 1823 meters above sea level on the south side of Mt. Kurohino, a peak of
Mount Akagi
. Maebashi is the farthest from the sea (about 120 km) of all Japanese prefectural capitals. The surrounding cities comprise an urban zone of over 1 million people, separated by farmland to the south from the built up areas of Greater Tokyo.
Surrounding municipalities
[
edit
]
Gunma Prefecture
Climate
[
edit
]
Maebashi has a
humid subtropical climate
(
Koppen climate classification
Cfa
). In the winter, the
karakkaze
, or "dry wind" blows through Maebashi from the north. This is due to the snow clouds coming from the Sea of Japan being blocked by the Echigo Mountain Range between Gunma and
Niigata Prefectures
. Because of this, the city has a dry winter and is one of the sunniest places in Japan at over 2,210 hours of sunshine per year.
[10]
In the summer, it is hot since the location is inland, although less hot than coastal
Tokyo
on average. On July 24, 2001, Maebashi hit 40 °C (104 °F), the fifth-hottest temperature ever in Japan.
Climate data for Maebashi (1991?2020 normals, extremes 1896?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
22.0
(71.6)
|
24.6
(76.3)
|
27.1
(80.8)
|
32.4
(90.3)
|
36.5
(97.7)
|
39.4
(102.9)
|
40.0
(104.0)
|
39.8
(103.6)
|
38.1
(100.6)
|
33.0
(91.4)
|
27.3
(81.1)
|
25.2
(77.4)
|
40.0
(104.0)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
9.1
(48.4)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
13.5
(56.3)
|
19.3
(66.7)
|
24.2
(75.6)
|
26.8
(80.2)
|
30.5
(86.9)
|
31.7
(89.1)
|
27.3
(81.1)
|
21.7
(71.1)
|
16.4
(61.5)
|
11.5
(52.7)
|
20.2
(68.4)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
3.7
(38.7)
|
4.5
(40.1)
|
7.9
(46.2)
|
13.4
(56.1)
|
18.6
(65.5)
|
22.1
(71.8)
|
25.8
(78.4)
|
26.8
(80.2)
|
22.9
(73.2)
|
17.1
(62.8)
|
11.2
(52.2)
|
6.1
(43.0)
|
15.0
(59.0)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
?0.5
(31.1)
|
0.0
(32.0)
|
3.1
(37.6)
|
8.2
(46.8)
|
13.6
(56.5)
|
18.0
(64.4)
|
22.0
(71.6)
|
23.0
(73.4)
|
19.3
(66.7)
|
13.2
(55.8)
|
6.9
(44.4)
|
1.9
(35.4)
|
10.7
(51.3)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?11.8
(10.8)
|
?9.0
(15.8)
|
?7.8
(18.0)
|
?3.1
(26.4)
|
0.3
(32.5)
|
6.0
(42.8)
|
11.9
(53.4)
|
13.6
(56.5)
|
8.4
(47.1)
|
0.6
(33.1)
|
?3.5
(25.7)
|
?7.4
(18.7)
|
?11.8
(10.8)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
29.7
(1.17)
|
26.5
(1.04)
|
58.3
(2.30)
|
74.8
(2.94)
|
99.4
(3.91)
|
147.8
(5.82)
|
202.1
(7.96)
|
195.6
(7.70)
|
204.3
(8.04)
|
142.2
(5.60)
|
43.0
(1.69)
|
23.8
(0.94)
|
1,247.4
(49.11)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
8
(3.1)
|
9
(3.5)
|
2
(0.8)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
1
(0.4)
|
19
(7.5)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.5 mm)
|
3.5
|
4.4
|
8.3
|
9.0
|
10.6
|
14.5
|
16.6
|
14.0
|
13.4
|
9.9
|
6.1
|
3.8
|
114.2
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
54
|
52
|
52
|
55
|
60
|
70
|
73
|
72
|
72
|
68
|
62
|
57
|
62
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
213.1
|
201.2
|
211.0
|
205.2
|
197.4
|
138.5
|
146.3
|
167.7
|
134.9
|
155.6
|
181.0
|
202.0
|
2,153.7
|
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
[11]
[12]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1920
| 51,015
| ?
|
---|
1930
| 53,052
| +4.0%
|
---|
1940
| 52,898
| ?0.3%
|
---|
1950
| 68,710
| +29.9%
|
---|
1960
| 240,301
| +249.7%
|
---|
1970
| 273,864
| +14.0%
|
---|
1980
| 311,121
| +13.6%
|
---|
1990
| 335,704
| +7.9%
|
---|
2000
| 341,738
| +1.8%
|
---|
2010
| 340,390
| ?0.4%
|
---|
2020
| 332,149
| ?2.4%
|
---|
Per Japanese census data,
[13]
the population of Maebashi has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.
Government
[
edit
]
Maebashi has a
mayor-council
form of government with a directly elected mayor and a
unicameral
city council of 38 members. Maebashi contributes eight members to the Gunma Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of
Gunma 1st district
of the
lower house
of the
Diet of Japan
.
Successive mayors
[
edit
]
Period
|
Mayor
|
Term start
|
Term end
|
1
|
Zentar? Shimomura
|
May 19, 1892
|
June 2, 1893
|
2
|
Tomojir? Yashiro
|
July 22, 1893
|
September 23, 1898
|
3
|
Gen Sasaji
|
November 11, 1898
|
May 9, 1902
|
4
|
Sh?Saku Inaba
|
June 13, 1902
|
January 14, 1909
|
5
|
Keizaburo Ehara
|
February 28, 1909
|
September 20, 1911
|
6
|
Teppei Kon
|
October 23, 1911
|
June 14, 1913
|
7
|
Jir? Kimura
|
August 30, 1913
|
August 30, 1925
|
8
|
Katsuz? Takeuchi
|
September 16, 1925
|
October 26, 1930
|
9
|
Ineichi Tanaka
|
November 7, 1930
|
December 9, 1933
|
10-11
|
Keizabur? Ehara
|
December 24, 1933
|
December 23, 1941
|
12
|
Yasuo Hori
|
February 23, 1942
|
November 13, 1946
|
13-14
|
SAhik? Sekiguchi
|
April 5, 1947
|
May 31, 1958
|
15-19
|
Shigemaru Ishii
|
July 12, 1958
|
July 11, 1978
|
20-22
|
Seiichi Fujii
|
July 12, 1978
|
January 11, 1988
|
23-24
|
Kiyota Fujishima
|
February 28, 1988
|
February 27, 1996
|
25-26
|
Yasoji Hagiwara
|
February 28, 1996
|
February 27, 2004
|
27-28
|
Masao Takagi
|
February 28, 2004
|
February 27, 2012
|
29-31
|
Ryu Yamamoto
|
February 28, 2012
|
February 27, 2024
|
32
|
Akira Ogawa
|
February 28, 2024
|
ongoing
|
Source:Maebashi City
[
citation needed
]
Economy
[
edit
]
| This section
needs expansion
. You can help by
adding to it
.
(
April 2015
)
|
As of 2010, Greater Maebashi, Maebashi
Metropolitan Employment Area
, has a GDP of US$59.8 billion.
[14]
[15]
The
air conditioning system
and
compressor
manufacturing company
Sanden Corporation
as well as the
tofu
and tofu products company Sagamiya Foods have manufacturing sites in the city.
[16]
The
Gunma Bank
is headquartered in Maebashi.
Education
[
edit
]
Universities
[
edit
]
Primary and secondary schools
[
edit
]
Maebashi has 54 public elementary schools and 21 public middle schools operated by the city government, and two private elementary and two private middle schools. The city has nine public high schools operated by the Gunma Prefectural Board of Education and one by the city government. There are five private high schools and one private combined middle/high school.
International schools:
Transportation
[
edit
]
Railway
[
edit
]
JR East
?
J?etsu Line
JR East
?
Ry?m? Line
Highway
[
edit
]
Sports
[
edit
]
Thespakusatsu Gunma
at
Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma
was originally formed in
Kusatsu
, but plays in Maebashi due to
J.League
stadium requirements.
Local attractions
[
edit
]
Festivals
[
edit
]
Noted people from Maebashi
[
edit
]
- T?ru Furusawa
, voice actor
- Great-O-Khan
,
Japanese professional wrestler
(Real Name: Tomoyuki Oka,
Nihongo
: 岡 倫之,
Oka Tomoyuki
)
- Sakutar? Hagiwara
, poet
- Gran Hamada
, Japanese professional wrestler (Real Name: Hiroaki Hamada,
Nihongo
: 浜田 ?秋,
Hamada Hiroaki
)
- Hajime Hosogai
, professional football player
- Shigesato Itoi
, game designer, copywriter, essayist, lyricist, and actor
- Nobuyuki Kojima
, professional soccer player
- Nigo
(Real Name: Tomoaki Nagao,
Nihongo
: 長尾 智明,
Nagao Tomoaki
), fashion designer, DJ, record producer, and entrepreneur
- Kamiizumi Nobutsuna
, founder of
Shinkage-ry?
martial arts school and master of
Yagy? Munetoshi
, who later introduced
Shinkage-ry?
to
Tokugawa Ieyasu
.
[18]
- K?hei Oguri
, film director and screenwriter
- Tetsuya Ota
, race car driver
- Sho Sakurai
, singer, actor and newscaster
- Genichiro Sata
, politician
- Takashi Shimizu
, film director and creator of the
Ju-On
franchise
.
- Atsuko Tanaka
, voice actress
- Yutaka Yoshie
, professional wrestler
Twin towns ? sister cities
[
edit
]
Maebashi is
twinned
with:
[19]
In addition, Maebashi has friendly relations with
Menasha
, United States and
Orvieto
, Italy.
[19]
In popular culture
[
edit
]
Pewter City from Japanese game series
Pokemon
was geographically placed in the city of Maebashi.
[20]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"UEA Code Tables"
. Center for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo
. Retrieved
January 26,
2019
.
- ^
Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO),
"Maebashi area"
; retrieved 2015-5-10.
- ^
"Maebashi City official statistics"
(in Japanese). Japan.
- ^
Takasaki City Office. September 30, 2014.
"Demography Study"
- ^
Maebashi City Office. March 27, 1989.
"Declaration from the Municipal Council"
Archived
2014-10-12 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Maebashi no Rekishi
(History of Maebashi)
Archived
2018-08-17 at the
Wayback Machine
(July 24, 2012)
- ^
Craven, Wesley; Cate, James, eds. (1953).
The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki
. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Volume V. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 656, 675.
OCLC
256469807
.
- ^
Caidin, Martin
(1960).
A Torch to the Enemy: The Fire Raid on Tokyo
. Bantam War Books.
ISBN
0-553-29926-3
.
- ^
[1]
Archived
August 21, 2006, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Monthly total of sunshine duration (h)"
.
Japan Meteorological Agency
. Retrieved
2024-01-21
.
- ^
?象? / 平年値(年?月ごとの値)
.
Japan Meteorological Agency
. Retrieved
May 19,
2021
.
- ^
"47624: Maebashi (Japan)"
.
ogimet.com
. OGIMET. 28 June 2022
. Retrieved
29 June
2022
.
- ^
Maebashi population statistics
[
dead link
]
- ^
Yoshitsugu Kanemoto.
"Metropolitan Employment Area (MEA) Data"
. Center for Spatial Information Science, The
University of Tokyo
.
- ^
Conversion rates - Exchange rates
- OECD Data
- ^
"Major Corporations in Gunma Prefecture"
. Department of Industry and Economy, Gunma Prefecture
. Retrieved
9 March
2014
.
- ^
アクセス
. Gunma Korean Elementary and Junior High School. December 11, 2007. Archived from
the original
on December 11, 2007
. Retrieved
October 14,
2015
.
群馬朝鮮初中級?校 群馬?前橋市荒牧町 2-2
- ^
Yagy?, Toshinaga (1957, 1989)
Sh?den Shinkage-ry?
. K?dansha, reprinted by Shimazu Shob?,
ISBN
4-88218-012-X
.
- ^
a
b
"?際交流"
(in Japanese). Maebashi
. Retrieved
2023-11-28
.
- ^
"Pokemon world in relation to the real world"
.
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net
. Retrieved
2024-01-21
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
※
also a
prefectural capital
;
†
eligible for core city status but not yet nominated;
☆
to become core cities
|
|
---|
2,000,000 and more
| |
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1,000,000?1,999,999
| |
---|
500,000?999,999
| |
---|
200,000?499,999
| |
---|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
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Geographic
| |
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Academics
| |
---|