City in Shikoku, Japan
Tokushima
(
?島市
,
Tokushima-shi
,
Japanese:
[tok????ima]
)
is the capital
city
of
Tokushima Prefecture
on
Shikoku island
in
Japan
. As of 1 July 2022
[update]
, the city had an estimated
population
of 249,865 in 122085 households and a
population density
of 1305 persons per km².
[1]
The total area of the city is 191.52 square kilometres (73.95 sq mi).
Geography
[
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]
The city is situated in the north-eastern part of Tokushima Prefecture at the mouth of the
Yoshino River
. In terms of layout and organization, Tokushima displays the typical characteristics of a
Japanese castle town
. Most of the city is located in the Tokushima plain and is flat, but the symbol of the city, Mt. Bizan, rises in the center, creating a scenic landscape. The southern part is a mountainous area with forests.
Mountains
[
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]
Name
|
Height
|
Notes
|
Bizan
(眉山)
|
277 m
|
|
Shiroyama
(城山)
|
62 m
|
|
Nakatsu Mineyama
(中津峰山)
|
773 m
|
The highest mountain in the Tokushima City district.
|
Nishi Ryuo-san
(西?王山)
|
495 m
|
|
Higashi Ryuo-san
(東龍王山)
|
408m
|
|
Kinobeyama
(?延山)
|
212 m
|
|
Bentenyama
(弁天山)
|
6.1 m
|
Claimed to be the smallest natural mountain in Japan.
|
Rivers
[
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]
Neighbouring municipalities
[
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]
Tokushima Prefecture
Demographics
[
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]
Per Japanese census data,
[2]
the population of Tokushima has been growing steadily for the past century.
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1920
| 140,534
| ?
|
---|
1930
| 158,688
| +12.9%
|
---|
1940
| 164,572
| +3.7%
|
---|
1950
| 177,363
| +7.8%
|
---|
1960
| 203,326
| +14.6%
|
---|
1970
| 223,451
| +9.9%
|
---|
1980
| 249,343
| +11.6%
|
---|
1990
| 263,356
| +5.6%
|
---|
2000
| 268,218
| +1.8%
|
---|
2010
| 264,764
| ?1.3%
|
---|
Climate
[
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]
Tokushima has a
humid subtropical climate
(
Koppen climate classification
Cfa
) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high, but there is a pronounced difference between the wetter summers and drier winters.
Climate data for Tokushima (1991?2020 normals, extremes 1891?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
22.5
(72.5)
|
23.2
(73.8)
|
26.4
(79.5)
|
30.1
(86.2)
|
32.9
(91.2)
|
35.7
(96.3)
|
38.4
(101.1)
|
38.2
(100.8)
|
36.2
(97.2)
|
33.4
(92.1)
|
27.1
(80.8)
|
26.7
(80.1)
|
38.4
(101.1)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
10.0
(50.0)
|
10.8
(51.4)
|
14.3
(57.7)
|
19.6
(67.3)
|
24.0
(75.2)
|
26.8
(80.2)
|
30.6
(87.1)
|
32.3
(90.1)
|
28.5
(83.3)
|
23.1
(73.6)
|
17.7
(63.9)
|
12.5
(54.5)
|
20.9
(69.6)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
6.3
(43.3)
|
6.8
(44.2)
|
9.9
(49.8)
|
15.0
(59.0)
|
19.6
(67.3)
|
23.0
(73.4)
|
26.8
(80.2)
|
28.1
(82.6)
|
24.8
(76.6)
|
19.3
(66.7)
|
13.8
(56.8)
|
8.7
(47.7)
|
16.8
(62.2)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
2.9
(37.2)
|
3.1
(37.6)
|
5.8
(42.4)
|
10.6
(51.1)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
19.8
(67.6)
|
23.9
(75.0)
|
24.9
(76.8)
|
21.6
(70.9)
|
15.9
(60.6)
|
10.1
(50.2)
|
5.2
(41.4)
|
13.3
(55.9)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?5.4
(22.3)
|
?6.0
(21.2)
|
?3.6
(25.5)
|
?0.7
(30.7)
|
4.6
(40.3)
|
9.7
(49.5)
|
15.3
(59.5)
|
16.6
(61.9)
|
11.9
(53.4)
|
4.5
(40.1)
|
?1.3
(29.7)
|
?4.3
(24.3)
|
?6.0
(21.2)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
41.9
(1.65)
|
53.0
(2.09)
|
87.8
(3.46)
|
104.3
(4.11)
|
146.6
(5.77)
|
192.6
(7.58)
|
177.0
(6.97)
|
193.0
(7.60)
|
271.2
(10.68)
|
199.5
(7.85)
|
89.2
(3.51)
|
63.9
(2.52)
|
1,619.9
(63.78)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
1
(0.4)
|
1
(0.4)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
2
(0.8)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.5 mm)
|
6.5
|
7.1
|
10.3
|
10.1
|
9.7
|
13.2
|
11.2
|
9.0
|
11.4
|
9.4
|
7.7
|
6.5
|
112.2
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
61
|
61
|
61
|
62
|
67
|
75
|
77
|
73
|
72
|
69
|
66
|
63
|
67
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
160.3
|
152.5
|
179.8
|
197.9
|
205.7
|
151.9
|
192.0
|
230.6
|
162.0
|
163.6
|
150.4
|
160.1
|
2,106.8
|
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
[3]
|
History
[
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]
As with all of Tokushima Prefecture, the area of Tokushima was part of ancient
Awa Province
. Tokushima was developed around
Tokushima Castle
, the seat of the
Hachisuka clan
,
daimyo
of
Tokushima Domain
under the
Edo Period
Tokugawa shogunate
. Its prosperity was built on a strong
indigo dye
industry. Following the
Meiji restoration
, the city of Tokushima was established on October 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. At the time, it was the 10th largest city in Japan.
World War II air raid
[
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]
Tokushima was selected as a target by the United States'
XXI Bomber Command
during
World War II
because of the city's role as an agricultural center for the region. On July 3, 1945, at 5:45 PM (JST) 137 aircraft took off to bomb Tokushima. 1,050 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped on Tokushima, destroying 74% of the built up areas of the city.
[4]
Over 1000 people were killed in the bombing (431 men, 553 women, 17 of unknown gender) and over 2000 people were injured. The number of incendiary bombs dropped on Tokushima City was enormous at 354,664, and since the population of Tokushima City was 115,508 in 1944, it is calculated that 3.07 incendiary bombs were dropped per citizen.
Government
[
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]
Tokushima has a
mayor-council
form of government with a directly elected mayor and a
unicameral
city council of 30 members. Tokushima contributes ten members to the
Tokushima Prefectural Assembly
. In terms of national politics, the city is part of
Tokushima 1st district
of the
lower house
of the
Diet of Japan
.
Economy
[
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]
Tokushima has been the economic center of eastern Shikoku since the Edo period, when prospered as a distribution center for indigo and timber, and was one of the leading commercial cities in Japan. It has a deep connection with the
Kansai region
especially
Osaka
, which has become even more prominent in modern times after the opening of the
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
. Following the decline of the indigo industry, the accumulated wealth of the merchant class led to the development of banks and financial institutions, which in turn led to modern industries such as spinning, papermaking, pharmaceuticals, food processing and electric power. Although the city area was burnt to the ground due to the Tokushima air raid in World War II, it was quickly reconstructed. There are numerous
industrial parks
.
Agriculture and forestry both remain as major contributors the local economy. The Tokushima Plain in the Yoshino and Katsuura river basins have fertile agricultural land, and in addition to rice, some items such as cauliflower and carrots are major local products.
Education
[
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]
Universities and colleges
[
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]
Primary and secondary education
[
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]
Tokushima has 30 public elementary schools and 18 public middle schools operated by the city government and nine public high schools operated by the Tokushima Prefectural Department of Education. There are also one private elementary school, three private middle schools and five private high schools. The prefecture also operates one night school and four special education schools for the disabled.
Transportation
[
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]
Airport
[
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]
Railway
[
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]
Shikoku Railway Company
?
K?toku Line
Shikoku Railway Company
?
Mugi Line
Shikoku Railway Company
?
Tokushima Line
Highways
[
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]
Sister cities
[
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]
Local attractions
[
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]
Culture
[
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]
Every August, during the
Obon Festival
, Tokushima holds a cultural dance festival, the
Awa Odori
. Awa Odori literally translates as "Awa Dance" (
Awa
being Tokushima Prefecture's ancient name). During the festival, residents ranging from young children to professional dance troupes perform a distinctive style of Japanese traditional dance in regional costumes, accompanied by strings, drums, and singing (usually by the dancers themselves).
Sports
[
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]
The city's
Asty Tokushima
arena hosted the official
2007 Asian Basketball Championship
.
Gallery
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
|
---|
|
※
also a
prefectural capital
;
†
eligible for core city status but not yet nominated;
☆
to become core cities
|
|
---|
2,000,000 and more
| |
---|
1,000,000?1,999,999
| |
---|
500,000?999,999
| |
---|
200,000?499,999
| |
---|
|
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International
| |
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National
| |
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Geographic
| |
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Academics
| |
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