Ashikaga, Tochigi
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in Tochigi Prefecture
, Japan
. Ashikaga is located 80 km (49.7 mi) north of Tokyo
.
As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population
of 153,766, with a household
number of 59,219, and a density
of 864.73 persons per km². The total area is 177.82 km².
The city was founded on January 1, 1921.
During the Heian Period
, Ashikaga was developed by Minamoto no Yoshikuni
, whose descendants later became the Ashikaga clan
.
Ashikaga has long been noted for its textile industry, but in recent years it has also become known as an industrial and commercial city producing various aluminum, machine metal works and products.
. The city was also recently named a special area for English education by the Japan
ese government, as all the junior high schools have native English-speaking ALTs, one hailing from Ashikaga's sister City, Springfield (Illinois), United States
.
Other locations popular with domestic tourists include
The Watarase River Fireworks display, which takes places on the first Saturday of August attracts thousands of people from around the Kantō area.
The foothills on the outskirts of town are home to Coco Farm & Winery. Founded around 1950, the vineyards are tended by adults with special needs and staff members living in community. During the third weekend of November, a harvest festival is held with live music and wine-tasting. Thousands of visitors attend every year.
Jining
, China
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in Tochigi Prefecture
Tochigi Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Ashikaga is located 80 km (49.7 mi) north of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 153,766, with a household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
number of 59,219, and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 864.73 persons per km². The total area is 177.82 km².
The city was founded on January 1, 1921.
History
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, Ashikaga was developed by Minamoto no Yoshikuni
Minamoto no Yoshikuni
was the son of a famous samurai named Minamoto no Yoshiie and an ancestor of the Ashikaga and Nitta families. Yoshikuni was the samurai who first implored the spirit of the Iwashimizu Shrine to start living in this bamboo grove and he built the shrine in honor of the god Hachiman.-External links:*...
, whose descendants later became the Ashikaga clan
Ashikaga clan
The ' was a prominent Japanese samurai clan which established the Muromachi shogunate and ruled Japan from roughly 1336 to 1573.The Ashikaga were descended from a branch of the Minamoto clan, deriving originally from the town of Ashikaga in Shimotsuke province .For about a century the clan was...
.
Ashikaga has long been noted for its textile industry, but in recent years it has also become known as an industrial and commercial city producing various aluminum, machine metal works and products.
Education
Ashikaga is home to Ashikaga Kogyō Daigaku Fuzoku High School for boys, as well as Ashikaga Tanki Daigaku Fuzoku High School for girls. These are notable due to a 19-year standing foreign exchange program with Elk Grove High School, in Elk Grove Village, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The city was also recently named a special area for English education by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese government, as all the junior high schools have native English-speaking ALTs, one hailing from Ashikaga's sister City, Springfield (Illinois), United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Tourism
- Ashikaga GakkōAshikaga Gakkois Japan's oldest academic institution. It is located in Ashikaga city, Tochigi Prefecture, about 70 kilometres north of Tokyo. There has been some controversy as to when it was built, but it is said that it was founded in the ninth century and restored in 1432 by Deputy Shogun Uesugi Norizane; he...
(足利学校):referred to as the oldest school in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. - Ashikaga Flower Park (足利フラワーパーク）:Japan's oldest and largest wisteriaWisteriaWisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, that includes ten species of woody climbing vines native to the eastern United States and to China, Korea, and Japan. Aquarists refer to the species Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae, as Water Wisteria...
.
Other locations popular with domestic tourists include
- Orihime Shrine（織姫神社): This shrine was built in 1879,the guardians of the textile city, Ashikaga.
- Bannaji Temple（鑁阿寺): A temple known for its association with the Ashikaga clan.
- Kurita Museum (栗田美術館): This museum has a fine collection of Imari and Nabeshima porcelains.
The Watarase River Fireworks display, which takes places on the first Saturday of August attracts thousands of people from around the Kantō area.
The foothills on the outskirts of town are home to Coco Farm & Winery. Founded around 1950, the vineyards are tended by adults with special needs and staff members living in community. During the third weekend of November, a harvest festival is held with live music and wine-tasting. Thousands of visitors attend every year.
Transportation
- Route 50: for Maebashi or MitoMito, Ibarakiis the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...
- Route 293Route 293 (Japan)National Route 293 is a national highway of Japan connecting Hitachi, Ibaraki and Ashikaga, Tochigi in Japan, with a total length of 164.2 km ....
: for HitachiHitachi, Ibarakiis a city located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Its name could be directly translated as "sunrise", but probably more appropriately adapted to "prosperous wealth" .-Demographics:... - Route 407Route 407 (Japan)National Route 407 is a national highway of Japan connecting Ashikaga, Tochigi and Iruma, Saitama in Japan, with a total length of 60.4 km ....
: for Iruma - Ryomo LineRyomo LineThe is a Japanese railway line between the cities of Oyama in Tochigi Prefecture and Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture. long, the line is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company . The name refers to the fact that Gunma and Tochigi prefectures were once part of an ancient province called ,...
(Ashikaga StationAshikaga Stationis a train station located in Ashikaga, Tochigi prefecture, Japan.-Station layout:There are 2-way, 2-side platforms.Some trains offer through service to and on Utsunomiya Line.-History:*May 22, 1888 Opened as of Ryōmō Railway....
): for Takasaki or OyamaOyama, Tochigiis a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.As April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 163,954, with 62,714 households, and a population density of 955.39 persons per km²... - Tobu Isesaki lineTobu Railwayis a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...
(Ashikagashi StationAshikagashi Stationis a station on the Tobu Railway company, located in Ashikaga, Tochigi prefecture, Japan.-Station layout:There is an island platform elevated with two tracks way.-History:*August 27, 1907 Opened as .*August 25, 1924 Renamed to *July 23, 1980 Elevated....
): for AsakusaAsakusais a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
or Isesaki - Intercity/Express bus: for Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, OsakaOsakais a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, KyotoKyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, NaraNara, Narais the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, Nagoya, KanazawaKanazawa, Ishikawais the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
, ToyamaToyama, Toyamais the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo....
and Sendai
Sister cities
Springfield (Illinois), United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Jining
Jining, Shandong
Jining is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Heze to the southwest, Zaozhuang to the southeast, Tai'an to the northeast, and the provinces of Henan and Jiangsu to the northwest and south respectively...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
External links
- Ashikaga official website
- Ashikaga official website (very little information)
- Coco Farm & Winery Home Page
- Ashikaga Flower Park