Kiryu, Gunma
Encyclopedia
is a city
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...

 in Gunma
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...

, 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...

, near the cities of Ōta
Ota, Gunma
is a city 50 miles northwest of Tokyo, in eastern Gunma prefecture, Japan. This city is located between the Tone and Watarase rivers. As a result, the new city reached a total population of 219,789, making it the third most populous city in Gunma....

 and Ashikaga
Ashikaga, Tochigi
is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Ashikaga is located 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...

. Incorporated on March 1, 1921, Kiryū is considered both a city and part of the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area
Greater Tokyo Area
The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....

, although it is still widely thought of as a rural area. Its population has been in steady decline since the early 1990s, due to both a national population stagnation as well as a steady migration of young people to metropolitan areas (principally 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...

).

Name origin

The characters of the city name translate as "paulownia tree
Paulownia
Paulownia is a genus of from 6 to 17 species of plants in the monogeneric family Paulowniaceae, related to and sometimes included in the Scrophulariaceae. They are native to much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam, and long cultivated elsewhere in eastern Asia, notably in Japan and Korea...

" and "life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...

".

Demographics

As of May 31, 2011, Kiryū 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 124,077 with 50,239 households
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"....

, and population 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 451.90 persons per km². On June 13, 2005, Kiryū was consolidated with the villages of Niisato
Niisato, Gunma
Niisato was a village located in Seta District, Gunma, Japan.On June 13, 2005 Niisato, along with the village of Kurohone, also from Seta District, was merged into the expanded city of Kiryū....

 and Kurohone
Kurohone, Gunma
Kurohone was a village located in Seta District, Gunma, Japan on the southeast slope of Mount Akagi. The village split the highest peak of the mountain with Fujimi....

, both from Seta District, increasing its total area from 137.47 to 274.57 km², and raising its population by almost 20,000. With 50,150 households in 2005, Kiryū's population is divided fairly evenly along gender lines, with 64,157 males and 68,286 females.

Economy

For over a millennium, Kiryū's principal industry was textile manufacturing, primarily silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...

, with records dating silk production as far back as 713. Pachinko
Pachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...

 manufacturing arrived in Kiryū after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, during the period of industrial reconstruction, with the formation of two main companies—the Heiwa Corporation in 1949, and the Sophia Corporation in 1951. Kiryū's factories are responsible for manufacturing 60% of Japan's pachinko machines. However, the decreased demand for silk goods and the closure of several area manufacturing concerns have caused the local economy to suffer.

Geography

Kiryū is at 36°25′N 139°20′E in the southeast part of Gunma, near the Tochigi border. It is about 100 kilometers northwest of Tokyo. The city is not far from Mount Akagi
Mount Akagi
is a mountain in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The broad, low dominantly andesitic stratovolcano rises above the northern end of the Kanto Plain. It contains an elliptical, 3 x 4 km summit caldera with post-caldera lava domes arranged along a NW-SE line. Lake Ono is located at the NE end of the...

, a large but dormant volcano.

Situated at the foot of Mount Akagi, the city boasts one of the most beautiful settings in the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

. Two rivers, the Kiryū and the Watarase
Watarase River
The is a major river in the northern Kantō region of Japan. A tributary of the Tone River, it is 106.7 km in length and drains an area of 2,621 km². Its source is at Mount Sukai on the boundary of the city of Nikkō in Tochigi Prefecture and it empties into the Tone at the boundary of the...

, run through the heart of the city and it is likewise surrounded by picturesque mountains to the north. Umeda, a district on the north side of the city, is well known for its cedar trees, while red pines are also common in other areas.

Attractions

Having been virtually untouched by bombs during World War II, the city boasts one of the greatest concentrations of pre-war architecture in all of Japan.
  • Kiryugaoka Amusement Park
  • Kiryugaoka Zoo
  • Kiryu Nature Sanctuary
  • Caribbean Beach
  • Kiryu Motorboat Race Course
  • Gunma Insect World
    Gunma Insect World
    Insect Observation Facility in Kiryū, Gunma, Japan is a learning facility for observing the ecology of insects. The building was designed by Tadao Ando, built by Takenaka Corporation with three other firms, and opened in 2005.-External links:*...

  • Okawa Museum of Art
    Okawa Museum of Art
    The is an art gallery in Kiryū, Gunma Prefecture, Japan that concentrates on modern Japanese art.The gallery, which opened in April 1989, presents the collection of the businessman and writer Eiji Ōkawa , who was born in Kiryū, and has about 6500 items. At its core are about eighty works by...

  • Textile Museum Yukari
  • Tenmangu Shrine
  • Hikobe Manor

Transportation

Kiryū Station
Kiryū Station
is a train station in Kiryū, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.-Lines:*East Japan Railway Company**Ryōmō Line*Watarase Keikoku Railway**Watarase Keikoku Line- Adjacent stations :...

 is in the city centre, and the Ryōmō Line
Ryomo Line
The 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 ,...

 connects it westward to Maebashi
Maebashi, Gunma
is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1892, by the samurai Makuba Kawai.On December 5, 2004 the town of Ōgo, and the villages of Kasukawa and Miyagi, all from Seta District, were merged into Maebashi....

 and Takasaki
Takasaki, Gunma
is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1900.Takasaki is a regional transportation hub because its train station is the junction of several rail lines as well as a Shinkansen stop....

, and eastward to Oyama
Oyama, Tochigi
is 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...

. With Shin-Kiryū Station
Shin-Kiryū Station
is a train station in Kiryū, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...

 at the southern end of the city, Kiryū is served by the Tōbu Kiryū Line
Tobu Kiryu Line
The is a railway line of Japanese major private railway company Tōbu Railway in Tokyo. The line is a 20.3 km branch off the Isesaki Line at Ōta Station, southbounds to Akagi Station.-Stations:All stations are located in Gunma Prefecture.-External links:...

 that runs between Midori
Midori, Gunma
is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The name "Midori-shi", literally means "Greenery City".The city was founded on March 27, 2006 from the merger of the town of Ōmama, from Yamada District, the town of Kasakake, from Nitta District, and the village of Azuma, from Seta District.As of this...

 (Akagi Station
Akagi Station (Gunma)
is a railway station in Midori, Gunma, Japan, operated by the Tobu Railway and Jōmō Electric Railway.-Lines:Akagi is served by the Jōmō Line and forms the terminus of the Tōbu Kiryū Line, 20.3 km from .-Platforms:-History:...

) and Ōta
Ota, Gunma
is a city 50 miles northwest of Tokyo, in eastern Gunma prefecture, Japan. This city is located between the Tone and Watarase rivers. As a result, the new city reached a total population of 219,789, making it the third most populous city in Gunma....

. Nishi-Kiryū Station
Nishi-Kiryū Station
is a train station in Kiryū, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...

, a terminus station
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...

 on the Jōmō Line
Jomo Line
The is a railway line in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, operated by Jōmō Electric Railway Company. Its terminus stations are in the cities of Maebashi and Kiryū, running a total length of 25.4 km...

, also connects Kiryū to Maebashi.

Kiryū also has the southern terminus station for the Watarase Keikoku Line, which runs north through the prefecture. It ends at Matō Station near Ashio
Ashio, Tochigi
Ashio was a town located in Kamitsuga District, Tochigi, Japan.On March 20, 2006 Ashio, along with the town of Fujihara, the village of Kuriyama, both from Shioya District, and the old city of Imaichi, was merged into the expanded city of Nikkō....

, Tochigi, infamous for the Ashio Copper Mine
Ashio Copper Mine
The Ashio Copper Mine, Ashio, Tochigi prefecture, Japan became very significant from the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century. It was the site of major pollution in the 1880s and the scene of the 1907 miners riots....

, a site of severe environmental damage in the 1880s.

International Sister Cities

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Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...

, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

, United States of America Biella
Biella
Biella is a town and comune in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, the capital of the province of the same name, with some 45,800 inhabitants as of 2009. It is located about 80 km northeast of Turin and about 80 km west-northwest of Milan.It lies in the foothills of the Alps,...

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Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...


Domestic Sister Cities

  • Naruto, Shikoku, Japan
  • Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan


Trivia

Kiryu is also the nickname of Mechagodzilla
Mechagodzilla
is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla . He is Godzilla's mechanical doppelgänger and one of the most popular Toho kaiju...

 in the Millennium series of the Godzilla franchise.
In Dan Brown's novel The Lost Symbol, Mal'akh wears a robe of Kiryu silk.

External links

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