Natori, Miyagi
Encyclopedia
is a city
located in Miyagi Prefecture
, Japan
.
As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 72,757 and a population density of 727 persons per km². The total area is officially 100.07 km².
The town of Natori was founded on April 1, 1955 from two towns and four villages. On October 1, 1958, it achieved city status.
was severely damaged by the tsunami.
On March 14 Rescue workers arrived in an area of Natori known as Uriage found few survivors, as much of the Uriage area was wiped out. The population had 30 minutes between the earthquake and the tsunami and though many had time to escape city officials say it is impossible as yet to determine the number of casualties.
extended from the Natori River in the north and into the west. However, these regions have been absorbed into the greater Sendai area and are no longer part of Natori: the Natori river is actually not inside Natori city limits. Natori is bordered on the north by Sendai City, the west by Sendai and Kawasaki
, and Iwanuma on the south. The Pacific Ocean
is on the east.
Natori is located in the fertile plains of the Natori river and the Masuda river deltas
.
The official boundaries of Natori City have changed since 1958, as Sendai City redefines its area to include districts to the north and west of Natori.
The area was badly affected by the tsunami
of March 2011
.
in Yamagata prefecture
, which is located on the same latitude line as Natori but on the opposite coast of Japan
.
Natori's sister city abroad is Guararapes
, Brazil
.
, a prefectural university
, a prefectural professional school
, a technical college, two prefectural senior high schools, five municipal junior high schools, and eleven municipal primary schools. Additionally, there are seven nursery school
s and eight child care centers.
The Natori City Library
has a collection of approximately 140,000 books (two books for every person in the city) as of 2002.
The has a medium-sized hall and rehearsal
room, a music room, a cultural centre which includes an exhibition gallery, a professional concert hall and stage, catering facilities and meeting rooms, and other general-purpose facilities for communal use. The structure was designed by Fumihiko Maki
and is considered a local attraction.
Additionally, Natori is home to a Media Resource Centre, a community gym, the Miyagi Cycling Centre, and several public beaches and swimming pools.
. There is a Sendai Airport Line
, an express train line leading directly to the airport.
is held in early August, and is a town celebration of summer. The celebration is marked by fireworks and traditional Japanese festival foods, such as yakisoba
and yakiniku
.
The Sapporo Beer Festival is held at the Sapporo Beer Factory. The factory opens to the public for tours of the factory and other events including free beer tasting.
The Donto-sai Festival is held at the height of winter. Men and women wear only sparse, white clothing and walk silently through the town, receiving sake from local residents along the way. The event culminates in a communal purification ritual and bonfire at Takekoma Shrine.
under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. It was constructed in the late 18th century and has an historically important design, including a thatched roof.
There is a park in Natori dedicated to the of the . This is a keyhole tumulus constructed sometime circa the 4th and 5th centuries CE
. The park contains numerous other tumuli of varying age, both keyhole and circular.
Natori is home to several sites and artifacts related to Date Masamune
, the historical and legendary founder of Sendai. These include 300-year-old pine trees standing by the Natori River dike, which are decorated with paper lanterns and are said to have been planted by Masamune himself.
. Natori's main omiyage specialty is kamaboko
, a fish paste boiled in bamboo grass. Another local specialty is "beer-tella", a form of castella
sponge cake
that has been made with brewer's yeast rather than baker's yeast. As one might expect, "beer-tella" smells strongly of beer, and is made at the Sapporo Beer Factory.
As an ocean city, Natori has a seafood specialty: according to traditional lore, turbot
caught in Yuriage was salted and grilled to preserve it for the day, and sold in the larger population centers to the North, in the Sendai area. This may no longer be part of Natori's role in the broader scope of Japanese cuisine
.
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 Miyagi Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became 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...
.
As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 72,757 and a population density of 727 persons per km². The total area is officially 100.07 km².
The town of Natori was founded on April 1, 1955 from two towns and four villages. On October 1, 1958, it achieved city status.
Damage and casualties from 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Large portions of the coastal area including the Sendai AirportSendai Airport
is an airport located in Natori, Miyagi, south southeast of Sendai Station, Sendai, Japan.-History:In 1940, the Imperial Japanese Army built Sendai Airport in order to use it for the Kumakaya Army Flight School, Masda Branch School Trainee Training Center. It was called by several names: Natory...
was severely damaged by the tsunami.
On March 14 Rescue workers arrived in an area of Natori known as Uriage found few survivors, as much of the Uriage area was wiped out. The population had 30 minutes between the earthquake and the tsunami and though many had time to escape city officials say it is impossible as yet to determine the number of casualties.
Geography
Traditionally, the area known as Natori DistrictNatori District, Miyagi
was a district located in Rikuzen Province → Miyagi Prefecture.-History:* Referred to as 奈止里郡 in the Wamyō Ruijushō....
extended from the Natori River in the north and into the west. However, these regions have been absorbed into the greater Sendai area and are no longer part of Natori: the Natori river is actually not inside Natori city limits. Natori is bordered on the north by Sendai City, the west by Sendai and Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Miyagi
is a town located in Shibata District, Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 10,512 and a population density of 38.82 persons per km². The total area is 270.80 km².The town was the site of a major battle of the Zenkunen War, in 1057....
, and Iwanuma on the south. The Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
is on the east.
Natori is located in the fertile plains of the Natori river and the Masuda river deltas
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
.
History
- 1867: Natori was a part of the Rikuzen Province.
- April 1, 1889: Natori-gun (district) was defined as 6 villages: Masuda, East Taga, Lower Masuda, Tatekoshi, Aishiwa, and Takadate.
- April 1, 1896: Masuda Village (Masudamura) was renamed Masuda Town (Masudamachi).
- April 1, 1928: East Taga Village became Yuriage Town.
- April 1, 1955: Masuda Town, Yuriage Town, Lower Masuda, Tatekoshi, Aishiwa, Takadate merged together as Natori Town (Natorimachi).
- October 1, 1958: Natori Town became Natori City (Natorishi).
The official boundaries of Natori City have changed since 1958, as Sendai City redefines its area to include districts to the north and west of Natori.
The area was badly affected by the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
of March 2011
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.
Economy
Based on data collected in 2000:- 6.4% of the population of Natori is involved in the primary agricultural and fishingFishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
industries. - 26.1% of the population of Natori is involved in secondary processing industries, particularly at the NikonNikon, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
Camera factory and at the Sapporo BreweriesSapporo Breweriesis a Japanese brewery founded in 1876. Their world headquarters are in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo. The company purchased the Canadian company Sleeman Breweries in 2006.The company has five breweries in Japan as well as the Sleeman brewery in Canada...
factory.
Sister city relationships
Within Japan, Natori is the sister city of KaminoyamaKaminoyama, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 34,784 and the density of 144 persons per km². The total area is 240.95 km².The city was founded on October 1, 1954.-Railway stations:...
in Yamagata prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
, which is located on the same latitude line as Natori but on the opposite coast of 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...
.
Natori's sister city abroad is Guararapes
Guararapes
Guararapes is a municipality near Araçatuba in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 was 29,948 and the area is 959.12 km². The elevation is 415 m. This place name comes from the Tupi language....
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Medical facilities
Natori is home to the Miyagi Prefectural Psychiatric Medical Center and the Prefectural Cancer Center.Educational and cultural facilities
Natori's educational facilities include a private universityPrivate university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, a prefectural university
Prefectural university
A prefectural university is a university run by a prefectural government.-See also:* National university* Public university...
, a prefectural professional school
Professional school
A professional school is a school type that prepares students for careers in specific fields.Examples of this type of school include:* Architecture school* Business school* Dental school* Education school* Journalism school* Law school* Library school...
, a technical college, two prefectural senior high schools, five municipal junior high schools, and eleven municipal primary schools. Additionally, there are seven nursery school
Nursery school
A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of one and five years, staffed by suitably qualified and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than simply providing childcare...
s and eight child care centers.
The Natori City Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
has a collection of approximately 140,000 books (two books for every person in the city) as of 2002.
The has a medium-sized hall and rehearsal
Rehearsal
For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
room, a music room, a cultural centre which includes an exhibition gallery, a professional concert hall and stage, catering facilities and meeting rooms, and other general-purpose facilities for communal use. The structure was designed by Fumihiko Maki
Fumihiko Maki
is a Japanese architect and currently teaching at Keio University SFC.- Biography :After studying at the University of Tokyo he moved to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and then to Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 1956, he took a post as assistant professor of...
and is considered a local attraction.
Additionally, Natori is home to a Media Resource Centre, a community gym, the Miyagi Cycling Centre, and several public beaches and swimming pools.
Airports
Natori is home to the Sendai AirportSendai Airport
is an airport located in Natori, Miyagi, south southeast of Sendai Station, Sendai, Japan.-History:In 1940, the Imperial Japanese Army built Sendai Airport in order to use it for the Kumakaya Army Flight School, Masda Branch School Trainee Training Center. It was called by several names: Natory...
. There is a Sendai Airport Line
Sendai Airport Line
The is an airport rail link service connecting Sendai Airport to Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Rail service began on March 18, 2007. The line was severely damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and service was suspended indefinitely from 11 March 2011, not reopening until 1 October, nearly 7...
, an express train line leading directly to the airport.
Train stations/routes
- Tōhoku Main Line/Jōban LineJoban LineThe is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi...
: Natori StationNatori StationNatori Station is a JR East railway station located in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.-History:*October 11, 1888: Station begins operation as .*May 25, 1963: Station name is changed to Natori Station....
to Tatekoshi StationTatekoshi StationTatekoshi Station is a JR East railway station located in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Until the introduction of the Sendai Airport Access Line, it was the most direct point of access to Sendai Airport by a connecting bus service. The bus service still operates. Tatekoshi Station is also the... - Sendai Airport LineSendai Airport LineThe is an airport rail link service connecting Sendai Airport to Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. Rail service began on March 18, 2007. The line was severely damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and service was suspended indefinitely from 11 March 2011, not reopening until 1 October, nearly 7...
: Natori StationNatori StationNatori Station is a JR East railway station located in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.-History:*October 11, 1888: Station begins operation as .*May 25, 1963: Station name is changed to Natori Station....
- Morisekinoshita StationMorisekinoshita Stationis a railway station located in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The station consists of an island platform currently serving one bi-directional track, but with provision for a second track to be installed at a later date.-Adjacent stations:...
- Mitazono StationMitazono Stationis a railway station located in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. This station consists of an island platform serving two tracks, allowing trains to pass on the otherwise single line. Both tracks are bi-directional, with platform 2 used only when trains cross here.-Adjacent stations:...
- Sendai Airport StationSendai Airport Stationis a railway station located in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The terminus station serves two tracks, each capable of holding 6-car trains.-Adjacent stations:...
- Connections to surrounding municipalities (Natori Local Station)
- Toward Sendai Station on the Tōhoku Main Line or Jōban line (North 3 Stations, approx. 13mins)
- or Toward Iwanuma Station on the Tōhoku Main Line or Jōban line (South 2 Stations, approx. 10 mins)
- National Connections
- At Sendai station change onto the TōhokuTohoku ShinkansenThe is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
ShinkansenShinkansenThe , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
- At Sendai station change onto the Tōhoku
Major roads
- Local Highways
- Tōhoku ExpresswayTohoku ExpresswayThe is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned by Japan Expressway Holding and Debt Repayment Agency and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming:Tōhoku refers to the Tōhoku region, the northernmost region on the island of Honshū....
: Minami-Sendai interchange is nearby - South Sendai Expressway: Yamada interchange is nearby
- East Sendai Expressway: Natori and Sendai Airport interchanges
- Tōhoku Expressway
- National Highways
- Route 4Route 4 (Japan)National Route 4 is a major highway in eastern Honshū, Japan. The longest of the ordinary highways in Japan, it originates in Chūō, Tokyo and stretches north for 743.6 km to the city of Aomori in Aomori Prefecture. From Saitama Prefecture to Iwate Prefecture, it parallels the Tōhoku...
- Route 286Route 286 (Japan)National Route 286 is a national highway of Japan connecting Taihaku-ku, Sendai and Yamagata, Yamagata in Japan, with a total length of 61.9 km ....
- Route 4
Festivals
The Natori Summer FestivalJapanese festivals
Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs....
is held in early August, and is a town celebration of summer. The celebration is marked by fireworks and traditional Japanese festival foods, such as yakisoba
Yakisoba
', literally "fried noodles", is a dish often sold at festivals in Japan, but originates in China. The dish was derived by the Chinese from the traditional chow mein, but has been more heavily integrated into Japanese cuisine like ramen...
and yakiniku
Yakiniku
Yakiniku , meaning "grilled meat", is a Japanese term which, in its broadest sense, refers to grilled meat dishes. The present style of yakiniku restaurants are derived from the Korean restaurants in Osaka and Tokyo which were opened around 1945....
.
The Sapporo Beer Festival is held at the Sapporo Beer Factory. The factory opens to the public for tours of the factory and other events including free beer tasting.
The Donto-sai Festival is held at the height of winter. Men and women wear only sparse, white clothing and walk silently through the town, receiving sake from local residents along the way. The event culminates in a communal purification ritual and bonfire at Takekoma Shrine.
Sports
The Natori Sports Park, constructed by Tohoku Electric, is a public area used for various sports meetings and other community events, such as open-air markets.Historical sites
The Nakazawa Family , ancestral home of the Nakazawa Clan of bushi warriors, has been designated a National TreasureNational treasures of Japan
National Treasures are the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs...
under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. It was constructed in the late 18th century and has an historically important design, including a thatched roof.
There is a park in Natori dedicated to the of the . This is a keyhole tumulus constructed sometime circa the 4th and 5th centuries CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. The park contains numerous other tumuli of varying age, both keyhole and circular.
Natori is home to several sites and artifacts related to Date Masamune
Date Masamune
was a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...
, the historical and legendary founder of Sendai. These include 300-year-old pine trees standing by the Natori River dike, which are decorated with paper lanterns and are said to have been planted by Masamune himself.
Other sites
Natori, as an oceanside town, has open local fresh fish markets. These markets are open in the port district, every Sunday throughout most of the year.Specialty products, items and gifts
Because of the Japanese tradition of gift-giving, most cities in Japan have something considered a "local specialty" to be used as omiyageSouvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
. Natori's main omiyage specialty is kamaboko
Kamaboko
is a type of cured surimi, a Japanese processed seafood product, in which various white fish are pureed, combined with additives such as MSG, formed into distinctive loaves, and then steamed until fully cooked and firm. The steamed loaves are then sliced and served unheated with various dipping...
, a fish paste boiled in bamboo grass. Another local specialty is "beer-tella", a form of castella
Castella
is a popular Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, very common at festivals and as a street food.Now a specialty of Nagasaki, the cake was brought by way of Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name is derived from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning "bread from...
sponge cake
Sponge cake
Sponge cake is a cake based on flour , sugar, and eggs, sometimes leavened with baking powder which has a firm, yet well aerated structure, similar to a sea sponge. A sponge cake may be produced by either the batter method, or the foam method. Typicially the batter method in the U.S. is known as a...
that has been made with brewer's yeast rather than baker's yeast. As one might expect, "beer-tella" smells strongly of beer, and is made at the Sapporo Beer Factory.
As an ocean city, Natori has a seafood specialty: according to traditional lore, turbot
Turbot
The turbot is a species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.-Etymology:...
caught in Yuriage was salted and grilled to preserve it for the day, and sold in the larger population centers to the North, in the Sendai area. This may no longer be part of Natori's role in the broader scope of Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
.
Famous people from Natori
- Kazunari Aizawa (actor)
- Danjūro Kikkawa (singer-songwriter, potter, celebrity)
- Takanori Hoshi (baseball player)
- Kazuhiro SasakiKazuhiro SasakiKazuhiro "Daimajin" Sasaki is a former Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He played his entire NPB career with the Yokohama Taiyo Whales / Yokohama BayStars...
(baseball player) - Shoji Aihara (local celebrity)
External links
- Official website in Japanese