Kuwana, Mie

For the United States Navy ship, see USS Kuwana II (SP-594).

Kuwana 桑名市
—  City  —
[[File:|border|100px|border|alt=|Flag of Kuwana]] Flag
Location of Kuwana in Mie
Kuwana
Coordinates: 35°4′N 136°41′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Mie
Government
• Mayor	Gen Mizutani
Area
• Total	136.61 km2 (52.7 sq mi)
Population (April 2008)
• Total	140,798
• Density	1,030/km2 (2,667.7/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Phone number	0594-24-1136
Address	2-37, Chūōchō, Kuwana-shi, Mie-ken 511-8601
Website	Kuwana City

Kuwana (桑名市, Kuwana-shi) is a city located in the northern end of Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is known as a major sightseeing city in the prefecture. Located at the mouth of the three rivers dividing Mie and Aichi prefectures, the city has functioned as a regional center of fishing, industry, business, and culture.

As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 140,798 and a density of 1,030 persons per km². The total area is 136.61 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1937, as a result of a merger between existing towns and villages in the area.

On December 6, 2004 the towns of Nagashima and Tado, both from Kuwana District were merged into Kuwana city.

A large housing estate called Ōyamada (大山田) is located west of Kuwana. Many people living there commute by either bus, train or car.

History

The Sieges of Nagashima took place in 1571, 1573 and 1574, finally resulting in the destruction of the Ikkō-ikki defenders by warlord Oda Nobunaga.

Kuwana prospered as a major port town since ancient times. Especially during the Edo period, Kuwana-juku was the forty-second station on the Tōkaidō road and was protected by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Some travelers along the road would take ships and boats across Ise Bay from Miya-juku (located in present-day Nagoya near Atsuta Shrine) to Kuwana, which reportedly made the journey more enjoyable. Thie trip across the Ise Bay, which took a whole day, made Kuwana a necessary stop for most of the travelers, benefiting the city's numerous inns and restaurants which served fresh sea food. Kuwana was especially known for its clams.

After the Edo government Tokugawa Shogunate fell in the mid-19th century, Kuwana re-established itself as a regional center of the casting industry, but the city was devastated by air-raids in 1945 at the end of World War II.

Nagashima was heavily damaged in 1959 by the Isewan Typhoon.

A long-standing tradition, the Ishidori Matsuri (石取祭) is held every August in Kuwana. It is known as the loudest festival in Japan and attracts many visitors. The Tado Festival is held at Tado Shrine on May 4th and 5th.

Today, the city functions as a suburb of nearby Nagoya and Yokkaichi cities for many of its residents.

Rail connections

Kuwana is a stop on the Kintetsu Nagoya (近鉄) and JR Kansai Main railways lines. Limited Express, Express, Semi-express and local trains stop at Kuwana station. The Yōrō Line and Hokusei Line terminate in Kuwana.

Economy

Famous products

• Hamaguri(Oriental clam) dishes
• Carp dishes

Sister cities

• Tomamae, Hokkaidō(Japan)- September, 1981
• Gyōda, Saitama(Japan)- November 9, 1998
• Shirakawa, Fukushima(Japan)- November 9, 1998

Places of interest

• Nagashima Spa Land
• Tado Shrine
• Kiso Sansen National Government Park
• Mount Tado
• Nabana no Sato, one of beautiful illumination sites in Japan.
  

  

  Illumination in Nabana Park

Festivals

• Ishidori Matsuri
• Tado Festival

Famous people from Kuwana

• Naofumi Tatsumi - samurai, general of the Imperial Japanese Army
• Toshihiko Seko - long-distance runner
• Tsugio Matsuda - racing driver
• Katsuyori Shibata - professional wrestler
• Hirooki Goto - professional wrestler

Famous people related to Kuwana

• Empress Jitō
• Muramasa - swordsmith
• Tadakatsu Honda - daimyo

External links

• Kuwana city official website (Japanese)
  • Kuwana city official handbook (English)
• Encounter with Kuwana (桑名邂逅) (English)(Japanese)
• Hiroshige prints of the Tokaido - Station 43 Kuwana (English)