Tokoname, Aichi

Tokoname 常滑市
—  City  —
Tokoname ware tiles
Flag Seal
Location of Tokoname in Aichi
Tokoname
Coordinates: 34°53′N 136°50′E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōkai region Chūbu region
Prefecture	Aichi
District	Chita District
Government
• Mayor	Seikō Ishibashi
Area
• Total	55.63 km2 (21.48 sq mi)
Population (November 2011)
• Total	55,322
• Density	994/km2 (2,570/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Symbols
- Tree	Japanese Black Pine
- Flower	Camellia sasanqua
Phone number	0569-35-5111
Address	4-1 Shinkai-chō, Tokoname-shi, Aichi-ken 479-0837
Website	City of Tokoname

Tokoname (常滑市, Tokoname-shi) is a city located in Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the town had an estimated population of 55,322 and a population density of 994 persons per km². The total area was 55.63 km².

Geography

Tokoname is located on the western coast of Chita Peninsula in southern Aichi Prefecture, and is bordered by Ise Bay to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

• Chita
• Agui
• Mihama
• Handa
• Taketoyo

History

Tokoname has been associated with ceramics production since at least the Heian period, and Tokoname-yaki works from this period have been found from Aomori Prefecture in the north of Japan to Kagoshima prefecture in the south. By the Kamakura period, over 3000 kilns were active. During the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the Isshiki clan, and later came under the rule of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

During the Edo period, the area around present-day Tokoname was part of Owari Domain. In the post Meiji Restoration cadastral reforms of 1889, the town of Tokoname was created. Tokoname was elevated to city status on April 1, 1954 by the merger of Tokoname town with the towns of Onizaki, Nishiura, Ono, and the village of Miwa. Chubu Centrair International Airport built on an artificial island offshore Tokoname opened on February 17, 2005, providing a major boost to local development.

Economy

Tokoname is a regional commercial center, and has been known since the Heian period for its production of ceramics, notably Tokoname-yaki, and ceramics production remains the mainstay of the local economy. With its long coastline, commercial fishing also plays an important role in the local economy.

Transportation

Airport

• Chūbu Centrair International Airport

Railway

• Meitetsu – Tokoname Line
  • Ōnomachi-Nishinokuchi-Kabaike-Enokido-Taya-Tokoname
• Meitetsu – Airport Line
  • Tokoname-Rinkū-Tokoname-Central Japan International Airport

Highway

• Chitaōdan Road
• Chubu International Airport Connecting Road
• Japan National Route 155
• Japan National Route 247

Noted people from Tokoname

• Tetsuzō Tanikawa - philosopher, father of Shuntarō Tanikawa
• Kotaro Suzumura – economist
• The Peanuts - singers
• Tatsutoshi Goto - professional wrestler

External links

• Tokoname official website (Japanese) (with link to pages in English)

Media related to Tokoname, Aichi at Wikimedia Commons