Tokoname
Tokoname
常滑市 | |
---|---|
Country | Japan |
Region | Chūbu (Tōkai) |
Prefecture | Aichi Prefecture |
Government | |
• Mayor | Norihiko Kataoka |
Area | |
• Total | 55.63 km2 (21.48 sq mi) |
Population (November 2011) | |
• Total | 55,322 |
• Density | 994/km2 (2,570/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
- 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 Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 55,322 and a population density of 994 persons per km². The total area is 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
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 and 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
Railway
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
References
External links
Media related to Tokoname at Wikimedia Commons
- Tokoname City official website Template:Ja icon (with link to pages in English)