Honjō, Saitama

Honjō 本庄市
City
Honjō city hall
Flag Seal
Location of Honjō in Saitama Prefecture
Honjō
Coordinates: 36°14′36.9″N 139°11′25.4″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama Prefecture
Area
• Total	89.69 km2 (34.63 sq mi)
Population  (February 2016)
• Total	77,880
• Density	868/km2 (2,250/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Osmanthus
- Flower	Oenothera tetraptera (Tsukimiso in Japanese)
Phone number	0495-25-1111
Address	3-5-3 Honjo, Honjo-shi, Saitama-ken 367-8501
Website	http://www.city.honjo.lg.jp/

Honjō (本庄市, Honjō-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2016, the city had an estimated population of 77,880, and a population density of 868 persons per km². Its total area is 89.69 square kilometres (34.63 sq mi).

Geography

Located in northwestern Saitama Prefecture, Honjō is on the upper reaches of the Tone River.

Surrounding municipalities

• Saitama Prefecture
  • Fukaya
  • Kamisato
  • Kamikawa
  • Nagatoro
  • Minano
• Gunma Prefecture
  • Isesaki
  • Tamamura

History

The area of Honjō has been inhabited since prehistoric times and numerous burial mounds from the Kofun period have been found in the area. During the Kamakura period, the area was dominated by the Honjō clan, who continued to rule over a castle town and eventually the short-lived Honjō Domain during the early Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period. After the suppression of Honjō Domain, the town continued to prosper as Honjō-juku, a post station on the Nakasendo highway. During the late Edo period and early Meiji period, the area was noted for sericulture. The modern town of Honjō was created within Kodama District, Saitama with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Honjō was elevated to city status on July 1, 1954 by merging with neighboring Fujita, Nitte, Asahi and Kitaizumi villages.

On January 10, 2006, the town of Kodama was merged into Honjō.

Economy

The economy of Honjō is based on light and precision manufacturing and agriculture, and the city is also a regional commercial center.

Education

• Waseda University has a campus at Honjō (Waseda University Honjo Senior High School)
• Honjō has 13 elementary schools, four middle schools, two combined middle/high schools and four high schools.
• International schools: Escola Intercultural Unificada Arco Íris - Brazilian school Previously the city hosted another Brazilian school, Centro de Aprendizagem Logos.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Joetsu Shinkansen
  • Honjō-Waseda
• JR East - Takasaki Line
  • Honjō
• JR East - Hachikō Line
  • Kodama

Highway

• Kan-Etsu Expressway – Honjō-Kodama IC
• Japan National Route 17
• Japan National Route 254
• Japan National Route 462

Sister city relations

• Kazo, Saitama, Japan
• Shibukawa, Gunma, Japan

Local attractions

• Honjō Circuit, a small motorsports circuit
• Sagiyama kofun
• Maze Dam
• Honjo City Museum of History and Folklore

Notable people

• Takekoshi Yosaburō, historian and politician
• Yukiko Kada, politician
• Jaki Numazawa, professional wrestler

External links

Media related to Honjo, Saitama at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)