Amagasaki, Hyogo
Encyclopedia
is an industrial city
located in Hyōgo Prefecture
, Japan
. The city was founded on April 1, 1916. Its population is around 460,000, below its peak of over 554,000 in 1971.
, the Amagasaki Domain
had its administrative headquarters at Amagasaki Castle here.
stars Masatoshi Hamada
and Hitoshi Matsumoto
. It is also the hometown of Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi
, author Koushun Takami
and Heath, bassist of X Japan
.
A commuter train derailed on the Fukuchiyama Line near Amagazaki on April 25, 2005, resulting in more than 100 dead and 550 injured. See Amagasaki rail crash
for details.
. The value of manufactured goods shipments in Amagasaki was 1,288 billion yen in 2004.
See also Hanshin Industrial Region
.
, Germany - since April 7, 1959 Anshan, China - since February 2, 1983 (friendship city)
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 Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, 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...
. The city was founded on April 1, 1916. Its population is around 460,000, below its peak of over 554,000 in 1971.
History
During the Edo periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, the Amagasaki Domain
Amagasaki Domain
The was a feudal domain of Japan during the Edo period. It had its administrative headquarters at Amagasaki Castle. The domain extended over parts of Settsu Province that correspond to portions of the cities of Amagasaki, Nishinomiya, Ashiya, Kobe, Itami, and Takarazuka, in modern-day Hyōgo...
had its administrative headquarters at Amagasaki Castle here.
Notable residents
Amagasaki is the hometown of comedy duo DowntownDowntown (owarai)
is a Japanese comedy duo from Amagasaki, Hyōgo consisting of and . Formed in 1982, they are one of the most influential and prolific kombi in Japan today...
stars Masatoshi Hamada
Masatoshi Hamada
is a Japanese comedian best known as the tsukkomi half of the popular owarai duo Downtown alongside Hitoshi Matsumoto. His nickname is Hama-chan , and is married to Natsumi Ogawa...
and Hitoshi Matsumoto
Hitoshi Matsumoto
, or Matchan as he is commonly known, is a Japanese comedian best known as the boke half the popular owarai duo Downtown alongside Masatoshi Hamada...
. It is also the hometown of Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi
Kamui Kobayashi
is a Japanese racing driver. He has competed in the GP2 Series, won the GP2 Asia Series, and made his Formula One debut with Toyota in the final two races of when he replaced Timo Glock after the German was injured in a crash during qualifying for the...
, author Koushun Takami
Koushun Takami
is the author of the novel Battle Royale, originally published in Japanese, and later translated into English by Yuji Oniki and published by Viz Media and, later, in an expanded edition by Haika Soru, a division of Viz Media....
and Heath, bassist of X Japan
X Japan
is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
.
Railways
- West Japan Railway CompanyWest Japan Railway Company, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
- Tōkaidō Main LineTokaido Main LineThe is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
(JR Kobe LineJR Kobe LineThe is the nickname of portions of the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Sanyō Main Line, between Osaka Station in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture and Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture...
) Amagasaki Station (JR)Amagasaki Station (JR West)is a train station on the Tōkaidō Main Line , Fukuchiyama Line and JR Tōzai Line of JR West, located in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, opened in 1874. Until 1997, Amagasaki was only a local stop, but it has since become a major junction with the opening of the JR Tōzai Line...
- Tachibana Station - Fukuchiyama LineFukuchiyama LineThe is a railway line of West Japan Railway between Osaka and Fukuchiyama, Japan. Within JR West's "Urban Network" covering the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan region, the line from Osaka to Sasayamaguchi is also called the JR Takarazuka Line...
(JR Takarazuka Line) Amagasaki Station (JR) - Tsukaguchi Station (JR)Tsukaguchi Station (JR West)is a train station on the West Japan Railway Company Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-Layout:*There are a side platform with a track for Takarazuka and an island platform with 2 tracks for Osaka....
- Inadera StationInadera Stationis a train station on the West Japan Railway Company Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:... - JR Tōzai LineJR Tozai Lineis one of several Metro / commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company. The line, whose name literally means "east-west", runs underground through central Osaka and connects the Gakkentoshi Line at Kyobashi Station in Osaka and the...
Amagasaki Station (JR)
- Tōkaidō Main Line
- Hankyu RailwayHankyu Railwayis a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
- Kobe LineHankyu Kobe LineThe of Hankyu Railway is one of the three major commuter heavy rail line in the Keihanshin conurbation of Japan. It links the urban centres of Osaka and Kobe by connecting the major stations of Umeda in Osaka and Sannomiya in Kobe....
Sonoda Station - Tsukaguchi Station (Hankyu) - Mukonoso Station - Itami LineHankyu Itami LineThe is a railway line of Hankyu Railway in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The line starts from Tsukaguchi Station in the city of Amagasaki and finishes at Itami Station in the city of Itami...
Tsukaguchi Station (Hankyu)
- Kobe Line
- Hanshin Electric RailwayHanshin Electric Railwayis a Japanese private railway company of Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group that links Osaka and Kobe. It also owns the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.The second character for Osaka and the first character for Kobe combine to form the company name, 阪神, which can be read Han-shin.IC cards are accepted when...
- Main Line Kuise Station - Daimotsu Station - Amagasaki Station (Hanshin)Amagasaki Station (Hanshin)is a train station in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and operated by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.-Layout:The station consists of six tracks and four island platforms, with Track 2 sharing platforms with both Tracks 1 and 3, and Track 5 sharing platforms with both Tracks 4 and 6.-Before...
- Deyashiki Station - Amagasaki Center Pool mae Station - Mukogawa Station - Hanshin Namba Line Daimotsu Station - Amagasaki Station (Hanshin)Amagasaki Station (Hanshin)is a train station in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and operated by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd.-Layout:The station consists of six tracks and four island platforms, with Track 2 sharing platforms with both Tracks 1 and 3, and Track 5 sharing platforms with both Tracks 4 and 6.-Before...
- Main Line Kuise Station - Daimotsu Station - Amagasaki Station (Hanshin)
A commuter train derailed on the Fukuchiyama Line near Amagazaki on April 25, 2005, resulting in more than 100 dead and 550 injured. See Amagasaki rail crash
Amagasaki rail crash
The Amagasaki rail crash occurred on 25 April 2005 at 09:19 local time , just after the local rush hour. The Rapid Service came off the tracks on the West Japan Railway Company Fukuchiyama Line in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, near Osaka, just before Amagasaki Station on its way for Dōshisha-mae...
for details.
Roads
- Route 2Route 2 (Japan)National Route 2 is a major highway on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū in Japan. It follows the old Sanyōdo westward from the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture in the Kansai region to the city of Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture, passing through the San'yō region en route...
, Route 43, Route 171 - ExpresswaysExpressways of JapanThe expressways of Japan make up a large network of freeway-standard toll roads.- History :Following World War II, Japan's economic revival led to a massive increase in personal automobile use...
- Meishin ExpresswayMeishin ExpresswayThe is a toll expressway in Japan. It runs from a junction with the Tomei Expressway in Nagakute, Aichi west to Nishinomiya, Hyōgo . It is the main road link between Osaka and Nagoya, and, along with the Tōmei Expressway, forms the main road link between Osaka and Tokyo...
- Hanshin ExpresswayHanshin ExpresswayThe is a network of expressways surrounding Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto, Japan. Operated by , it opened in 1962.Portions of the Hanshin Expressway collapsed during the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995. These sections were rebuilt by 1996...
Kobe Route (3) - Hanshin Expressway Wangan Route (5)
- Meishin Expressway
- Yamate Road
Economy
Amagasaki is a major part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. Local businesses include manufacturers such as Osaka Titanium TechnologiesOsaka Titanium Technologies
is a Japanese non-ferrous metal manufacturing company based in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is the world's second largest producer of titanium sponge after VSMPO-Avisma...
. The value of manufactured goods shipments in Amagasaki was 1,288 billion yen in 2004.
See also Hanshin Industrial Region
Hanshin Industrial Region
The is one of the largest industrial regions in Japan. Its name comes from the kanji used to write the names of Osaka and Kobe , the two largest cities in the megalopolis.The GDP of this area is $341 billion, one of the world's most productive regions.-Numbers:*Osaka prefecture**Number of...
.
Sister cities
AugsburgAugsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany - since April 7, 1959 Anshan, China - since February 2, 1983 (friendship city)