Ito, Shizuoka
Encyclopedia
is a city
located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula
in Shizuoka
, Japan
. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population
of 71,400 and the density
of 578 persons per km². The total area was 124.13 km² (47.93 sq mi). Much of the city is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
.
, facing Sagami Bay
on the Pacific Ocean
. The landscape is hilly, and Its heavily indented coastline
is a scenic area. The climate of Itō is temperate martime, with hot humid summers, and short, cool winters.
, all of Izu Province
was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate
, and the area now comprising Itō was occupied by 15 small farming and fishing hamlets. These were reorganized into four villages (Tsushima, Itō, Komuro and Usami) within Kamo District
the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period
in 1889, and were transferred to Tagata District
in 1896. On January 1, 1906 the village of Itō was elevated to town status. It annexed neighboring Komuro Village on August 10, 1947 and became the city of Itō. In 1950 Itō was proclaimed an "International Tourism and Cultural City" by the central government. It further expanded through annexation of neighboring Tsushima and Usami
villages on April 1, 1955.
Ito was the site of the first shipyards in Japan that were especially dedicated to the building of large ships at the turn of the 17th Century. Prior to this, Japanese large ships were closer to rafts and small boats when compared to European ships. The larger ships were the design of William Adams, know as Anjin Miura. William Adams is believed to be the first Englishman to visit Japan in 1600. There is a street in Ito named after him: Anjinmiuradori. Adams was born in Gillingham, Kent (UK). Ito and Gillingham are twin towns.
resort towns near the greater Tokyo
metropolis, and tourism is the mainstay of the economy. Commercial fishing
and the production of stockfish
form a secondary economy.
, Nagano prefecture
, Japan, from May 20, 1965 - Medway
, United Kingdom
, from August 10, 1982 - Rieti
, Italy
, from July 21, 1985
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 on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
in Shizuoka
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, 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...
. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 71,400 and the density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 578 persons per km². The total area was 124.13 km² (47.93 sq mi). Much of the city is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
is a national park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It consists of Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands....
.
Geography
Itō is located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, on the northeast corner of Izu PeninsulaIzu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
, facing Sagami Bay
Sagami Bay
Sagami Bay , also known as the Sagami Gulf or Sagami Sea, lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshū, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while the...
on the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The landscape is hilly, and Its heavily indented coastline
Ria
A ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
is a scenic area. The climate of Itō is temperate martime, with hot humid summers, and short, cool winters.
Surrounding municipalities
- AtamiAtami, Shizuokais a city located in the eastern end of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 39,755 and a population density of 645 people per km². The total area is 61.56 km².-Geography:...
- IzuIzu, Shizuokais a city located in central Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 35,397 and the density of 97.3 persons per km². The total area as 363.97 km².-Geography:...
- IzunokuniIzunokuni, Shizuokais a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 49,381 and a population density of 521 persons per km². The total area was 94.71 km².-Geography:...
- HigashiizuHigashiizu, Shizuokais a town located in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 14,562 and a density of 187 persons per km². The total area is 77.83 km².-Geography:...
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....
, all of Izu Province
Izu Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the Izu Peninsula is today the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands are now part of...
was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, and the area now comprising Itō was occupied by 15 small farming and fishing hamlets. These were reorganized into four villages (Tsushima, Itō, Komuro and Usami) within Kamo District
Kamo District, Shizuoka
is a district located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.The district name is very ancient, and is mentioned in the Engishiki records. Kamo District was one of the original districts of Izu Province, having been separated from Suruga Province along with Tagata District in the cadastral reform of 680 AD...
the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
in 1889, and were transferred to Tagata District
Tagata District, Shizuoka
is a district located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Tagata District was one of the original districts of Izu Province, having been separated from Suruga Province in the cadastral reform of 680 AD, and covered most of central Izu Peninsula. By 2009, the district has been considerably reduced in...
in 1896. On January 1, 1906 the village of Itō was elevated to town status. It annexed neighboring Komuro Village on August 10, 1947 and became the city of Itō. In 1950 Itō was proclaimed an "International Tourism and Cultural City" by the central government. It further expanded through annexation of neighboring Tsushima and Usami
villages on April 1, 1955.
Ito was the site of the first shipyards in Japan that were especially dedicated to the building of large ships at the turn of the 17th Century. Prior to this, Japanese large ships were closer to rafts and small boats when compared to European ships. The larger ships were the design of William Adams, know as Anjin Miura. William Adams is believed to be the first Englishman to visit Japan in 1600. There is a street in Ito named after him: Anjinmiuradori. Adams was born in Gillingham, Kent (UK). Ito and Gillingham are twin towns.
Economy
Itō is one of the well known hot spring resortOnsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
resort towns near the greater Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
metropolis, and tourism is the mainstay of the economy. Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often pursue fish far into the ocean under adverse conditions...
and the production of stockfish
Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore, called "hjell". The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
form a secondary economy.
Railway
- East Japan Railway CompanyEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
- Itō Line- -
- Izukyu CorporationIzukyū CorporationThe is a private railroad company in Japan, and a subsidiary of the Tokyu Corporation. The company operates the Izu Kyūkō Line train service on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, and has subsidiary operations involved in taxi and bus services, as well as real estate and leisure resort...
- Izu Kyūkō LineIzu Kyuko LineThe is a privately owned railway line of Izukyū Corporation in Shizuoka Prefecture, JapanThe line runs along the eastern coast of the Izu Peninsula, a tourist district noted for its numerous hot spring resorts and golf courses, between Itō Station in Itō and Izukyū-Shimoda Station in Shimoda...
- - - - - -
Sister city relations
- SuwaSuwa, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city had an estimated population of 51,084 and a density of 468.40 persons per km². The total area of the city is 109.06 km²....
, Nagano prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
, Japan, from May 20, 1965 - Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, from August 10, 1982 - Rieti
Rieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, from July 21, 1985
External links
- Itō official website (Japanese)
- Itō official website (English)