Mito, Ibaraki

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Mito, Ibaraki

is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kanto region on Honshu island. The capital is Mito, Ibaraki....
, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of 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....
and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population

Population

File:Population density.pngIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings....
of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a 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 1,212.91 persons per km². Mito natto

Natto

is a traditional Japanese cuisine made from fermentation soybeans, popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein, natto and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in History of Japan#Feudal_Japan_.2812th_-_19th_century.29....
is the city's culinary speciality and is well-known across Japan.

Mito is the site of the Japanese garden

Japanese garden

, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhism temples and old Japanese castles....
Kairaku-en

Kairaku-en

is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan....
, located near Senba lake

Lake

A lake is a terrain feature , a body of liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the bottom of basin and moves slowly if it moves at all....
and counted as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Mito, Ibaraki'

Start a new discussion about 'Mito, Ibaraki'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kanto region on Honshu island. The capital is Mito, Ibaraki....
, Japan

Japan

Population

Population density

Natto

Japanese garden

Kairaku-en

is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan....
, located near Senba lake

Lake

Tokugawa Nariaki

Tokugawa Nariaki was a prominent Japanese daimyo who ruled the Mito domain and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji restoration....
in 1842, the park is known nationwide for its breathtaking ume
Ume

Prunus mume, common name as or Japanese apricot, or Chinese plum is a species of Asian Prunus in the family Rosaceae. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia and Vietnam, is usually translated as plum blossom....
trees. Many people come to the park in spring to view the spectacular blossoms, particularly during the Ume Festival. In summer, Mito also holds the Mito Koumon

Tokugawa Mitsukuni

was a prominent daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa and succeeded him, becoming the second daimyo of the Mito domain....
Festival.

Mito was the seat of the so-called Mito School

Mitogaku

Mitogaku refers to a school of Japanese historical and Shinto studies that arose in the Mito domain, in modern-day Ibaraki prefecture.The school had its genesis in 1657 when Tokugawa Mitsukuni , second head of the Mito domain, commissioned the compilation of the Dai Nihon-shi ....
, a congregation of nativist scholars of Confucian

Confucianism

Confucianism is a China Ethics and Philosophy developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . It focuses on human morality and right action....
persuasion led by Aizawa Seishisai

Aizawa Seishisai

' , born ', was a Japan nationalist thinker of the Mitogaku during the late shogunate period.In 1799 he became involved in the compilation of the Dai Nihon-shi being undertaken by the Mito school....
, who during the eigthteenth and nineteenth centuries advocated Western learning as a means not only to further Japanese technological development and international strength, but as means to prove Japanese uniqueness and superiority among nations.

History

The Yamato people settled in Mito around the fourth century CE. Around the end of the Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical History of Japan, running from 794 to 1185. It is the period in Japanese history when Confucianism and other Chinese culture were at their height....
, Baba Sukemoto, a warlord of the Heike family, moved to Mito and built a castle there. Mito Castle changed hands several times after that: a daimyo

Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
named Satake Yoshinobu

Satake Yoshinobu

was a Japanese daimyo of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. The eldest son of Satake Yoshishige, he was the first generation lord of the Kubota Domain....
won it in the mid-1500s, but he was forced to surrender it to Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Japanese name|Tokugawa}} was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868....
in 1603 after the epic Battle of Sekigahara

Battle of Sekigahara

The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu. Though it would take three more years for Ieyasu to consolidate his position of power over the Toyotomi clan and the daimyo, Sekigahara is widely considered to be the unofficial beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate,...
. Ieyasu's son Tokugawa Yorifusa

Tokugawa Yorifusa

Tokugawa Yorifusa, also known as Mito Yorifusa was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. Known in his childhood as Tsuruchiyomaru, he was the ninth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun....
then took over Mito Castle, becoming one of the three "gosanke" family members fortified outside of Edo

Edo

, literally: Headlands and bays-door, "estuary", ), also Romanization of Japanese as Yedo or Yeddo, is the Geographical renaming of the Capital of Japan Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868....
. Edo was directly connected to Mito by the Mito Kaido

Mito Kaido

was an old kaido in Japan and a subroute to the Edo Five Routes. It was built to connect Edo with Mito, Ibaraki in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture....
. The Tokugawas directly ruled Mito until the mid-1800s, when the bakufu in Edo was overthrown.

The modern city of Mito was formed on April 1, 1889, with a population of 25,000. It was designated as the prefectural capital. By 1900, the Joban Line

Joban Line

The is a rail line in Japan and is part of the East Japan Railway Company system. It begins in Taito-ku in Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture Prefectures before the line officially ends in Iwanuma in Miyagi Prefecture....
connected it to Tokyo, and by 1910, telephones and electric lighting were available throughout the city. Although more than three-quarters of the city burned to the ground near the end of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, the population rebounded to 70,000 just two years later, and has continued to grow ever since.

Today, Mito is primarily a commercial and administrative city: most industry in Ibaraki is concentrated around the nearby city of Tsukuba. Mito has a modest but thriving tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from...
industry, centered on Kairaku-en (park) and local museums dedicated to the Tokugawa family. Mito is also the site of Ibaraki University

Ibaraki University

, Japan, is a national university located in Ibaraki Prefecture, with campuses in the cities of Mito, Ibaraki, Ami, Ibaraki and Hitachi, Ibaraki. It was established on May 31, 1949, integrating these prewar institutions: Mito High School , Ibaraki Normal School , Ibaraki Juvenile Normal School , and Taga Technical Specialists' College ....
, and is sister city to Anaheim, California

Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of January 1, 2008, the city population was about 346,823, making it the 10th most-populated city in California and ranked 54th in the United States....
.

Transportation

Mito is located on the Joban Line

Joban Line

Mito Station (Ibaraki)

is a East Japan Railway Company and Kashima Rinkai Tetsudo train station located in Mito, Ibaraki, Japan....
) and Joban Expressway

Joban Expressway

The , abbreviated , is a national Expressways of Japan in Japan. It is owned and operated by East Nippon Expressway Company....
, which connect it to Tokyo

Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
and Tsukuba

Tsukuba, Ibaraki

is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It is known as the location of the , a planned city developed in the 1960s.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 207,394 and a population density of 730 persons per square kilometer....
to the south and Hitachi

Hitachi, Ibaraki

is a cities of Japan located on the Pacific Ocean in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Its name could be directly translated as "sunrise", but probably more appropriately adapted to "prosperous wealth" ....
and Iwaki

Iwaki, Fukushima

Iwaki is a cities of Japan located in the southern part of the Hamadori coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Tohoku Region, Japan. A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana city....
to the north. The Suigun Line

Suigun Line

The is a Japan rail transport operated by East Japan Railway Company , which runs between Mito Station in Ibaraki Prefecture and Koriyama Station in Fukushima Prefecture....
runs north to Koriyama

Koriyama, Fukushima

is a cities of Japan located in the center of the Nakadori region of Fukushima Prefecture, Tohoku region, Japan. As of 2007, the city has an estimated population of 339,118 and a population density of 447.94 persons per km?....
, and the Mito Line

Mito Line

The is a railway line between Oyama Station in Tochigi Prefecture and Tomobe Station in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The line 50.2 km long, and is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company ....
runs west to Oyama

Oyama, Tochigi

is a cities of Japan located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 162,283 and the population density of 946 persons per square kilometer....
. The closest major airport is Narita International Airport

Narita International Airport

is an international airport located in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in the eastern portion of the Greater Tokyo Area. It is located 60 kilometers from downtown Tokyo....
. An airport offering domestic service will be completed at Hyakuri Airfield

Hyakuri Airfield

[Image:Hyakuri Airfield location.svg|thumb|right|210px|Hyakuri Airfield or Hyakuri Air Base is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force air base in the city of Omitama, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan....
in nearby Omitama

Omitama, Ibaraki

is a cities of Japan located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The city was formed on March 27, 2006 from the merger of the towns of Ogawa, Ibaraki and Minori, Ibaraki and the village of Tamari, Ibaraki....
in 2009.

Professional Sports

Mito is the home city of the J-League professional soccer team, Mito HollyHock

Mito HollyHock

is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J-league Division 2. The team's hometown is located in Mito, Ibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture....
.

Famous residents

Aizawa Seishisai
Aizawa Seishisai

' , born ', was a Japan nationalist thinker of the Mitogaku during the late shogunate period.In 1799 he became involved in the compilation of the Dai Nihon-shi being undertaken by the Mito school....
(1782-1863)
Stomu Takeishi
Stomu Takeishi

Stomu Takeishi is a Japanese jazz bass player. He generally plays fretless five-string bass guitar, as well as a Klein five-string acoustic bass guitar....
(b. 1964, jazz bass player)

Tourist Attractions

Kodokan School
Mito Castle
Lake Senba
Kairakuen Park
Ibaraki Museum of Modern Art
Art Tower Mito
Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History
Mito Municipal Botanical Park
Mito Municipal Botanical Park

The Mito Municipal Botanical Park is a botanical garden located at 504 Kobuki, Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. It is open daily except Mondays; an admission fee is charged....
The Tokugawa Museum

External links

in English
in Japanese