Onjuku, Chiba
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Isumi District
, Chiba
, Japan
. As of 2010, the town has an estimated population
of 7,823 and a density
of 314 persons per km². The total area is 24.92 km². The name of the town is made of two Chinese characters, the first meaning “honorable”, and the second meaning “residence”.
. The landscape consists of rolling, sandy hills of the Bōsō Hill Range
, and the town is noted for its beach resorts. Its broad beaches are protected as part of the Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park
.
Onjuku is bordered by the Pacific Ocean
to the east, and enjoys a temperate martime climate, with short, cool winters and hot, humid summers due to the effects of the Kuroshio Current
offshore. Onjuku faces Ajiro Bay, which has two functional ports: the Port of Iwawada to the north, and the Port of Onjuku to the south. One small river, the Kiyomizu River, flows through the town to Ajiro Bay.
. The pines and sand of Ajiro Bay in Onjuku were referenced in a poem by Hōjō Tokiyori
(1227-1263), a Kamakura
-period administrator.
on behalf of the Shogun. The town was typically associated with administrators from the Ōtaki
and watsuki Domain|Iwatsuki] domains.
In the Edo period
a prominent “rokusai’ichi” (六斎市) market, or open-air market held on fixed days six times a month, developed in Onjuku.
, the San Francisco, ran aground near Onjuku. The captain and 300 survivors were cared for by the town, and later, the sailors were given a ship by the Tokugawa Shogunate
to return to Mexico
. One of the survivors was Governor General of the Philippines Rodrigo de Vivero, who was subsequently granted an audience with Shogun
Tokugawa Ieyasu
.
In 1928 a tower was built in Onjuku to commemorate the landing of Rodrigo and friendly relations between Mexico, Spain, and Japan. It has since been designated an Important Prefectural Monument , and is surrounded by an extensive garden complex.
; farming plays a relatively small role in the economy compared to nearby municipalities.
Coast-side and off-shore fishing operations are active, with squid
and bonito
being the most important catches. Ama, or traditional women divers, gather abalone
, turban shell
(sazae), and spiny lobster
, all important parts of the traditional Japanese diet.
The sandy beaches of Onjuku are the representative swimming areas of the Sotobōsō Coast and attract numerous tourists during the summer months. Tourism in the town began in the Meiji period
, and development of the tourism industry continues. Numerous guests houses, ryokan
(traditional Japanese inns), and hotels have developed in the area.
Towns of Japan
A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located in Isumi District
Isumi District, Chiba
is a district located in Chiba, Japan. As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 18,593 and a density of 120 persons per km². The total area was 154.76 km². The district formerly included all of the city of Katsuura, most of the city of Isumi and a portion of the town of Mutsuzawa...
, Chiba
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
, 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 town has 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 7,823 and 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 314 persons per km². The total area is 24.92 km². The name of the town is made of two Chinese characters, the first meaning “honorable”, and the second meaning “residence”.
Geography
Onjuku is located on the east coast of southern Chiba Prefecture in approximately the center of the outer coast of the Bōsō PeninsulaBoso Peninsula
thumb|Locationthumb|Landsat image with high-resolution data from Space Shuttle is a peninsula in Chiba prefecture on Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It forms the eastern edge of Tokyo Bay, separating it from the Pacific Ocean....
. The landscape consists of rolling, sandy hills of the Bōsō Hill Range
Bōsō Hill Range
The is a mountain range on the Bōsō Peninsula of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The highest point in the Bōsō Mountain Range is at Mount Atago, with an altitude of . The hill range runs from roughly in a line from Mobara or Ōamishirasato to Kisarazu, but is not formally defined. It is an important part...
, and the town is noted for its beach resorts. Its broad beaches are protected as part of the Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park
Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park
is a quasi-national park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. The park includes numerous widely separated portions of the coastal areas of southern Bōsō Peninsula, ranging from Cape Futtsu on Tokyo Bay to the west, to Cape Inubō facing...
.
Onjuku is bordered by 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...
to the east, and enjoys a temperate martime climate, with short, cool winters and hot, humid summers due to the effects of the Kuroshio Current
Kuroshio Current
The Kuroshio is a north-flowing ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean. It is similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic and is part of the North Pacific ocean gyre...
offshore. Onjuku faces Ajiro Bay, which has two functional ports: the Port of Iwawada to the north, and the Port of Onjuku to the south. One small river, the Kiyomizu River, flows through the town to Ajiro Bay.
Surrounding municiplities
- IsumiIsumi, Chibais a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of March 1, 2010, the city has a population of 41,014 in an area of 157.50 km².Tōkyō Station is reached from Isumi by express train in 1 hour and 10 minutes via Ōhara Station on the JR East Sotobō Line.-Geography:...
to the west and south - KatsuuraKatsuura, Chibais a city located in southern part of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Katsuura city is famous for Katsuura Fishing Port, which features one of the top three largest morning markets in Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 20,570 and the density of 218 persons per km²...
to the north
Early History
Onjuku is part of ancient Kazusa ProvinceKazusa Province
was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the...
. The pines and sand of Ajiro Bay in Onjuku were referenced in a poem by Hōjō Tokiyori
Hojo Tokiyori
Hōjō Tokiyori was the fifth shikken of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan. He was born to Hōjō Tokiuji and a daughter of Adachi Kagemori....
(1227-1263), a Kamakura
Kamakura
Kamakura can refer to:*Japanese name*Kamakura, Kanagawa, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan*Kamakura shogunate*Kamakura period, a history of Japan*Kamakura , a fictional character in the G.I...
-period administrator.
Edo Period
Onjuku, from the Muromachi to the Edo period, was divided into a complex mixture of administrative areas. Much of the town was tenryō territory ruled by various hatamotoHatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
on behalf of the Shogun. The town was typically associated with administrators from the Ōtaki
Otaki Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kazusa Province , Japan. It was centered on Ōtaki Castle in what is now the town of Ōtaki, Chiba.-History:...
and watsuki Domain|Iwatsuki] domains.
In the Edo period
Edo 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....
a prominent “rokusai’ichi” (六斎市) market, or open-air market held on fixed days six times a month, developed in Onjuku.
Landing of Rodrigo de Vivero
In 1609 a Spanish galleonManila Galleon
The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons were Spanish trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines, and Acapulco, New Spain . The name changed reflecting the city that the ship was sailing from...
, the San Francisco, ran aground near Onjuku. The captain and 300 survivors were cared for by the town, and later, the sailors were given a ship by 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...
to return to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. One of the survivors was Governor General of the Philippines Rodrigo de Vivero, who was subsequently granted an audience with Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
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. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
.
In 1928 a tower was built in Onjuku to commemorate the landing of Rodrigo and friendly relations between Mexico, Spain, and Japan. It has since been designated an Important Prefectural Monument , and is surrounded by an extensive garden complex.
Current Administration
The village of Onjuku was established on April 1, 1889, and elevated to town status on April 1, 1914. The town expanded through annexation of the neighboring villages of Fuse and Namihama on March 1, 1955.Economy
The economy of Onjuku is dominated by summer tourism and commercial fishingCommercial 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...
; farming plays a relatively small role in the economy compared to nearby municipalities.
Coast-side and off-shore fishing operations are active, with squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
and bonito
Bonito
Bonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish in the Scombridae family. First, bonito most commonly refers to species in the genus Sarda, including the Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito ; second, in Japanese cuisine, bonito refers to the skipjack tuna , which, in...
being the most important catches. Ama, or traditional women divers, gather abalone
Abalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
, turban shell
Turbinidae
Turbinidae, the turban snails, are a family of small to large marine gastropods. Turbinidae have a strong, thick calcareous operculum readily distinguishing them from the somewhat similar Trochidae or top snails, which have a corneous operculum...
(sazae), and spiny lobster
Spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langouste or rock lobsters, are a family of about 45 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia...
, all important parts of the traditional Japanese diet.
The sandy beaches of Onjuku are the representative swimming areas of the Sotobōsō Coast and attract numerous tourists during the summer months. Tourism in the town began in the 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 :...
, and development of the tourism industry continues. Numerous guests houses, ryokan
Ryokan
was a quiet and eccentric Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life.-Early life:...
(traditional Japanese inns), and hotels have developed in the area.
External links
- Onjuku official website in Japanese
- Chiba International Information Square in English