Izunokuni

Izunokuni 伊豆の国市
City
Ohito onsen in Izunokuni Ohito onsen in Izunokuni
Flag of Izunokuni Flag Official seal of Izunokuni Seal
Location of Izunokuni in Shizuoka Prefecture Location of Izunokuni in Shizuoka Prefecture
Izunokuni
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Shizuoka Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Yoshikazu Mochizuki (since April 2005, and former Ohito mayor since April 1991)
Area
• Total	94.71 km2 (36.57 sq mi)
Population (September 2014)
• Total	48,663
• Density	515/km2 (1,330/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Nageia nagi
- Flower	viola
Phone number	055-948-1413
Address	340-1 Nakaoka Izunokuni-shi, Shizuoka-ken 410-2292
Website	www.city.izunokuni.shizuoka.jp

File:Izunokuni-city-office.JPG

Izunokuni City Hall

Izunokuni (伊豆の国市, Izunokuni-shi) is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

As of September 2014, the city had an estimated population of 48,763 and a population density of 515 persons per km². The total area was 94.71 km².

History

During the late Heian and Kamakura periods, the town of Nirayama within the current borders of Izunokuni was the home of the Hōjō clan, which dominated Japanese politics in the 12th century. A castle was established at Nirayama by Ise Moritoki, founder of the Late Hōjō clan in 1493.During the Edo period, most of Izu Province was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, who ruled Izu and parts of eastern Suruga Province from a daikansho established at Nirayama. After the Meiji Restoration, the area became the short-lived Nirayama Prefecture, which was merged into the equally short-lived Ashigara Prefecture in 1871. From 1876, the area has been part of Shizuoka Prefecture. During the cadastral reform of 1886, the area was reorganized into several villages under Kimisawa District, which was with Tagata District in 1896.

In 1934, Izunagaoka was elevated to town status, followed by Ōhito in 1940, and Nirayama in 1962.

The modern city of Izunokuni was created on April 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Izunagaoka, Nirayama and Ohito (all from Tagata District).

Geography

Izunokuni is located on the northern "neck" of the Izu Peninsula in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. The region is hilly, with numerous hot springs. The climate of the region is temperate maritime, with hot, humid summers and short, cool winters, with the warm Kuroshio Current offshore having a moderating effect.

Surrounding municipalities

• Atami
• Izu
• Itō
• Numazu
• Kannami

Economy

The economy of Izunokuni is dominated by agriculture (strawberries and tomatoes) and by tourism related to the hot spring resort industry.

Transportation

Railway

• Izuhakone Railway - Sunzu Line
  • Baraki - Nirayama - Izu-Nagaoka - Ōhito - Takyō

Highway

• Japan National Route 136
• Japan National Route 414

Local attractions

Nirayama reverberatory furnace site

Areverberatory furnace for the purpose of manufacturing cannon was built in what is now part of Izunokuni by the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate in 1857. It was officially registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as one of the constituent Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining in 2015

File:Nirayama-Hansharo.jpg

Nirayama reverberatory furnace site

Sister City relations

• - Gainesville, Georgia, USA

Notable people from Izunokuni

• Sayuri Iwata - actress
• Takanobu Hozumi - actor and voice actor

A view from top of Mount Jōyama in Izunokuni

A view from top of Mount Jōyama in Izunokuni

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Izunokuni City official website (Japanese)