Ōtsu (大津市,Ōtsu-shi) is the capitalcity ofShiga Prefecture,Japan. As of 1 October 2021[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 343,991 in 153,458 households and apopulation density of 740 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 464.51 square kilometres (179.35 sq mi).
Ōtsu is part of ancientŌmi Province and has been settled since at least theYayoi period. It was an important center of inland water transportation on Lake Biwa and was referred to in theMan'yōshū as Shiga no Ōwada (志賀の大わだ) and Shigatsu (志賀津).[2] It was also on the main land routes, theTōkaidō and theNakasendō connecting the eastern provinces with the ancient capitals of Japan.[3][4] Additionally, the ancientHokurikudō, which connected Kyoto to the provinces of northernHonshu, ran through Ōtsu.[4] From 667 to 672, theŌmi Ōtsu Palace was founded byEmperor Tenji was the capital of Japan.[3] Following theJinshin War Ōtsu was renamedFurutsu (古津, "old port").[2] A new capital,Heian-kyō, (nowKyoto), was established in the immediate neighborhood in 794, and Ōtsu (meaning "big port") was revived as an important traffic point and satellite town of the capital. With the establishment of the new capital, the name of the city was restored to "Ōtsu".[5][2]
Ōtsu prospered during theEdo period because of its port on Lake Biwa and asŌtsu-juku, a majorshukuba on the Tōkaidō and Nakasendō highways. The city was under direct administration of theTokugawa shogunate, both for its strategic location and for its role as a center of travel and trade.[4]Zeze Domain was based in Zeze, a neighboringcastle town, and the smallerKatada Domain occupied the northern area of the present-day city from 1698 to 1826.[6][7]
TheMeiji Restoration of 1868 saw the establishment of a new central government in Tokyo and theabolition of the han system. Numerousprefectures under control of theMeiji government were created, and part of the old province ofŌmi was designated asŌtsu Prefecture in 1868. Several smaller prefectures were merged into Ōtsu Prefecture in 1871, which became part of present-day Shiga Prefecture on January 1, 1872. Ōtsu was named the prefectural capital of Shiga.[8][9] The town of Ōtsu was established on 1 April 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on 1 October 1898.
The street in Ōtsu, where the attack on Nicholas II was carried out, 1891
TheŌtsu incident, a failedassassination attempt onTsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich ofRussia (1868 – 1918, later TsarNicholas II), occurred on 11 May 1891. Nicholas, returning to Kyoto after a day trip toLake Biwa, was attacked with asaber byTsuda Sanzō (1855 – 1891), an escort policeman. Nicholas survived the assassination attempt, but the incident was seen as a crisis in Japanese-Russian relations.[10][11] For a while the local populace considered renaming the city to avoid the stigma associated with the scandal, but the idea was eventually shelved.
TheLake Biwa Canal (8.7 kilometres (5.4 mi)) was constructed in the 1890s betweenŌtsu and Kyoto. The canal, which was later expanded during theTaishō period, played an important role in connecting the cities, facilitating water and passenger transportation, and providing electrical energy to power Japan's firststreetcar railroad services. The canal wasdesignated aHistoric Site in 1996.[12][13]
The city area gradually expanded by annexation of the village of Shiga in 1932, towns of Zeze and Ishiyama in 1933, villages of Sakamoto, Ogoto, Sakashita-honmachi, Oishi and Shimoda-kamimura in 1951, and towns of Katata and Seta in 1967. On March 20, 2006, the town ofShiga (fromShiga District) ceased to exist after merging into Ōtsu.[4]
Ōtsu is located on the southern and western shore ofLake Biwa and occupies most of the southwestern portion of Shiga Prefecture.[5] The city is L-shaped and stretches along the southwest shore ofLake Biwa, Japan's largest lake.[4] Ōtsu ranges from the densely populatedalluvium depressions near the shore of Lake Biwa to sparsely populated hilly and mountainous areas to the west (Hira Mountains andMount Hiei) and south of the city.[5]Mount Hiei to the west encompasses much of the border of the city and Shiga Prefecture withKyoto.
Ōtsu has aHumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōtsu is 13.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1430 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.[15]
Climate data for Otsu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)
Ōtsu has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city council of 38 members, who serve a term of four years. Ōtsu contributes two members to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part ofShiga 1st district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan. The city hall of Ōtsu is located in the central Goryō-chō district of the city.[17][18] The mayor of Ōtsu is Kenji Sato, who became the 24th mayor of the city in 2020.
Ōtsu was historically noted for the production of several products, includingŌtsu-e, a form of folk drawing purchased by travelers in the Edo period; theŌtsu soroban, an abacus used widely in Japan from the early 17th century;Zeze-yaki andKonan-yaki, forms ofceramics produced in the Edo period; andZeze-cha, the first Japanese tea to be exported to the United States.[19][20][21][22]
Ōtsu has 37 public elementary schools and 18 public middle schools operated by the city government and one private elementary school and four private middle schools. There are nine public high schools operated by the Shiga Prefectural Department of Education and three private high schools. The prefecture also operates three special education schools for the handicapped.
Lansing, Michigan, United States, since 1969. Both Lansing and Ōtsu are capitals of their respective states/prefectures, which have been sister states since 1968.[29]
Ōtsu is home to numerous museums. TheShiga Prefectural Lake Biwa Culture Museum, founded in 1948, has exhibits on the culture of the Lake Biwa region.[30] TheMuseum of Modern Art, Shiga, was founded in 1984 and is located in the Setaminamigaya-chō district of the city.[31] TheŌtsu City Museum of History houses exhibits on the history of the city, as well as operating as a repository for cultural assets of Ōtsu. The museum is in the central Goryo-chō district directly north of Mii-dera.[32]
The city is home to two major libraries. TheShiga Prefectural Library, which houses approximately 1.2 million volumes, is located in the Setaminamigaya-chō district and operates as the central prefectural library. The library opened in 1943.[33] TheŌtsu Municipal Library operates as a general public library for the city. The Municipal Library has a main building in the Hama-Ōtsu district, as well as three branch libraries and severalbookmobiles.[34]
Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan, covers 673.9 square kilometres (260.2 sq mi) and is located at the center of the Shiga Prefecture.[35] The north part of the lake reaches a depth of 50 metres (160 ft), and the south part of the lake near Ōtsu is much shallower and reaches a depth of 5 metres (16 ft). Lake Biwa provides water for the industrial areas of the Kansai Region, irrigation and drinking water in the Shiga area. The lake has been a travel destination since ancient times, and continues to support the tourism industry of the prefecture.[36] The lake is protected as part ofBiwako Quasi-National Park.[35] Lake Biwa is home to theLake Biwa Marathon, which started in Osaka in 1946, and moved to Lake Biwa in 1962. It is considered to be the oldest marathon in Japan.[37]
TheYodo River (120 kilometres (75 mi)) emerges from the south of Lake Biwa.[38] The portion of the river that emerges from the lake is called the Seta River; the portion of the river in Kyoto is referred to as the Uji River; and the portion in Osaka as the Yodo River. TheSetagawa Dam was constructed in 1961 to regulate the level of Lake Biwa, is located in the Nangō district of Ōtsu.[39] The Yodo River is noted for having the largest number oftributaries of any river in Japan, and for supplying water for theHanshin Industrial Region.[40][41]
Ōmi Ōtsu Palace, the site of the imperial court under theEmperor Tenji (626 – 672) and capital of Japan from 672 to 794, is in the Nishikori district of Ōtsu. The site is adjacent to theŌmi Shrine.[42][43]
Mii-dera, formally known as Onjō-ji, is the head temple of theTendaiJimon sect. Mii-dera, which sits near the central area of the city, is one of the four largest temples inJapan. It has 40 buildings within its sprawling temple precinct.[45]Ishiyama-dera, aShingon temple, was founded in 749 by the monkRōben (689 – 773).
Ishiyama-dera is traditionally thought to be the site whereMurasaki Shikibu (c. 973 – c. 1014 or 1025) began writingThe Tale of Genji. The temple is noted for its large collection of early Buddhist manuscripts.[46][47]
TheEight Views of Ōmi refer to a series of scenic views ofŌmi Province, the present-dayShiga Prefecture. The eight views were chosen in 1500 by a court noble and poet of the Muromachi period,Konoe Masaie (1444 – 1505). The views were inspired by theEight Views of Xiaoxiang, China, and are located at the southern end of Lake Biwa. Six of the sites are within the city of Ōtsu, and two are located just beyond the borders of the city. The sights were depicted byHiroshige (1797 – 1858) in several different series ofukiyo-e pictures, and served as an inspiration for other artists and literary figures.[50][51]
TheŌtsu Matsuri is the largestfestival in the city. It begins Saturday, October 6 and ends on Sunday, October 7 and is connected to theTenson Shrine in the Kyō-machi district of the city. The Ōtsu Matsuri is similar to theGion Matsuri in Kyoto, and features thirteen tall lantern floats, which resemble those of the Gion. The floats featurekarakuri ningyō, or mechanical dolls which operate via special mechanisms.[52] The thirteen floats each have their own tradition, customs, and lineage, and are paraded through the city from 9:30 am until 5 pm on the day of the festival.[53] The Ōtsu Matsuri is thought to have begun in the early Edo period, and the first written record of the festival dates to 1624. Many of thehikiyama in use today date from the Edo period, and are accompanied bymatsuri-bayashi festival music unique to the city.[52] The Ōtsu Matsuri is designated a Prefectural Intangible Folk Treasure by Shiga Prefecture.[54]
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