Date 伊達市 | |
|---|---|
 Date City Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Date in Fukushima Prefecture | |
  Date | |
| Coordinates:37°49′8.9″N140°33′46.7″E / 37.819139°N 140.562972°E /37.819139; 140.562972 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Fukushima |
| Area | |
• Total | 265.12 km2 (102.36 sq mi) |
| Population (May 31, 2020) | |
• Total | 59,625 |
| • Density | 220/km2 (580/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 024-575-2570 |
| Address | 180 Hobaramachi aza Funabashi, Date-shi, Fukushima-ken 960-0692 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Wagtail |
| Flower | Peach |
| Tree | Pinus densiflora |
Date (伊達市,Date-shi,[date]) is acity inFukushima Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 May 2020[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 59,625 in 22,843 households and apopulation density of 220 persons per km2. The total area of the city was 265.10 square kilometres (102.36 sq mi).[1]
Date occupies the eastern half of the Fukushima Basin in northern Fukushima prefecture, withMiyagi Prefecture on its northern border. The area was once noted forsericulture but transitioned to fruit cultivation during theTaishō period. It is currently organized into the five former towns of Date,Hobara,Yanagawa,Ryozen, andTsukidate, each of which retain numerous unique traditions and events. Hobara is the central area, where the municipal government is based.[2]
Fukushima Prefecture
Miyagi Prefecture
Date has ahumid climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa). The average annual temperature in Date is 12.8 °C (55.0 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,227 mm (48.3 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.5 °C (77.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.4 °C (34.5 °F).[3]
| Climate data forYanagawa, Date (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.6 (61.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 25.4 (77.7) | 32.2 (90.0) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.6 (97.9) | 39.1 (102.4) | 40.0 (104.0) | 36.7 (98.1) | 30.8 (87.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 20.9 (69.6) | 40.0 (104.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 7.2 (45.0) | 11.2 (52.2) | 17.7 (63.9) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.7 (78.3) | 28.9 (84.0) | 30.4 (86.7) | 26.2 (79.2) | 20.6 (69.1) | 14.6 (58.3) | 8.7 (47.7) | 18.3 (65.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) | 2.0 (35.6) | 5.2 (41.4) | 10.9 (51.6) | 16.4 (61.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.9 (76.8) | 20.9 (69.6) | 14.8 (58.6) | 8.6 (47.5) | 3.6 (38.5) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | −2.6 (27.3) | −0.4 (31.3) | 4.6 (40.3) | 10.3 (50.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.0 (69.8) | 16.7 (62.1) | 9.9 (49.8) | 3.2 (37.8) | −1.0 (30.2) | 7.8 (46.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −12.6 (9.3) | −12.1 (10.2) | −10.2 (13.6) | −4.4 (24.1) | 0.4 (32.7) | 5.8 (42.4) | 10.3 (50.5) | 11.6 (52.9) | 5.7 (42.3) | −1.7 (28.9) | −5.2 (22.6) | −16.2 (2.8) | −16.2 (2.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 49.9 (1.96) | 33.0 (1.30) | 64.1 (2.52) | 75.1 (2.96) | 83.0 (3.27) | 109.4 (4.31) | 159.2 (6.27) | 143.9 (5.67) | 158.4 (6.24) | 123.4 (4.86) | 52.3 (2.06) | 41.5 (1.63) | 1,095.4 (43.13) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.9 | 6.5 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.9 | 10.8 | 13.2 | 10.7 | 11.0 | 8.7 | 6.7 | 8.1 | 108.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 133.2 | 142.5 | 172.1 | 186.6 | 192.0 | 145.5 | 135.6 | 157.3 | 127.1 | 132.0 | 127.6 | 119.2 | 1,765.3 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[4][5] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[6] the population of Date has declined over the past 70 years.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 80,527 | — |
| 1960 | 76,361 | −5.2% |
| 1970 | 73,767 | −3.4% |
| 1980 | 74,186 | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 74,200 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 71,817 | −3.2% |
| 2010 | 66,027 | −8.1% |
| 2020 | 58,240 | −11.8% |
A whole body skeleton ofPaleoparadoxia was excavated in Yanagawa on August 21, 1984. The skeleton is named the “Yanagawa Specimen”. The first humans to live within the bounds of present-day Date City are thought to have arrived during thePaleolithic Period. The area was part of ancientMutsu Province. Towards the end of theHeian Period, Shinobu-gun (present day Fukushima City) and Date-gun (encompassing not only present day Date, but also Koori Town to the North and Kawamata Town to the South) were awarded toDate Tomomune.[7] Tomomune founded theDate clan in present-day Hobara. The 17th lord of the Date Clan,Date Masamune lost control of the area and went on to found the Sendai Clan and theCity of Sendai.[7] The clan continued to rule over theSendai Domain during theEdo period. However, under the Edo periodTokugawa shogunate, most of the area of Date was initially part ofYonezawa Domain, followed byFukushima Domain andYanagawa Domain before becomingtenryō territory under direct control of the shogunate. It was not part of the Date Clan's territories. After theMeiji Restoration, the area was organized as part ofNakadōri region ofIwaki Province.
As of 1889, at the time of the establishment of the modern municipalities system, the area consisted of 21 towns and villages. Between the years 1955 and 1960, these were consolidated into the five towns of Date (formerly the villages of Nagaoka and Fushiguro),Hobara (formerly the town of Hobara and the villages of Ooda, Kamihobara, Hashirazawa, and Tominari),Ryōzen (formerly the villages of Ryozen, Kakeda, Oguni, and Ishido),Tsukidate (formerly the villages of Ote and Otegawa), andYanagawa (formerly the town of Yanagawa and the villages of Awano, Sekimoto, Shirane, Ooeda, Isazawa, Tomino, and Yamafunyuu), which merged to create the modern city of Date on January 1, 2006.[7]
Date is about 60 kilometres (37 miles) north-west ofFukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, the site of thenuclear accident that followed the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Although outside the nuclear accident exclusion zone, the levels of radiation in the city caused residents, and especially children, to remain indoors.[8]
In 2016 an anime was produced in promotion of the city.Masamune Datenicle (政宗ダテニクル) features a young Date Masamune who meets a dragon deity that gives him the ability to call upon former leaders of the Date Clan.[9]
Date has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city legislature of 22 members. Date, together with the three municipalities of Date District, collectively contribute three members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part ofFukushima 1st district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
The economy of Date is primarily agricultural, with an emphasis on rice and horticulture. The area is noted for its peaches and dried persimmons.
Taiyo Yuden operates a metal power inductor production plant in theYanagawa Industrial Zone in Date, Fukushima, which also producedCD,DVD andBlu-ray discs in the past.[10]
Date City's location in central Fukushima (Nakadōri), in the middle ofFukushima Basin, helps in the cultivation of peaches. The most common varieties grown in the area are Akatsuki, Kawanakajima, and Yuuzora.[11]
As sericulture lost its place in the area during the Taisho period, the former village of Isazawa in Yanagawa replaced it with the production of dried persimmons, among other industries. Dried persimmons had been produced in the area since the Edo Period. However, the addition of sulfur fumigation as was used in the production of raisins in the United States, allowed for a much sweeter product. Whereas traditional dried persimmons,hoshigaki, have a tough skin and are almost black in color, those created with the additional step of sulfur fumigation, calledanpogaki ortsurushigaki, are soft and bright orange.
Although the production of anpogaki was halted for three years after the 2011 disaster, Date City's persimmon orchards have since been decontaminated and testing machines have been installed, ensuring the safety of the final product.[12]
Date City has fourteen public elementary schools, six public junior high schools, one public high school, and one private high school:[13]
| Area | Public/Private | School |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Public | Date Elementary (伊達小学校) |
| Public | East Date Elementary (伊達東小学校) | |
| Yanagawa | Public | Yanagawa Elementary (梁川小学校) |
| Public | Awano Elementary (粟野小学校) | |
| Public | Sekimoto Elementary (磧本小学校) | |
| Hobara | Public | Hobara Elementary (保原小学校) |
| Public | Ota Elementary (大田小学校) | |
| Public | Kamihobara Elementary (上保原小学校) | |
| Public | Hashirazawa Elementary (柱沢小学校) | |
| Ryōzen | Public | Kakeda Elementary (掛田小学校) |
| Public | Ishida Elementary (石田小学校) | |
| Public | Oguni Elementary (小国小学校) | |
| Public | ||
| Tsukidate | Public | Tsukidate Academy (月舘学園)formerly Tsukidate Elementary (月舘小学校) |
| Public |
| Area | Public/Private | School |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Public | Date Middle School (伊達中学校) |
| Yanagawa | Public | Yanagawa Middle School (梁川中学校) |
| Hobara | Public | Shōyō Middle School (松陽中学校) |
| Public | Tōryō Middle School (桃陵中学校) | |
| Ryōzen | Public | Ryōzen Middle School (霊山中学校) |
| Tsukidate | Public | Tsukidate Academy (月舘学園)formerly Tsukidate Middle School (月舘中学校) |
| Area | Public/Private | School |
|---|---|---|
| Hobara | Public | Date High School（福島県立伊達高等学校）formerly Hobara High School (福島県立保原高等学校) |
| Yanagawa | Public | |
| Date | Private | Seikō Gakuin High School (私立聖光学院高等学校) |
Held every year early to mid August, and features the Hobara Yoitoko Dance and Bon dance. Other specifics vary by year, but often include food stands from local vendors, various performances, and the Momo-Olympics where visitors can participate in various games to win prizes.
Held around mid-August, this festival feature fireworks, foodstalls and lanterns.
Held mid-October, local taiko groups form their own Taiko floats to perform around Jinya Street.
Begun over 300 years ago, this festival is held every year at Itsukushima Shrine on the first Sunday of March. The main event is a three-way tug of war by men dressed solely in fundoshi and zori. After the winning team is decided, the men work together to lift and drop the heavy bundle repeatedly. This movement causes the hot mochi rice inside to form mochi, which is then passed out to the audience.
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East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Tōhoku Main Line
AbukumaExpress –Abukuma Express Line
Sister cities withRevere, MA, United States, since August 2016
2020 Tokyo Olympics "Arigatou" Host Town for theRepublic of Guyana as of August, 2019[18]
Media related toDate, Fukushima at Wikimedia Commons| Core cities |  | |
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