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Hamadōri 浜通り | |
|---|---|
 Riders at the Sōma-nomaoi festival, which is held annually in northern Hamadōri | |
 Hamadōri comprises the eastern third of Fukushima Prefecture | |
| Country | Japan |
| Prefecture | Fukushima |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,969.11 km2 (1,146.38 sq mi) |
| Population (1 October 2017[1]) | |
• Total | 452,588 |
| • Density | 152.432/km2 (394.798/sq mi) |
Hamadōri (浜通り) is the easternmost of the three regions ofFukushima Prefecture,Japan, the other two beingNakadōri in the central area of the prefecture andAizu in the west. Hamadōri is bordered by theAbukuma Highlands to the west and thePacific Ocean to the east.
The principal city of the area isIwaki.
Inancient Japan, the area currently known as Hamadōri served as a connecting route on the so-calledKaidō (海道, "Sea Road") route fromKinai in the central area of the country toMutsu Province in northeastern Japan. The region that the road traversed also came to be known as Kaidō.
Following the implementation of theRitsuryō system, the route's name was changed toTōkaidō (東海道, "East Sea Road"). Despite the newly named Tōkaidō route extending up toTaga Castle in present-dayMiyagi Prefecture, the region known asTōkaidō extended only as far as the northernmost border ofHitachi Province, and the area of Hamadōri was considered a part of theTōsandō region.
Following the conclusion of theBoshin War, the eastern section of present-day Fukushima Prefecture split off fromMutsu Province and formedIwaki Province, the area of which included theShirakawa District and the southern portion of modern-dayMiyagi Prefecture, which theShirakawa clan andDate clan, respectively, conquered during theSengoku period.
The Kaidō/Tōkaidō route has been used continuously since the times of ancient Japan and into the modern age, withNational Route 6, theJōban Expressway, and theJōban Line all beginning inTokyo and running north along the route.
Compared to the cities of theSōma Domain in the northern area of present-day Hamadōri,Taira, in the south, was more developed due to it having had a longer history of being a political center, its close proximity to Tokyo, and its higher population and levels of commerce. Due to these reasons, Hamadōri is also sometimes subdivided intoIwaki (いわき) to refer to the city of Iwaki in the south andSōsō (相双) to refer to the cities inFutaba District and the former Sōma Domain the north.
Hamadōri, which can be literally translated to “coastal path”, makes up the eastern third of Fukushima Prefecture and comprises the entirety of the prefecture's Pacific Ocean coastal region.
The eastern section of Hamadōri is largely coastal plains sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Abukuma Highlands to the west. Hamadōri extends to the west until the Abukuma Highlands'ridge, which forms the border withNakadōri.
Hamadōri belongs toJapan's Pacific Climate Zone, and seasonal winds from theSea of Japan are largely blocked by theŌu Mountains and the Abukuma Highlands, leading to mild winters with little snowfall.
It is said that inancient Japan, present-day Hamadōri was in the possession of theIwaki noKuni no miyatsuko (石城国造). Shortly following the organization of a national government through theRitsuryō system,Iwaki Province was founded in 718 then approximately a decade later was absorbed intoMutsu Province.
Near the end of theHeian period, theIwaki clan, having connections toHiraizumi, built a base in Iinodaira, which is now a part of the present-day city of Iwaki. There they built theShiramizu Amidadō temple and held power over the southern section of Hamadōri.
Entering into theKamakura period, theSōma clan moved fromNagareyama in present-dayChiba Prefecture to the northern area of Hamadōri and gained control over the formerIwaki Province's districts ofUda,Namekata, andShineha.
During theSengoku period, Hamadōri served as a buffer zone between theSatake clan, based in modern-dayIbaraki Prefecture, and theDate clan, which had control over present-dayMiyagi Prefecture, north-centralFukushima Prefecture, and southernYamagata Prefecture.
In theBattle of Sekigahara the Iwaki clan fought for the western side, however after the western army was defeated the Iwaki clan was exiled and fled toYurihonjō, Akita. Following the exile of the Iwaki clan, southern Hamadōri became theIwakidaira Domain. Control of the Iwakidaira Domain subsequently repeatedly switched back and forth between theTorii clan and theAndō clan.
Meanwhile, in northern Hamadōri the Sōma and Date clans came to an agreement, with the Sōma clan being granted continued rule over the lands, with the name changed to theSōma Domain. It was during this time in theEdo period that Sōma's famed specialty product,Sōma-yaki pottery, began to be developed.
Following theMeiji Restoration, thefeudal domain system wasabolished and theprefecture system was established. In line with this, the Iwakidaira, Sōma, andTanagura domains were combined into a newIwaki Province which was later changed toIwasaki Prefecture in 1875. The following year, on August 21, 1876, Iwasaki Prefecture merged with Fukushima Prefecture andWakamatsu Prefecture to form present-day Fukushima Prefecture.
Beginning during the Meiji period'srapid industrialization and continuing until thepost-war rapid economic growth period, the southern section of Hamadōri and the northern part ofIbaraki Prefecture were developed by mining mogulFusanosuke Kuhara, with operations based inHitachi, Ibaraki. TheJōban Coalfield extended fromTomioka, Fukushima down to Hitachi, Ibaraki, with many smallermining communities dotting the area in between.
In the midst of the post-war economic growth period,Onahama developed into anindustrial area. It was during this time period that the mines of the Jōban Coalfield were closed. Following the mines' closure, multiplenuclear power plants andfossil-fuel power plants were opened, turning Hamadōri into a major electricity-generating area.
In addition to power generation, facilities making use of Hamadōri's mild weather such as theJ-Village soccer training camp andSpa Resort Hawaiians contributed to the local economies.
On March 11, 2011, theGreat East Japan earthquake greatly affected the area. The earthquake shook large sections of Hamadōri with an intensity ofshindo 6+, the second-highest level on the scale. Furthermore, a massivetsunami hit and flooded the coast. The combination of the powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami resulted in both large-scale loss of life and massive damage to property and infrastructure. Notably, theFukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was heavily damaged by the tsunami, leading to theFukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
Due to being sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Abukuma Highlands, Hamadōri tends to be more deeply linked with other cities along theJōban Line, namelyMito to the south andSendai to the north, than when compared to other cities in Fukushima Prefecture, such asFukushima (Fukushima Prefecture's capital) orKōriyama (the prefecture's economic and transportation hub), both of which are in the prefecture'sNakadōri region. Due to this, the southern part of Hamadōri has deeper ties withIbaraki Prefecture compared to theTōhoku region of which it is officially a part of.
This can be observed in the regions' goods and tourism advertising, as advertising inSōma in the north tends to emphasize Hamadōri, whereas advertising in Iwaki in the south also emphasizes the northern area of Ibaraki Prefecture. Iwaki products are also sold atHitachi Station, which is in Ibaraki.
Also, many households in the north of Hamadōri receive local TV stations fromMiyagi Prefecture, whereas many in the south receiveKantō stations.
The administrative area of theSōsō Regional Development Bureau (相双地方振興局管内,Sōsō Chihō Shinkō-kyoku) had a 2010 population of195,938 people.[2]
The administrative area of theIwaki Regional Development Bureau (いわき地方振興局管内,Iwaki Chihō Shinkō-kyoku) had a 2010 population of342,198 people.[2]
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