Ōshū 奥州市 | |
|---|---|
 From top left; Spring in Mizusawa Park, the Autumn rice harvest in Isawa, Maesawa and the Kitakami River in Summer from Mt. Otowa, Autumn foliage at Fujiwara no Sato in Esashi and a manhole cover in Koromogawa | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Ōshū in Iwate Prefecture | |
  Ōshū | |
| Coordinates:39°8′40.1″N141°08′20.9″E / 39.144472°N 141.139139°E /39.144472; 141.139139 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Iwate |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Masaaki Aihara |
| Area | |
• Total | 993.30 km2 (383.52 sq mi) |
| Population (April 30, 2020) | |
• Total | 114,620 |
| • Density | 115.39/km2 (298.87/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 0197-24-2111 |
| Address | 1-1 Ōtemachi, Mizusawa-ku, Ōshū-shi, Iwate-ken023-8501 |
| Climate | Cfa/Dfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Green pheasant |
| Flower | Sakura |
| Tree | Maple |
Ōshū (奥州市,Ōshū-shi) is acity located inIwate Prefecture,Japan. As of 30 April 2020[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 114,620 and apopulation density of 120 persons per km2 in 45,728 households.[1] The total area of the city is 993.30 square kilometres (383.52 sq mi). Ōshū is famous for its Maesawa Beef, numerous festivals, historic temples and shrines and Fujiwara no Sato, a theme park and movie lot based on the exploits of theNorthern Fujiwaras in the 12th century. Many famous people claim Ōshū as their home, includingLos Angeles Dodgersbaseball playerShohei Ohtani andIchiro Ozawa, the long-time leader of theDemocratic Party of Japan.
Ōshū is located in the south-central portion of Iwate Prefecture, bordered by theAkita Prefecture to the west. At 993.35 square kilometers, Ōshū is the second largest municipality inIwate Prefecture in terms of land area. The city lies in a fertile plain straddling theKitakami River and rises to theŌu Mountains in the west and theKitakami Mountains to the east. The city's highest point is Mt. Yakeishi-dake at 1,548 meters in the Ōu Mountains. The northern boundary is marked by theIsawa River while the Koromogawa River marks the southern border. Ishibuchi Dam creates a reservoir on the upper reaches of the Isawa River near Mt. Yakeishi-dake.
Akita Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
Ōshū has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) orhumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfa) depending on the isotherm used with warm summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Ōshū is 10.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1278 mm with September as the wettest month and January as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.5 °C.[2]
| Climate data forWakayanagi, Ōshū, Iwate (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.1 (57.4) | 15.9 (60.6) | 21.7 (71.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 33.6 (92.5) | 33.4 (92.1) | 35.8 (96.4) | 36.9 (98.4) | 34.7 (94.5) | 28.3 (82.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 19.3 (66.7) | 36.9 (98.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.1 (35.8) | 3.3 (37.9) | 8.0 (46.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 23.9 (75.0) | 27.0 (80.6) | 28.5 (83.3) | 24.5 (76.1) | 18.4 (65.1) | 11.5 (52.7) | 4.6 (40.3) | 15.6 (60.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.4 (29.5) | −0.7 (30.7) | 3.0 (37.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.8 (58.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 19.5 (67.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 6.6 (43.9) | 1.0 (33.8) | 10.8 (51.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.1 (22.8) | −4.7 (23.5) | −1.5 (29.3) | 3.2 (37.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 14.7 (58.5) | 18.8 (65.8) | 19.8 (67.6) | 15.5 (59.9) | 8.5 (47.3) | 2.1 (35.8) | −2.4 (27.7) | 6.5 (43.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.9 (−3.8) | −15.9 (3.4) | −13.2 (8.2) | −6.5 (20.3) | 0.9 (33.6) | 6.3 (43.3) | 9.0 (48.2) | 11.4 (52.5) | 4.4 (39.9) | −0.9 (30.4) | −8.2 (17.2) | −12.5 (9.5) | −19.9 (−3.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 65.1 (2.56) | 50.4 (1.98) | 83.6 (3.29) | 87.6 (3.45) | 109.4 (4.31) | 136.6 (5.38) | 186.3 (7.33) | 154.4 (6.08) | 166.9 (6.57) | 124.6 (4.91) | 80.7 (3.18) | 80.8 (3.18) | 1,325.2 (52.17) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 14.0 | 11.7 | 12.0 | 10.3 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 13.1 | 11.9 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 11.6 | 14.6 | 142.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 74.6 | 90.8 | 141.5 | 171.0 | 179.3 | 140.2 | 119.3 | 133.0 | 115.8 | 127.8 | 109.7 | 76.2 | 1,485.2 |
| Source:JMA[3][4] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Ōshū peaked at around the year 2000, and has been in decline since.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 93,876 | — |
| 1930 | 104,752 | +11.6% |
| 1940 | 110,980 | +5.9% |
| 1950 | 137,556 | +23.9% |
| 1960 | 138,272 | +0.5% |
| 1970 | 126,304 | −8.7% |
| 1980 | 130,318 | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 132,116 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 133,056 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 124,746 | −6.2% |
| 2020 | 112,937 | −9.5% |
The area of present-day Ōshū was part of ancientMutsu Province, and has been settled since at least theJapanese Paleolithic period.Isawa is especially rich inKofun Period remains from the 5th century. By theNara period, Japanese hunters, trappers, settlers and itinerant missionaries were visiting and settling in this area, and coming into contact with the nativeEmishi people. In 729,Kokuseki-ji temple claims to have been established by the Buddhist priestGyōki in a mountainous area to the east of the Kitakami River in what is nowMizusawa. In 776, two separate attacks were launched by theimperial dynasty against the Emishi with little success. In June 787 Emishi cavalry led byAterui and More surprised and routed a larger force of Japanese infantry in the Battle of Subuse (located in what is now part of Mizusawa). Despite these successes the Emishi could not hold out against the Japanese and in 802 Aterui and More surrendered and were beheaded. That same yearSakanoue no Tamuramaro, establishedIsawa Castle. Despite the victory the Japanese found if difficult to rule the territory directly. Six semi-autonomous districts were established along theKitakami River. Eventually these came under the control of a powerful Emishi clan from Appi, theAbe clan. Early in the 11th centuryAbe no Yoritoki refused to pay taxes to the central government, led raiding parties south of the Koromo River, and generally ruled as an independent monarch. This led to theZenkunen War (前九年合戦) or Early Nine-Years War (1050 - 1062), in whichMinamoto no Yoriyoshi reinforced by Kiyohara no Takenori fromDewa Province defeated the Abe clan. The area later came under the rule of theKiyohara clan. Corrupt administration by the Kiyohara led to theGosannen War (後三年合戦) or Latter Three Years' War (1083 - 1087) in whichMinamoto no Yoshiie subdued the Kiyohara.
Fujiwara no Kiyohira, the founder of theŌshū Fujiwara dynasty, was born in Fort Toyota which is now in the Iwayado area ofEsashi. Around 1100, he relocated toHiraizumi where he and his descendants ruled for nearly a hundred years.
In 1348, a Zen Buddhist priest named Mutei Ryōshō founded the temple of Shōbō-ji near Kokuseki-ji temple in Mizusawa. It is the third head temple of theSōtō sect of Zen Buddhism and boasts the largest thatched roof in Japan.
During theSengoku period, the area came under control of the powerfulDate clan. During this period, ItalianJesuit missionaries regarded it as a kingdom.[6] which they called "Voxu". Following theBattle of Sekigahara, theTokugawa shogunate confirmed the area was part ofSendai Domain underDate Masamune. One of his retainers was a certain Juan Gotō who commanded Date Masamune's gun regiment at Osaka in 1614 and 1615. He was also aKirishitan and established a church in the Fukuwara area of Mizusawa. After Christianity was outlawed in 1623 he went into hiding to escape capture. Foreign missionaries continued to visit the area in secret until December 1623 when the Jesuit Padre Diogo de Carvalho from Portugal was captured on the upper reaches of the Isawa River, sent to Sendai and forced to stand in the frozen Hirose River until he died in the early hours of what was then New Year's Day, namely February 19, 1624. There is a memorial to Juan Gotō in the Fukuwara area and many crypto-Christian remains can still be seen in that neighborhood.
Following theMeiji restoration, the area was assigned toIwate Prefecture rather thanMiyagi Prefecture as part of the governments efforts to break up formerSendai Domain, partly due to its role in opposing theMeiji government during theBoshin War. The town ofMizusawa was created withinIsawa District on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on April 1, 1954. The village ofEsashi was likewise created on April 1, 1889, raised to town status on February 10, 1955, and to city status on November 3, 1958.
The city of Ōshū was established on February 20, 2006, from the merger of the cities Esashi and Mizusawa with the towns ofIsawa andMaesawa, and the village ofKoromogawa.
Ōshū has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city legislature of 28 members. Ōshū, together with the city ofKanegasaki contributes five seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part ofIwate 3rd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
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East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Tōhoku Shinkansen
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Tōhoku Main Line
Tōhoku Expressway – Maesawa SA, Mizusawa IC
National Route 4
National Route 107
National Route 343
National Route 397
National Route 456
Breitenwang, Tirol, Austria, since June 2011[7]
Greater Shepparton,Victoria,Australia, since March 1979[7]Reutte,Tirol,Austria, since June 2011[7]
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