Kashiwa (柏市,Kashiwa-shi) is acity located inChiba Prefecture, Japan.[1] As of May 1, 2024[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 435,578 in 199,926 households and apopulation density of 3800 persons per km2.[2] The total area of the city is 114.72 square kilometres (44.29 sq mi).
The name of the city is written with a singlekanji character:柏, a reference toQuercus dentata, commonly known in English as the Japanese emperor oak or daimyo oak.
Kashiwa is located on theShimōsa Plateau in the far northwestern corner of Chiba Prefecture, about 30 kilometers from the prefectural capital atChiba and 25 to 35 kilometers from central Tokyo.[3] It is separated from Ibaraki Prefecture to the north by theTone River. Located on theKanto Plain, the city is flat, with an elevation of between 5 and 32 meters above sea level.
Kashiwa has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kashiwa is 14.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1358 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.9 °C.[4]
Kashiwa has been settled since ancient times, and was historically part ofShimōsa Province. The area around Kashiwa was the site of theBattle of Sakainehara in 1478 early in theSengoku period (1467 – 1573). During theEdo period (1603 – 1868), the area wastenryō territory controlled directly by theTokugawa shogunate. The shogunate established a number of horse ranches which providedwar horses for the army of the shogunate. The Tokugawa shogunate put much effort into draining the marshy areas ofLake Tega (Lake Teganuma) during the Edo period as part of large-scaleland reclamation carried out across Japan.[3] Kashiwa was developed as apost station on theMito Kaidō, which connected the capitol atEdo withMito in present-dayIbaraki Prefecture.
After theMeiji Restoration in 1868, Kashiwa Village was created in Chiba Prefecture on October 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Kashiwa was connected to Tokyo by rail in 1896, and rail construction during theMeiji period (1868 – 1912) established the area as a commercial center.[1] Kashiwa became a town on September 15, 1926. Kashiwa, like much of northern Chiba Prefecture, saw the development of numerous military installations in the 1930s, notably after theMukden Incident in 1931.[3] TheImperial Japanese Army established Kashiwa Air Field and Kashiwa Military Hospital, and Kashiwa became a military town. The air field was abandoned after the end of World War II, but the hospital continues to exist as the Kashiwa Public Hospital.[1]
On September 1, 1954, Kashiwa absorbed neighboring Kogane Town and Tsuchi and Tanaka villages to form the new city of Tokatsu (東葛市,Tokatsu-shi). However, many politicians in Kogane Town were vehemently opposed to the merger, and forced its dissolution on October 15, 1954, with most of former Kogane Town merging withMatsudo city instead.[3] On November 1, 1954, Fuse Village broke away from Tokatsu, eventually joining Abiko Town to form the city of Abiko. The remaining portion of Tokatsu was renamed Kashiwa on November 15, 1954. On December 25, 1955, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the former Kashiwa City Hall, and burned down most of the center of the city. In the 1960s, Kashiwa was designated for reconstruction with a special fund from the central government, which included Japan's first pedestrian decks, completed at Kashiwa Station in 1973. Also during this period,new town developments greatly expanded the city's population.
On April 1, 2008, Kashiwa was designated as acore city, with increased local autonomy. In August 2010, the city population exceeded 400,000 people.
Kashiwa is a regional commercial center and abedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo.[1] Due to its good transportation connection with Tokyo, an estimated 42.3% of the working population (2015 census) commute to Tokyo for work. The city has a mixed industrial base, with food processing industries forming an important portion of the economy.Nikka Whisky Distilling,Asahi Soft Drinks, andIto Ham all have production facilities in Kashiwa. There is some residual agriculture of turnips, onions and spinach.[1]
Kashiwa has 42 public elementary schools and 20 public middle schools operated by the city government, and three private combined middle/high schools and one combined middle/high school operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education. The city has eight public high schools operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education and two private high schools. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.
^abcd柏 [Kashiwa].Kokushi Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012.OCLC683276033. Archived fromthe original on August 25, 2007. Retrieved2012-07-17.
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