From top left:Dōgo Onsen Honkan, Stone monument of Shiki Masaoka, Matsuyama Castle, Botchan train, The gate of Ishite-ji, Iyotetsu Matsuyama-shi Station, Gintengai Street
Matsuyama City HallEhime Prefectural Capital BuildingA panoramic view of the city fromMatsuyama Castle
Matsuyama (松山市,Matsuyama-shi;Japanese:[matsɯꜜjama]) is the capitalcity ofEhime Prefecture, on the island ofShikoku, inJapan and is also Shikoku's largest city. As of 1 October 2022[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 505,948 in 243,541 households and apopulation density of 1,200 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 429.35 square kilometres (165.77 sq mi).
Matsuyama is located in central Ehime Prefecture, facing theSeto Inland Sea to the north, the mountains of the Takanawa Peninsula to the north and east, and the Saragamine Mountain Range, an extension of theShikoku Mountains, to the south. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. The city also includes the Kutsuna Islands, an archipelago of 29 islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
In the twentieth century, variousmergers joined Matsuyama with neighboring towns ofDōgo,Mitsuhama, and other townships, aided byurban sprawl, creating a seamless modern city that now ranks as the largest in Shikoku. On October 1, 2018, Matsuyama absorbed the city ofHōjō, and town ofNakajima (from the formerOnsen District).
Matsuyama has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city council of 42 members. Matsuyama, together with Kumakōgen, contributes 16 members to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is split between Ehime 1st district and Ehime 2nd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
Matsuyama is a major regional commercial center. Key industries include agriculture represented bymandarin oranges, tourism centered around Dōgo Onsen and Matsuyama Castle, and manufacturing centered on chemical fibers. Industrial areas spread along the coast near airports and harbors, including the Teijin Group's largest production base, and factories of Miura (boiler manufacturer),Iseki (tractor and engine equipment),[5] Hatada Ichiroku (Japanese styleconfectionery), Poem, a food processing division of Pom (Ehime Drink Company), and theretailing companies Fuji and Daiki all have their headquarters in Matsuyama.
Matsuyama has 62 public elementary schools and 31 public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has seven public high schools operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education, including theEhime Prefectural Matsuyama Central Senior High School and theEhime Prefectural Matsuyama Higashi High School and two national high schools operated by Ehime University. There are two private combined middle/high schools and 11 private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.
Iyo Railway also operates a system of trams and buses that serve as the city's main modes of public transportation. Matsuyama is one of the few Japanese cities that did not do away with its originaltram system, which has been continually operated since 1887.
Dōgo Onsen HonkanBotchan Ressha at Dogo Station, Matsuyama
The city is known for itshot springs (onsen), among the oldest in Japan, and is home to theDōgo Onsen Honkan, a Meiji Period wooden public bathhouse dating from 1894.[7] A second favorite tourist spot isMatsuyama Castle. Eight of the eighty-eight temples in theShikoku Pilgrimage are in Matsuyama.
Buddhist temples in Matsuyama includeIshite-ji (石手寺),Taisan-ji (太山寺), andJōdo-ji (浄土寺), all dating back to the 8th century, although the oldest surviving buildings are from the early 14th century, as well asHōgon-ji (宝厳寺),Taihō-ji (大宝寺) andEnmyō-ji (円明寺). Shrines of the city includeIsaniwa Jinja (伊佐爾波神社), built in 1667.
The famed novelBotchan byNatsume Sōseki is set in Matsuyama. As a result, there are numerous sites and locales named after the main character, includingBotchan Stadium, theBotchan Ressha (an antique train that runs on the city's tramway), and Botchandango.
Matsuyama was also the setting of a 1907 novel about theRusso-Japanese War,As the Hague Ordains, by American writerEliza Ruhamah Scidmore. Matsuyama figures in the novel because the city housed a camp for Russian prisoners during the war. A Russian cemetery commemorates this important episode in Matsuyama history. TheRusso-Japanese War is also remembered in Matsuyama because of the contributions of two Japanese military leaders, the Akiyama brothers,Akiyama Saneyuki andAkiyama Yoshifuru, who were born in the city.
Matsuyama has several important museums.The Museum of Art, Ehime is the city's main art museum, its collections emphasizing the works of regional artists. TheShiki Memorial Museum is a museum that focuses on the life and work ofMasaoka Shiki, with special attention to his contribution tohaiku. TheSaka no Ue no Kumo Museum features exhibits connected with the novel and television series. There is aJuzo Itami museum dedicated to the film director.
Products (meibutsu) of Matsuyama includetarts and Botchandango. In the 17th century, the lord of Matsuyama castle Sadayuki Matsudaira (松平定行) introduced the process of tart-making, originally brought to Japan by the Portuguese, to Matsuyama. At first it was aCastella with jam. According to legend Sadayuki made some changes, such as addingred bean paste. Now there are many kinds and makers of tarts in Matsuyama; some addyuzu paste orchestnut to the red bean paste. In addition to tarts,Botchan dango is also a product of Matsuyama. Botchan dango was named after the novelBotchan byNatsume Sōseki. It consists of three bean paste beads of three flavors,matcha, egg, and red bean paste. Within the paste is containedmochi.
Matsuyama is the site of a number of festivals, including the Dogo Festival, held in the spring, the Matsuyama Festival, held in August, and the Fall Festival, held in October, which features battlingmikoshi.
_2.jpg)
.svg){kind=logo}
.JPG)
