Sakata 酒田市 | |
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 Sakata Festival, held annually in May | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture | |
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  Sakata | |
| Coordinates:38°54′52.1″N139°50′11.2″E / 38.914472°N 139.836444°E /38.914472; 139.836444 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Yamagata |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Itaru Maruyama (from September 2015) |
| Area | |
• Total | 602.97 km2 (232.81 sq mi) |
| Population (March 31, 2023) | |
• Total | 96,777 |
| • Density | 160.50/km2 (415.69/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 0234-22-5111 |
| Address | 2-2-45, Honchō, Sakata-shi, Yamagata-ken 998-8540 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Aquila chrysaetos |
| Flower | Hemerocallis |
| Tree | Zelkova |
Sakata (酒田市,Sakata-shi) is acity located inYamagata Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 March 2023[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 96,777 in 42,600 households,[1] and apopulation density of 180 people per km2. The total area of the city is 602.97 km2 (232.81 sq mi).
Sakata is located in the coastal plains of the northwest corner of Yamagata Prefecture, bordered by theSea of Japan to the west, and byAkita Prefecture to the north. The city hasMount Chōkai on its northern border; however, the urban center is in the flatlands of the Shōnai Plains on the right bank of theMogami River. The inhabited island ofTobishima, approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi) off the coast of the mainland, is within the administrative borders of the city. The island, as well as part of the mainland portion of the city, is within the borders of theChōkai Quasi-National Park[2]
Akita Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
Sakata has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Sakata is 13.0 °C (55.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,986.8 mm (78.22 in) with November 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 1.9 °C (35.4 °F).[3]
| Climate data for Sakata, elevation 3 m (9.8 ft), (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1937−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 28.6 (83.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 34.2 (93.6) | 37.7 (99.9) | 40.1 (104.2) | 36.8 (98.2) | 32.1 (89.8) | 24.8 (76.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 40.1 (104.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 5.2 (41.4) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.8 (58.6) | 20.3 (68.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 27.6 (81.7) | 29.7 (85.5) | 25.8 (78.4) | 19.8 (67.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 7.6 (45.7) | 16.8 (62.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) | 2.2 (36.0) | 5.1 (41.2) | 10.2 (50.4) | 15.7 (60.3) | 20.0 (68.0) | 23.8 (74.8) | 25.5 (77.9) | 21.6 (70.9) | 15.6 (60.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 4.5 (40.1) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.6 (30.9) | −0.8 (30.6) | 1.4 (34.5) | 5.8 (42.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 16.5 (61.7) | 20.7 (69.3) | 22.0 (71.6) | 17.8 (64.0) | 11.6 (52.9) | 5.9 (42.6) | 1.6 (34.9) | 9.5 (49.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −16.9 (1.6) | −12.8 (9.0) | −9.9 (14.2) | −3.7 (25.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | 7.5 (45.5) | 9.5 (49.1) | 13.2 (55.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 1.4 (34.5) | −5.1 (22.8) | −12.5 (9.5) | −16.9 (1.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 177.7 (7.00) | 118.4 (4.66) | 111.1 (4.37) | 103.6 (4.08) | 122.6 (4.83) | 125.3 (4.93) | 218.7 (8.61) | 205.6 (8.09) | 176.2 (6.94) | 188.6 (7.43) | 222.0 (8.74) | 217.0 (8.54) | 1,986.8 (78.22) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 85 (33) | 62 (24) | 20 (7.9) | trace | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (1.2) | 40 (16) | 211 (83) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 25 (9.8) | 23 (9.1) | 8 (3.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.8) | 15 (5.9) | 32 (13) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 24.1 | 19.1 | 17.1 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 12.6 | 11.3 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 19.3 | 23.5 | 188.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 1 cm) | 18.3 | 15.2 | 5.8 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 9.2 | 49.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 72 | 70 | 67 | 67 | 71 | 75 | 79 | 76 | 75 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 72 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 36.8 | 60.1 | 115.1 | 169.0 | 194.7 | 181.9 | 159.5 | 199.5 | 156.8 | 136.1 | 84.3 | 41.7 | 1,538.8 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[4][3] | |||||||||||||
According to Japanese census data,[5] the population of Sakata has declined in recent decades.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 88,948 | — |
| 1930 | 99,112 | +1.09% |
| 1940 | 99,103 | −0.00% |
| 1950 | 125,734 | +2.41% |
| 1960 | 127,229 | +0.12% |
| 1970 | 120,212 | −0.57% |
| 1980 | 125,622 | +0.44% |
| 1990 | 122,850 | −0.22% |
| 2000 | 121,614 | −0.10% |
| 2010 | 111,151 | −0.90% |
| 2020 | 100,273 | −1.02% |
The area of present-day Sakata was the location of theprovincial capital of ancientDewa Province, although the precise location has yet to be discovered by archaeologists. A port at the mouth of the Mogami River is known to have existed since theKamakura period. Although silting rendered it less important in theMuromachi period, the area developed as a major center for thekitamaebune coastal trade during theEdo period. By the earlyMeiji period, the Honma clan, a local merchant clan, dominated trade and emerged as the largest landholder in Japan.[citation needed] Traces of their powerful influence on Sakata City can still be seen across the city. This includes the Honma Museum and The Honma Gardens located in the downtown area.[6]
With the establishment of the modern municipalities system after the start of the Meiji period, the area was organized as Sakata Town underAkumi District, Yamagata Prefecture in 1878. Approximately 80% of the town was destroyed by the1894 Shōnai earthquake and subsequent fires. The modern city of Sakata was founded on April 1, 1933.
The city largely escaped damage duringWorld War II, save for a loneair raid on its port district on August 10, 1945, which left 30 people dead or missing.
On September 20, 1944, over 200 British prisoners of war transfer to the newly created POW camp, known officially as Sakata Branch Camp (Sendai 9-B). The British would later be joined by American, Dutch and Australian POW's. The camp was liberated in September 1945.[7] The camp was originally established as Tokyo 22B, jurisdictional transferred toSendai on April 14, 1945. The camp roster included:
Most of the POW's were transferred from camps in theOsaka andTokyo area and many had survived the sinking of the steamshipsKachidoki Maru andRakuyo Maru. The men were used as forced labor at the Port of Sakata and some worked for Nittsu, also known asNippon Express, still operating in Japan today.
On October 29, 1976, Sakata suffered from a major fire which gutted 22.5 hectares of its city center, destroying 1,774 buildings and injuring 964 people (and one fatality).
On November 1, 2005, the towns ofHirata,Matsuyama, andYawata (all fromAkumi District) were merged into Sakata.
Sakata has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 28 members. The city contributes five members to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 3 of the lower house of theDiet of Japan.
The economy of Sakata is based on light manufacturing,agriculture, andcommercial fishing. TheSakata Kyodo Thermal Power Station is a fossil-fueled power station operated by a joint venture ofTohoku Electric and Sumitomo Aluminum in the city.
Major employers include Maeta Seikan,[8] which makes concrete products and has played a major role in supporting reconstruction after the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Kao, a chemical and cosmetics company[9] and the electronics company,Seiko Epson. Seiko Epson uses the localShonai Airport for weekly employee charter flights to and fromMatsumoto, Nagano since 1997.
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East Japan Railway Company -Uetsu Main Line
East Japan Railway Company -Rikuu West Line
Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway
Yamagata Expressway: (Sakata, Sakata Minato, and Shōnai Airport interchanges)
National Route 7
National Route 47
National Route 112
National Route 344
National Route 345
Tangshan,Hebei,China, since July 26, 1990[10]
Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky,Irkutsk Oblast,Russia, since October 8, 1979[10]
Delaware,Ohio,United States, since April 19, 2017[11]
Pontianak,West Kalimantan,IndonesiaTheSakata Festival is a major historical festival held every year between May 19 and May 21. The first festival was held in 1609, during the Edo period, and was called theSannō Matsuri (山王祭,lit. 'Sannō Festival'). However, after a large fire damaged much of Sakata in 1976, the festival became a memorial event and was renamedSakata Matsuri (酒田祭,lit. 'Sakata Festival'). There is a large parade in the central streets of the city, which features festival floats and dancers from schools, local companies, and community organizations. Hugeshishi gashira (獅子頭,lit. 'lion heads') are symbols of the festival. It is said that children chewed by theshishi gashira will become smart and healthy. About 350 stalls line the side of the main street selling snacks, drinks, and crafts.[12]
The celebration of the Sakata Festival was not interrupted by the eruption ofMount Chōkai in 1801, the1894 Shōnai earthquake,the 1796 and 1976 Great Fires in Sakata, World War I, or World War II; however, it was interrupted in 2020 and 2021, due to prevention measures associated with the worldwideCOVID-19 pandemic.[citation needed]
Sakata was the shooting location for the following movies:
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English Informationhttps://www.thehiddenjapan.com/sakata
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