Mutsu, Aomori

Mutsu むつ市
—  City  —
Mutsu city from Kamafuse-yama
Flag
Location of Mutsu in Aomori
Mutsu
Coordinates: 41°17′N 141°13′E / 41.283°N 141.217°E / 41.283; 141.217Coordinates: 41°17′N 141°13′E / 41.283°N 141.217°E / 41.283; 141.217
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Aomori
Government
- Mayor	Jun'ichirō Miyashitai
Area
- Total	863.79 km2 (333.5 sq mi)
Population (September 2009)
- Total	61,205
- Density	70.09/km2 (181.5/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Thujopsis
- Flower	Rugosa Rose
- Bird	Whooper Swan
Phone number	0175-22-1111
Address	1-1-1, Kanaya, Mutsu-shi, Aomori-ken 035-8686
Website	City of Mutsu

Mutsu (むつ市, Mutsu-shi^?) is a city located in northeastern Aomori in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 61,205 and a density of 70.09 persons per km². Its total area was 863.79 km², making it the largest municipality in Aomori Prefecture in terms of area.

Geography

Mutsu occupies most of Shimokita Peninsula and is bordered by Mutsu Bay to the south and the Tsugaru Strait to the north, and is the northernmost city on Honshū. The city has a cold maritime climate characterized by cool summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. Much of the city is within the limits of the Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park. The volcanic Osorezan Mountain Range extends across the northern portion of the city, and includes a number of caldera lakes.

Neighbouring municipalities

• Kazamaura
• Ōma
• Higashidōri
• Sai
• Yokohama

History

Mutsu was founded as September 1, 1959 through the merger of the former towns of Ōminato and Tanabu. Tanabu had been the location of a daikansho under the Morioka Domain in the Edo period, and was a resettlement and colonization zone for dispossessed ex-samurai of the defeated Aizu Domain after the Boshin War. Ōminato was a port town, and home to the Ōminato Guard District, a major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy until the end of World War II. The base facilities were used by the United States Navy during the occupation of Japan, and (on a reduced scale) by the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force to date.

The new city was originally called Ōminato-Tanabu (coupling of the names of two antecedent towns); its name was changed to Mutsu in 1960. At the time, it was the only city with a hiragana name (むつ), which was adopted to avoid confusion with the original kanji word Mutsu (陸奥) which indicates the old province that covered most of the modern Tōhoku region.

On March 14, 2005 the neighboring towns of Kawauchi and Ōhata and the village of Wakinosawa were merged into Mutsu.

Economy

The economy of Mutsu is heavily dependent on agriculture, forestry and fishing, especially scallop fishing in Mutsu Bay. The city is also the location for various facilities of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, and was the home port for the nuclear powered research vessel Mutsu, until its decommissioning in 1997.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company
  • Ōminato Line
    • Chikagawa, Kanayasawa, Akagawa, Shimokita, Ōminato

Highway

• Route 279 (Japan)
• Route 338 (Japan)

Noted people from Mutsu

• Yuya Asahina – Manga artist
• Yuzo Kawashima – movie director
• Ryu Fujisaki – Manga artist
• Fumie Hosokawa – actress and gravure model
• Kenichi Matsuyama – actor

Sister city

• - Port Angeles, Washington, United States

External links

• (Japanese) Mutsu official website