Nishio, Aichi

Nishio 西尾市
—  City  —
Flag
Location of Nishio in Aichi
Nishio
Coordinates: 34°51′45″N 137°03′45″E / 34.8625°N 137.0625°E / 34.8625; 137.0625Coordinates: 34°51′45″N 137°03′45″E / 34.8625°N 137.0625°E / 34.8625; 137.0625
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu, Tōkai
Prefecture	Aichi
Government
- Mayor	Yasumasa Sakakibara (since July 2009)
Area
- Total	160.34 km2 (61.9 sq mi)
Population (July 1, 2011)
- Total	165,443
- Density	1,030/km2 (2,667.7/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Symbols
- Tree	Camphor laurel
- Flower	Rose
Phone number	0563-56-2111
Address	22 Yorizumichō Shimoda, Nishio-shi, Aichi-ken 445-8501
Website	city.nishio.aichi.jp

Nishio (西尾市, Nishio-shi^?) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city has an estimated population of 165,443 and a population density of 1,030 persons per km². The total area is 160.34 km².

Geography

Nishio is situated on the northern coast of Mikawa Bay on the Pacific Ocean in southern Aichi Prefecture. Sheltered by Chita Peninsula and Atsumi Peninsula, the climate is mild, and parts of the city lie within the borders of the Mikawa Wan Quasi-National Park

Neighboring municipalities

• Okazaki
• Heikinan
• Kōta
• Anjō
• Gamagōri

History

Nishio was the home territory for the Sakai clan during the Sengoku period, based at Nishio Castle. The area eventually came under the control of the Tokugawa clan, and during the Edo period, most of the area was ruled by Nishio Domain, a minor fudai feudal domain of the Tokugawa shogunate. The area prospered as a fishing port, and due to its location on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto, although the town itself suffered considerable damage due to a tsunami in the 1707 Hōei earthquake.

After the start of the Meiji period, Nishio Village in Hazu District was proclaimed in 1871. Following the 1891 Mino-Owari earthquake, a tsunami killed over 60 people.

Nishio was elevated to town status on May 1, 1906. The town suffered damaged in the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, which killed 32 people, and the 1945 Mikawa earthquake, which killed 765. The town borders were expanded in 1954 with the annexation of neighboring Heisaka and Terazu towns and Fukuchi and Muroba villages, followed by Sanwa and Meiji villages in 1955. The 1959 Typhoon Vera caused considerable damage to the area, with 20 people killed. On April 1, 2011 Isshiki, Hazu and Kira, merged into Nishio. Hazu District was dissolved as a result of this merger. The city of Gamagōri was proclaimed on April 1, 1954 when the town of Gamagōri merged with the neighboring town of Miya and village of Shiotsu. The village of Otsuka joined Gamagōri on October 1, 1956, followed by Katahara on April 1, 1962 and Nishiura on April 1, 1963.

Economy

Nishio is a regional commercial center and fishing port, with a mixed economy of light manufacturing and agriculture. Numerous suppliers to the Japanese automotive industry have production plants in Nishio.

Transportation

Rail

• Meitetsu Nishio Line
  • Yonezu • Sakuramachi-mae • Nishioguchi • Nishio • Fukuchi • Kami-Yokosuka • Kira-Yoshida
• Meitetsu Gamagōri Line
  • Kira-Yoshida • Mikawa-Toba • Nishi-Hazu • Higashi-Hazu • Kodomonokuni

Highways

• Japan National Route 23
• Japan National Route 247

Sister city relations

• Porirua, New Zealand
• Echizen, Fukui, Japan
• Ena, Gifu, Japan

Local events

In 2006, the city entered the Guinness Book of Records for having the largest simultaneous tea ceremony in the world at any one time with 14,718 participants. This record was later beaten by a tea party in Indore, India in 2008.^[1]

Noted people from Nishio

• Jitsuo Inagaki – politician
• Toshio Iwai – video game artist and musician
• Hitoki Iwase – professional baseball player
• Oguri Jukichi – Edo period castaway
• Koen Kondo – actor
• Mami Koyama – politician
• Tetsuya Makita – actor
• Katsuya Takasu – plastic surgeon

References

1. ^ "India hosts world's largest tea party". Reuters India. February 27, 2008. http://in.reuters.com/article/2008/02/27/idINIndia-32164020080227. Retrieved August 15, 2011. 

External links

Media related to Nishio, Aichi at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)