Iga, Mie

Infobox City Japan
Name= Iga
JapaneseName= 伊賀市
Map

Region= Kansai, Tōkai
Prefecture= Mie
District=
Area_km2= 558.17
PopDate= April 2008
Population= 99,302
Density_km2= 178
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 34
LatitudeMinutes= 46
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 136
LongtitudeMinutes= 8
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Japanese Red Pine
Flower= Sasayuri (Lilium japonicum)
Bird= Green Pheasant
Symbol
!border
SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor= Mutsuyuki Imaoka
CityHallPostalCode= 518-8501
CityHallAddress=116, Ueno Marunouchi, Iga-shi, Mie-ken
CityHallPhone= 0595-22-9601
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.iga.lg.jp/ Iga City]

nihongo|Iga|伊賀市|Iga-shi is a city located in Mie, Japan. It became a city on November 1, 2004 as a result of the merger of the city of Ueno; the towns of Iga, Ayama, Shimagahara and the village of Ōyamada (which were in Ayama District); and the town of Aoyama (which was in Naga District). The former towns, villages, and districts were abolished at the time of the merger. Iga has a population of 99,302 (as of April 1 2008) and an area of 558.17 km².

Before the merger, Iga was the name of a town, which now lies within the new city. Earlier, it was the name of the province surrounding the present-day city. As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 10,768 and a density of 173.65 persons per km². The total area was 62.01 km².

Iga is known as the birth place of the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō and the home of ninja Hattori Hanzo. Two of Iga's main tourist attractions are the Iga Ueno Castle and the Iga Ninja Museum (the area around the city being the historical home of the famous Iga Ninja).

ee also

* Iga-ryū, the Iga Ninja school of ninjutsu

External links

* [http://www.city.iga.lg.jp/ Official website] ja icon
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