Mihara, Hiroshima

Mihara 三原市
City
Flag
Location of Mihara in Hiroshima Prefecture
Mihara Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°24′N 133°5′E / 34.400°N 133.083°ECoordinates: 34°24′N 133°5′E / 34.400°N 133.083°E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku (San'yō)
Prefecture	Hiroshima Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Sho Tenma
Area
• Total	471.03 km^2 (181.87 sq mi)
Population (July 31, 2016)
• Total	97,324
• Density	206.62/km^2 (535.1/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Camphor laurel
• Flower	Ume and Satsuki azalea
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City hall address	3-5-1, Minatomachi, Mihara-shi, Hiroshima-ken 723-8601
Website	www.city.mihara.hiroshima.jp

Mihara (三原市 Mihara-shi) is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on November 15, 1936.

As of July 31, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 97,324 and a population density of 206.62 persons per km². The total area is 471.03 km².

On March 22, 2005, the town of Daiwa (from Kamo District), the town of Kui (from Mitsugi District), and the town of Hongō (from Toyota District) were merged into Mihara.

History

• Mihara Castle was established as a waterfront castle (Umi-jiro) by Kobayakawa Takakage in 1582.
  • The castle has been connected to the Seto Inland Sea to operate the Mōri clan water forces on the sea.
• For the Battle of Sekigahara, Fukushima Masanori entered Hiroshima Castle in 1600, and then Mihara Castle has been under controlled as the branch castle of Hiroshima castle.
• The domain was divided into Fukuyama Domain and Hiroshima Domain in 1619, and Tadayoshi Asano entered Mihara castle.
• Mihara was incorporated into a part of Hiroshima Prefecture for the Abolition of the han system in 1871.
• Mihara city was founded on November 15, 1936.
• On March 22, 2005, the town of Daiwa (from Kamo District), the town of Kui (from Mitsugi District), and the town of Hongō (from Toyota District) were merged into Mihara.

A map of suburb of Mihara and Onomichi area in 1929 (Japanese edition)

Economy

Fisheries

• Shunami Port
• Nouji Port

Industries

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries's Itozaki, Kohama and Wada Plants
• Teijin Mihara Plant
• Sharp Mihara Plant
• Dai Nippon Printing Mihara Plant
• Koyo Dockyard
• Mexichem Flúor Mihara Plant

Sister cities

• – Yugawara, Kanagawa, Japan

Educational Facilities

• Prefectural University of Hiroshima Mihara
• Mihara Nursing School

Transportation

Airports

• Hiroshima Airport

Trains

• JR West lines
  • Sanyō Shinkansen; Mihara Station
  • Sanyō Main Line; Itozaki Station, Mihara and Hongo Station
  • Kure Line; Mihara, Sunami Station and Akisaizaki Station

Buses

• Geiyo Bus
• Chugoku Bus
• Tomotetsu Bus
• Onomichi Bus

Highways

• Sanyō Expressway

National Routes

• Japan National Route 2, 185, 486 and 432

Ports

• Mihara Port
• Onomichi-itozaki Port
• Sagi Port
• Sunami Port

Tourism

Castles

• Mihara Castle
• Nitakayama Castle

Temples

• Daizen-ji
• Buttsū-ji – Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12

Shrines

• Mitsugi-hachimangu

Festivals

• Mihara Yassa Matsuri

Yassa Festival in August

• Mihara Shinmeiichi Festival
• Satsuki Matsuri

People

Historical

• Kobayakawa Takakage
• Fukushima Masanori
• Lady Kasuga
• Inaba Masanari

Famous

• Ayako Miyake (三宅綾子), dancer
• Choji Murata (村田兆治), baseball player
• Ko Hiura (火浦功), novelist
• Yoshihisa Ishida (石田義久), shot putter
• Leyona, singer and songwriter
• Masatoshi Kawahara, manga artist
• Ryuji Imada, professional golfer
• Satoshi Urushihara, manga artist
• Hisatoshi Shintaku, long-distance runner
• Keiko Ikeda, Bronze medalist of 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo

Entertainment

A small island off the coast of Sagishima, called Sukune, was the location of Kaneto Shindo's film The Naked Island released in 1960.^[1] Director Shindo and his wife Nobuko Otowa both had their ashes scattered on the island.^[2]

References

1. "A tourist guide to Sagishima" (in Japanese).
2. "Shindo Kaneto Kantoku "Hadaka no Shima" Sankotsu e". Nikkan Sports.

External links

• Media related to Mihara, Hiroshima at Wikimedia Commons
• Mihara City official website (Japanese)