Mihara, Hiroshima

Mihara 三原市
City
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 (March 2008)
• Total	103,162
• Density	219/km^2 (570/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 March 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 103,162 and a population density of 219 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.

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

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)