Higashimatsushima

Higashimatsushima 東松島市
City
Higashimatsushima City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Higashimatsushima in Miyagi Prefecture
Higashimatsushima
Coordinates: 38°25′N 141°12′E / 38.417°N 141.200°ECoordinates: 38°25′N 141°12′E / 38.417°N 141.200°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
Government
• -Mayor	Hideo Abe
Area
• Total	101.86 km^2 (39.33 sq mi)
Population (June 2014)
• Total	39,689
• Density	390/km^2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Pine
- Flower	Sakura
Phone number	0225-82-1111
Address	36-1 Kamikawado, Yamoto, Higashimatsushima-shi, Miyagi-ken 981-0503
Website	Official website

Higashimatsushima (東松島市 Higashimatsushima-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of June 2014, the city had an estimated population of 39,689 and a population density of 390 persons per km². The total area was 101.86 km².

Geography

Higashimatsushima (lit. “East Matsushima”) is in eastern Miyagi Prefecture. The city borders on Matsushima Bay to the west and the Pacific Ocean (Ishinomaki Bay) to the south. Its coastline forms part of the Sanriku Fukkō National Park, which stretches north to Aomori Prefecture.

Neighboring municipalities

• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Ishinomaki, Miyagi
  • Misato, Miyagi
  • Matsushima, Miyagi

History

The area of present-day Higashimatsushima was part of ancient Mutsu Province. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate. The modern city of Higashimatsushima was created on April 1, 2005, when the towns of Naruse and Yamoto (both formally from Monou District) were merged to create the new city.

2011 earthquake disaster

Houses inundated and collapsed by the tsunami in Nobiru, Higashimatsushima

On March 11, 2011, Higashimatsushima was severely hit by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami resulting in at least 1,039 deaths,^[1] and the destruction of over 11,000 structures, or approximately two-thirds of the buildings in the city limits. During the tsunami, a 45-metre ship, the Chōkai Maru, was hurled over a pier and left aground in the city. At the time of the disaster, Higashimatsushima had still not fully recovered from a previous major earthquake in 2003.^[2][3] About 63% of the town was inundated by the tsunami.^[4]

Economy

Higashimatsushima traditionally has been a center for commercial fishing, especially for the cultivation of oysters and on tourism. The Japan Air Self Defense Force’s Matsushima Air Field is located in Higashimatsushima.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East – Senseki Line
  • Rikuzen-Ōtsuka - Tōna - Nobiru - Rikuzen-Ono - Kazuma - Yamoto - Higashi-Yamoto - Rikuzen-Akai

Highway

• Sanriku Expressway (Naruse-Okumatsushima, Yamoto, and Ishinomaki interchanges)
• National Route 45

Local attractions

• Satohama shell mound

Noted people from Higashimatsushima

• Yutaka Abe – actor, movie director

References

1. NOAA Data 2 April 2011
2. Tsunami survivors face monstrous cleanup task, Japan Times, 26 March 2011
3. Gilhooly, Rob, "Tsunami-hit towns face dire future", Japan Times, 1 April 2011, p. 4.
4. NHK, "Tsunami flooded 100 square kilometers of city land", 29 March 2011.

External links

• Higashimatsushima City official website (Japanese)