Sōma, Fukushima

Sōma 相馬市
City
(Upper) Matsukawa Lagoon, Uda River, (Center) Soma Shrine, (Lower) Hyakusyaku Kannon, and Soma Nakamura Shrine.
Flag Seal
Location of Sōmain Fukushima Prefecture
Sōma
Coordinates: 37°47′48″N 140°55′10.7″E / 37.79667°N 140.919639°ECoordinates: 37°47′48″N 140°55′10.7″E / 37.79667°N 140.919639°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Fukushima Prefecture
Government
• - Mayor	Hidekiyo Tachiya
Area
• Total	197.67 km^2 (76.32 sq mi)
Population (December 2014)
• Total	35,680
• Density	179/km^2 (460/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols
• Tree	Japanese black pine
• Flowers	Spring: sakura Summer: rugosa rose Autumn: balloon flower Winter: sazanka
• Bird	Japanese bush-warbler
Phone number	0244-37-2117
Address	13 Nakamura aza Ōtesaki, Sōma-shi, Fukushima-ken 976-8601
Website	www.city.soma.fukushima.jp

Sōma City Hall

Sōma (相馬市 Sōma-shi) is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, in northern Honshū, Japan. As of December 2014, the city had an estimated population of 35,480 and a population density of 179 persons per km². The total area was 197.67 km².

Geography

Sōma is located in northeastern Fukushima Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Abukuma Plateau to the west. Sōma is closer to Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture than it is to the prefectural capital of Fukushima.

• Mountains
  • Ryozan (825m)
• Rivers
  • Uda River
• Coastal features
  • Matsukawa Lagoon

Neighboring municipalities

• Fukushima Prefecture
  • Minamisōma, Fukushima
  • Iitate, Fukushima
  • Date, Fukushima
  • Shinchi, Fukushima
• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Marumori, Miyagi

History

The area of present-day Sōma was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jomon period. During the Edo period, much of the area was part of the holdings of Sōma Domain, home of the Sōma clan from the late Sengoku period until the Boshin War. . After the Meiji Restoration, it was organized as part of waki Province. With the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1896, the area was organized into a number of towns and villages within the districts of Namekata and Uda, which had alternated between belonging to the old Iwaki Province, Mutsu Province, the second Iwaki Province, and modern Fukushima Prefecture. In 1896, Namekata and Uda were merged to create Sōma District. The town of Nakamura was established on April 1, 1889. It was raised to city status on March 31, 1954, being the city of Sōma.

2011 earthquake and tsunami

The eastern, coastal portion of Sōma was inundated by devastating tsunami flood waters following the magnitude 9.0 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami off its coastline on March 11, 2011.^[1] The tsunami reached up to approximately 4 km inland in Sōma, flooded areas included Sōma Port and the Matsukawa-ura Bay area, up to the elevated Route 6 Sōma Bypass.^[2] The tsunami was measured to have been 9.3 meters or higher in Sōma.^[3]

Sōma is about 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the tsunami.

Economy

Sōma has a mixed economy, based on agriculture, commercial fishing and light manufacturing. The area is noted for its strawberry cultivation.

Education

Sōma has two high schools, five middle schools and 10 elementary schools.

Hospital

Soma General Hospital, a public hospital with 240 beds, is located in Sōma.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East – Jōban Line
  • Nittaki - Soma

Highway

• Jōban Expressway – Soma IC
• Japan National Route 6
• Japan National Route 115
• Japan National Route 116

Seaports

• Port of Soma

Local attractions

• The Sōma horse-chasing Festival held on July 23 to 25 every year is a designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.^[4]
• Nakamura Castle ruins
• Sōma Nakamura Shrine
• Matsukawaura Prefectural Natural Park

Noted people from Sōma

• Tochiazuma Tomoyori – sumo wrestler
• Takahiro Suzuki – professional baseball player

References

1. Kyodo News, "Survivors in trauma after life-changing nightmare day", The Japan Times, 13 March 2011, p. 2.
2. NHK, TV News Broadcast, 13 March 2011.
3. http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/observation_2_04_20110313180559.html JMA tsunami observation data.
4. Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japanese)

Further reading

Sasaki, Takashi (2013). Fukushima: vivir el desastre (in Spanish). Translated by F. Javier de Esteban Baquedano. Gijón, Spain: Satori Ediciones. ISBN 978-84-941125-3-9.

External links

• Sōma City official website (Japanese)