Tokoname

Tokoname 常滑市
City
Tokoname ware tiles
Flag Seal
Location of Tokoname in Aichi Prefecture
Tokoname
Coordinates: 34°53′11.5″N 136°49′56.4″E / 34.886528°N 136.832333°ECoordinates: 34°53′11.5″N 136°49′56.4″E / 34.886528°N 136.832333°E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Aichi Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Norihiko Kataoka
Area
• Total	55.89 km^2 (21.58 sq mi)
Population (May 2015)
• Total	57,024
• Density	1,020/km^2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Japanese Black Pine
- Flower	Camellia sasanqua
Phone number	0569-35-5111
Address	4-1 Shinkai-chō, Tokoname-shi, Aichi-ken 479-0837
Website	Official website

Tokoname city hall

Tokoname (常滑市 Tokoname-shi) is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

In May 2015 the city had an estimated population of 57.024 and a population density of 1020 persons per km². The total area was 55.89 square kilometres (21.58 sq mi).

Geography

Tokoname is located on the western coast of the Chita Peninsula in southern Aichi Prefecture, facing Ise Bay.

Neighboring municipalities

• Aichi Prefecture
  • Chita
  • Agui
  • Mihama
  • Handa
  • Taketoyo

History

Tokoname has been associated with ceramics production since at least the Heian period, and Tokoname-yaki works from this period have been found in locations as far away as Aomori Prefecture in the north of Japan and Kagoshima prefecture in the south. By the Kamakura period, over 3000 kilns were active. During the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the Isshiki clan, and later came under the rule of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Edo period, the area around present-day Tokoname was part of Owari Domain.

In the post Meiji Restoration cadastral reforms of 1889, the town of Tokoname was created. Tokoname was elevated to city status on April 1, 1954 by the merger of Tokoname town with the towns of Onizaki, Nishiura and Ono, and the village of Miwa. Chubu Centrair International Airport, built on an artificial island off the coast of Tokoname, opened on February 17, 2005, providing a major boost to local development.

Economy

Tokoname is a regional commercial center, and has been known since the Heian period for its production of ceramics, notably Tokoname-yaki, and ceramics production remains the mainstay of the local economy. With its long coastline, commercial fishing also plays an important role in the local economy.

Maneki-neko  Pottery Footpath  INAX MUSEUMS

Education

Tokoname has nine elementary schools, four middle schools and one high school.

Transportation

Airport

• Chūbu Centrair International Airport

Railway

• Meitetsu – Tokoname Line
  • Ōnomachi-Nishinokuchi-Kabaike-Enokido-Taya-Tokoname
• Meitetsu – Airport Line
  • Tokoname-Rinkū-Tokoname-Central Japan International Airport

Highway

• Chitaōdan Road
• Chubu International Airport Connecting Road
• Japan National Route 155
• Japan National Route 247

Local attractions

• Inax Museum
• Owari-Ōno Castle

Ōno beach  Ōno Festival  Ōno Castle

Noted people from Tokoname

• Tetsuzō Tanikawa - philosopher, father of Shuntarō Tanikawa
• Kotaro Suzumura – economist
• The Peanuts - singers
• Tatsutoshi Goto - professional wrestler

External links

Media related to Tononame, Aichi at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese) (with link to pages in English)