Ōtsu
| Ōtsu-shi 大 津市 |
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| Geographical location in Japan | |||
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| Region : | Kinki | ||
| Prefecture : | Shiga | ||
| Coordinates : | 35 ° 1 ' N , 135 ° 51' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Surface: | 374.06 km² | ||
| Residents : | 342,175 (October 1, 2019) |
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| Population density : | 915 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Community key : | 25201-8 | ||
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| Flag / coat of arms: |
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| Tree : | Prunus jamasakura | ||
| Flower : | Viola eizanensis | ||
| Bird : | Black-headed gull | ||
| town hall | |||
| Address : |
Ōtsu City Hall 13 - 1 , Goryo-chō Ōtsu -shi Shiga 520-8575 |
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| Website URL: | http://www.city.otsu.lg.jp/ | ||
| Location Ōtsus in Shiga Prefecture | |||
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Ōtsu ( Japanese 大 津市 - shi , German large port ) is a city on the south bank of Lake Biwa in Kansai , western Japan . It is the administrative center of Shiga Prefecture .
history
Ōtsu was under the Tennō Tenji and Kōbun from 667 to 672 as Ōmi-kyō or Ōmi no Miyako ( 近 江 京 , dt. "Capital of Ōmi ") the capital of Japan .
On May 11, 1891, the Ōtsu incident occurred here , when the Russian heir to the throne Nicholas II was attacked with a saber by the police officer Tsuda Sanzo after a day trip to Lake Biwa .
Administrative history
On October 1, 1898, the Chō Ōtsu ( 大 津 町 ) in the Shiga-gun was appointed to Shi. On May 10, 1932 Shiga ( 滋 賀 村 , -mura ), on April 1, 1933 Ishiyama ( 石山 町 , -chō ) and Zeze ( 膳 所 町 , -chō ), on April 1, 1951 Ogata ( 雄 琴 村 , -mura ), Sakamoto ( 坂 本村 , -mura ), Shimosakamoto ( 下 阪 本村 , -mura ) in Shiga-gun, Ōishi ( 大 石村 , -mura ), Shimotanakami ( 下田 上 村 , -mura ) in Kurita-gun, on 1. April 1967 Seta ( 瀬 田 町 , -chō ) in Kurita-gun, Katada ( 堅 田 町 , -chō ) in Shiga-gun and on March 20, 2006 Shiga ( 志 賀 町 , -chō ) in Shiga-gun in Ōtsu. The Shiga-gun was then disbanded.
The first civil center in Japan was established in Ōtsu.
Sights and events
Many important historical temples, above all the Mii-dera and the Ishiyama-dera , but also the Iwama-dera and the charming location on the shores of Lake Biwa make Ōtsu an attractive tourist destination. The Tenji-tennō is venerated in Ōmi-jingū , and there is also a clock museum there. The Enryaku-ji is part of the UNESCO - World Heritage Historic Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) . The Iwai Shrine was founded in the 7th century at the latest.
The Biwa Lake Marathon , one of the oldest and most important marathons in Japan , takes place in Ōtsu on the first Sunday in March .
Famous all over Kansai is the big bivouac fireworks on August 8th each year over the lake with particularly large fireworks.
The Ōtsu- Matsuri takes place every year on the two days before the day of sport, i.e. the beginning of October. Characteristic is the parade of the 13 Hikiyama, richly decorated wooden wagons declared as important cultural treasures, which, in contrast to the more widespread Mikoshi, are not carried through the streets but pulled. Very similar to the Yoi-yama of Gion-Matsuri in Kyoto, the Hikiyama are exhibited in different streets the evening before, on the occasion of which there is an atmospheric festival in the city center.
traffic
- Street:
- Meishin Highway , to Komaki or Nishinomiya
- National Road 1 , to Tokyo or Osaka
- National road 8
- National roads 161, 367, 422, 477
- Train:
- JR Tōkaidō Main Line ( Biwako Line ), to Tokyo or Kobe
- JR Kosei Line , to Nishiazai or Kyōto
- Tram:
- Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line (only runs within the city)
- Keihan Keishin Line , to Kyoto
Town twinning
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Lansing , USA (since 1969) -
Interlaken , Switzerland (since 1978) -
Würzburg , Germany (since 1979) -
Mudanjiang , People's Republic of China (since 1984) -
Gumi , South Korea (since 1990)
Ōtsu and Würzburg
The poet Max Dauthendey comes from the twin town of Würzburg in Germany , and was inspired by a visit to Japan in 1906 for his work The Eight Faces at Lake Biwasee . The Japanese translation of the work was published in 2004.
A true-to-original replica of a large baroque flower pot from the courtyard garden of the Würzburg Residence has a place of honor right in front of the main entrance of the Ōtsuer town hall. On the shores of Lake Biwase, there is a house built by Würzburg carpenters in the Franconian style with a small museum on the 1st floor and a rustic Franconian inn with a lake terrace called "Würzburg".
sons and daughters of the town
- Saichō (767-822), Buddhist monk
- Kyozi Kawasaki (* 1930), physicist
- Satsuki Yukino (* 1970), voice actress
- Kōji Nakata (* 1979), football player
- Yūki Ōta (* 1985), foil fencer
- Takahiro Urashima (* 1988), football player
- Takuya Kakine (* 1991), soccer player
Neighboring cities and communities
Web links
Heritage: Buddhist Shrines of Hōryū-ji (1993) | Himeji-jō (1993) | Historical Kyōto (Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu) (1994) | Historical Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama (1995) | Peace Memorial in Hiroshima (1996) | Itsukushima Shinto Shrine (1996) | Monuments and gardens of the imperial city of Nara ( Gangō-ji , Heijō-kyō , Kasuga-Taisha , Kasugayama primeval forest, Kōfuku-ji , Tōdai-ji , Tōshōdai-ji , Yakushi-ji ) (1998) | Shrines and Temples of Nikkō ( Futarasan Shrine , Rinnō-ji , Tōshōgū ) (1999) | Gusuku and other sites of the Ryūkyū Kingdom (2000) | Sacred places and pilgrimage routes in the Kii Mountains (2004) | Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and Cultural Landscape (2007) | Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites of Hiraizumi (2011) | Fuji-san (2013) | Places of silk spinning in Tomioka (2014) | Sites of the industrial revolution in the Meiji period (2015) | The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier : National Museum of Western Art (2016) | Okinoshima Sacred Island and Associated Sites in Munakata Region (2017) | Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region (2018) | Kofun group by Mozu-Foruichi (2019)
Natural Heritage: Yakushima Cedar Forest (1993) | Beech forest by Shirakami (1993) | Shiretoko (2005) | Ogasawara Islands (2011)