Tagawa

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Tagawa (disambiguation) .

Tagawa-shi 田 川 市
Geographical location in Japan
Region :	Kyushu
Prefecture :	Fukuoka
Coordinates :	33 ° 38 '  N , 130 ° 48'  E Coordinates: 33 ° 38 '19 "  N , 130 ° 48' 23"  E
Basic data
Surface:	54.52 km²
Residents :	46,611 (October 1, 2019)
Population density :	855 inhabitants per km²
Community key :	40206-1
Symbols
Flag / coat of arms:
Tree :	Osmanthus fragrans var. Aurantiacus , Ginkgo
Flower :	azalea
town hall
Address :	Tagawa City Hall 1 - 1 , Chūō-machi Tagawa -shi Fukuoka  825-8501
Website URL:	http://www.joho.tagawa.fukuoka.jp
Location of Tagawas in Fukuoka Prefecture

Tagawa ( Japanese 田 川 市 , -shi ) is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan . It was founded on November 3, 1943. Tagawa gained notoriety in the Meiji period (1868–1912) for mining coal. Even after the last colliery was closed in 1970, urban planning is still influenced by the age of mining.

geography

Tagawa is south of Kitakyushu and east of Fukuoka . The city belongs to the Chikuhō prefecture region. The river Hiko-san, which flows into the Onga River in the city of Nōgata, and the rivers Chūganji and Kibe flow through Tagawa.

climate

Tagawa is located in the warm temperate climate zone . The average annual temperature is 15–16 ° C and the average annual precipitation is 1700 mm, which is considered to be low in precipitation. The warmest month is August with maximum temperatures of 31 ° C. The coolest month is January with minimum temperatures of 2 ° C.

history

Tagawa's history is shaped by industrial coal mining during the Meiji period (1868–1912). According to unconfirmed traditions, knowledge of the coal deposits in the region was already available during the Bunmei period (1469–1487). However, it was only from the Edo period (1603–1868) that there was evidence of degradation. With the onset of industrialization during the Meiji period, there was a sharp increase in the demand for coal. The Chikuhō region, in which Tagawa is located, quickly became the region with the highest output of coal in the country during this period. The region, which was previously characterized by rice cultivation, developed an urban structure for the first time through mining and the associated immigration of workers from other parts of the country. In 1900 the "Mitsui Mine" was founded and in 1918 it was renamed "Mitsui Tagawa Zeche". The coal mine employed over 17,000 people at the time, making it one of the largest mines in Chikuhō. The coal mining in Tagawa was also concentrated in this mine. On November 3, 1943, the city of Tagawa was officially founded by the merger of the cities of Ita and Gotōji. At the time it had a population of over 73,000. By incorporating the village of Iikane in 1955, the population increased to over 100,000, which made it a core city of the Chikuhō region. With the switch from coal to oil as the primary energy source in Japan in the mid-1950s, the demand for coal fell. As a result, the Mitsui Tagawa Colliery was closed in 1964. In 1970 the last mine in Tagawa was shut down. With the closure of the mines there was an increase in unemployment, which was followed by an emigration of residents. In 2020 the population was 47,006, spread over 24,257 households (as of June 2020). Urban planning today focuses on preserving the heritage from the mining era. In 1983 the Tagawa Mine Archive (today: Tagawa Historical Mining Museum) opened, which exhibits equipment and machines from the former colliery and archives the mining drawings by the local artist Sakubei Yamamoto. Tagawa also has a policy to promote disabled sports. To this end, the city participates in the "Host Town Initiative" and has been registered as a Paralympic "Host Town" since 2016. In 2018, Tagawa signed an agreement with the wheelchair fencing department in the German Wheelchair Sports Association (DRS) . The subject of the agreement is the organization of training camps in Tagawa for the 2020 Paralympic Summer Games in Tokyo. In September 2019, another agreement with the same objective was signed with the Paralympic Committee of Belarus.

Culture and sights

Museums

In 1983 the "Tagawa Mine Archives" was opened and in 2005 it was renamed the "Tagawa Historical Mining Museum". The museum shows the history of coal mining in Tagawa using various devices and machines as well as replicas of the tunnel interior. It also looks at the social conditions of the time. It also houses a large part of the estate of the local artist Sakubei Yamamoto, who artistically recorded his experiences as a miner with the help of ink drawings. The "Sakubei Yamamoto Collection" was included in 2011 as the first contribution from Japan to the UNESCO World Document Heritage. The municipal "Art Museum Tagawa" opened in 1991. In addition, there has been the private "Tokopola Gallery" since 2005 and the "Nakamura Art Museum" since 2008.

Attractions

Tagawa City Hall

The "Coal Mine Memorial Park" is located next to the mining museum on the site of the former mine. The two chimneys of the former "Mitsui Tagawa colliery" are located in the park area. They were built in 1908 from 213,000 bricks, 180,000 of which come from Germany and the rest from domestic production. In addition, one of the mine’s two former headframes from 1909 is located on the site.

Celebrations and events

The "Fuji Hachimangu Kawatari Jinko-sai" Festival (風 治 八 幡 宮 川 渡 り 神 幸 祭), often abbreviated to "Jinko-sai", is an annual shrine festival ( Matsuri ). Its history goes back over 450 years. It is celebrated on the third weekend in May. At the festival, twelve decorated shrines are carried through the Hiko-san River and placed at the "Fuji Hachimangu" shrine. The next day they are carried back the same way. The Tagawa Coal Mine Festival is held every year on the first weekend in November on the grounds of the Coal Mine Memorial Park. The highlight of the two-day "Matsuri" is a folk dance that hundreds of participants dance to the popular Japanese song "Tanko-Bushi" (mine song). Three times a year (May, July and October) so-called Kagura dances are held at the "Kasuga Shrine" in honor of the shrine deity. A puppet show has been taking place in Tagawa on New Year's mornings since the late Edo period, and it is said that it was originally performed to entertain children and protect against disease.

Culinary specialties

"Motsu-nabe", a stew made with pork and beef offal, has been a popular dish since the mining era. A well-known sweet is yōkan in the color and shape of charcoal. The candy is marketed as a "black diamond", based on the Japanese colloquial name for coal.

economy

A company is mining the natural limestone deposits near the city and developing building materials from them. A chocolate manufacturer based in Tokyo has its production facility in Tagawa.

education

Tagawa is the seat of the Fukuoka Prefectural University, which was established in 1992. It consists of two faculties, one for human and social sciences and one for nursing sciences. It also houses a graduate school for human and social sciences. Tagawa has four high schools, seven middle schools and eight elementary schools. In addition, there is a combined elementary and middle school. The existing middle schools are to be dissolved by April 2023 and merged into two newly founded middle schools.

traffic

• Streets:
  • National roads 201,322
• Railroad:
  • JR Gotoji Line
  • JR Hidahikoyama Line

Neighboring cities and communities

• Iizuka
• Kama
• Kawara
• Kawasaki
• Fukuchi
• Itoda
• Ōtō

Personalities

• Yūta Kumamoto (born 1995), football player

Web links

Commons : Tagawa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "Tagawa-shi no kankyō no genjō to kadai (The Tagawa Environment: Current Situation and Challenges)," Tagawa City website. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
2. ↑ "Tagawa-shi, nihon ni okeru nenkan no heikintekina kikō (Average annual climate in Tagawa, Japan)" , Weather Spark. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Tagawa City Yearbook, Fukuoka Prefecture: Hanei o kiwameta tanto (The Once Thriving Mining City), 2015, p. 4.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Tagawa City Yearbook, Fukuoka Prefecture: Hanei o kiwameta tanto (The Once Thriving Mining City), 2015, p. 5.
5. ↑ "Fukuoka-ken Tagawa-shi (Tagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture)," Tagawa City Website. Accessed July 27, 2020 /
6. ↑ "Tōkyō 2020 pararinnpikku Kyogi taikai ni okeru doitsu & berarushi kuruma isu fenshingu chimu no jizen kyanpu chi ni honshi ga ketteishimashita (training camp decided in wheelchair fencing the teams from Germany and Belarus in the Tōkyō 2020 Paralympic Games in Tagawa!)" , Website Tagawa city. Retrieved July 27, 2020
7. ↑ "Tagawa-shi sekitan rekishi Hakubutsukan (Historical Mining Museum Tagawa)" , site of the city Tagawa. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
8. ↑ "Tagawa-shi bijutsukan kara no messeji (Greeting from the Tagawa Art Museum)" Website of the Tagawa Art Museum. Retrieved July 27, 2020
9. ↑ "Tokopola ni tsuite (About Tokopola)" , site of the gallery Tokopola. Retrieved July 27, 2020
10. ↑ "Ikeno-okuen museum" site of the Museum of Art Nakamura. Retrieved July 27, 2020
11. ↑ "Kyū Mitsui tagawa kōgyōsho dai-ichi dai-ni entotsu (tōroku nengappi: Heisei October 19, 2) (The two chimneys of the former Mitsui Tagawa colliery (registration: October 2, 2007))" , the city's website. Retrieved July 27, 2020
12. ↑ "Kawawatari Jinko-sai (Kawawatari Jinko festival)" , site of the city. Retrieved July 27, 2020
13. ↑ ^{a b} "Events in Tagawa" , website "Visit Tagawa". Retrieved July 27, 2020
14. ↑ Tagawa City Hall, Department of City Promotion: "The Tourism Magazine" Tsubomi "", 2018, pp. 14-15
15. ^ "Fukuoka Prefectural University," university website. Accessed July 27, 2020.
16. ↑ "Tagawa-shi shinchūgakkō sōsetsu kihon keikaku (basic plan for the establishment of the new secondary schools in Tagawa)" , website of the city of Tagawa. Accessed July 27, 2020.
17. ↑ "Shimin no minasama e: shinchūgakkō kaikō enki ni kansuru oshirase (Notice to the residents of Tagawa to postpone the opening of the new middle schools)" , website of the city of Tagawa. Accessed July 27, 2020.