Yokkaichi

Yokkaichi City Hall
Yokkaichi-shi ; 四日市市
Geographical location in Japan
Region :	Kinki
Prefecture :	Mie
Coordinates :	34 ° 58 ' N , 136 ° 37' E Coordinates: 34 ° 57 '55 " N , 136 ° 37' 28" E
Basic data
Surface:	205.16 km²
Residents :	310,145 ; (June 1, 2019)
Population density :	1512 inhabitants per km²
Community key :	24202-1
Symbols
Flag / coat of arms:
Tree :	Camphor tree
Flower :	Fire sage
Bird :	Black-headed gull
town hall
Address :	Yokkaichi City Hall ; 1 - 5 , Suwa-chō; Yokkaichi -shi ; Mie 510-8601
Website URL:	www.city.yokkaichi.mie.jp
Location of Yokkaichis in Mie Prefecture

Yokkaichi ( Japanese 四日市市 , - shi , literally: "Market on the 4th day") is an industrial and port city in the prefecture of Mie on the Japanese main island of Honshū . It is located 50 km south of Nagoya .

etymology

Yokkaichi used to be an important market town. The name of the city comes from the fact that the market was held here on the “fourth days” (4th, 14th and 24th) of the month during the Azuchi Momoyama period .

economy

In addition to mechanical engineering, there are oil refineries , the chemical industry ( petrochemicals , cement ) and the textile industry, as well as porcelain manufacturers . The rapid industrialization caused severe environmental damage and air pollution , which led to so-called Yokkaichi asthma among the population . In recent years, measures have been taken to curb air pollution: the city has been greened and industrial pollution is not evident in the city center with its avenues and parks.

Attractions

With the exception of a few traditional temples, Yokkaichi has no major sights and is therefore rarely visited by tourists. The important thing is the port with a large container transshipment point that can be viewed from above from the new port tower. In connection with the Expo 2005, pavilions and a modern roofed stadium were built near the port . The nearby mountain ranges and the sea are popular destinations for summer visitors . The teas from the area are famous.

history

In the ancient division of the empire, the area belonged to the Mie district of the Ise province in the Tōkaidō (the imperial circle ).

During the Edo period, Yokkaichi was a post office ( 宿場町 , Shukuba-machi ) on Tōkaidō (the early modern main street that crossed the ancient imperial circle). It was controlled directly by the shogunate and a separate shogunate administrator / governor was installed in Yokkaichi. The former Bailiwick of Yokkaichi (Yokkaichi jin'ya) was later used as the building of the prefecture administration of Mie , but was destroyed in the Ise uprisings ( 伊勢暴動 Ise-bōdō ) of 1876.

In 1872 Yokkaichi became the seat of the prefectural administration of Anotsu, which was then renamed after the district in Mie. As early as 1873, the capital of Mie was moved back to the south for the planned union with the neighboring prefecture of Watarai (successor to Yamada-bugyō , the shogunate administrator for the Ise shrine; administrative seat in Yamada in the Watarai district), but the prefecture kept its name . In 1878/79 when the counties were restored as a modern administrative unit, Yokkaichi became the administrative seat of Mie County.

When today's municipality forms were introduced in 1889, the districts of Yokkaichi were merged to form the city of Yokkaichi ( 四日市町 ) with a population of 15,483 at that time. In 1897 it was detached from the district of Mie with 25,326 inhabitants and became Yokkaichi-shi . It was the 45th independent city in Japan. After numerous incorporations in the 20th century, it now encompasses most of the original district. Most recently, in 2005, the city of Kusu expanded the urban area of Yokkaichi in the south.

During the Second World War , the city was bombed several times by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in June 1945 and July 1945 . The attack with the most serious consequences was an area bombing with napalm bombs on June 18, 1945. The attacks destroyed around 57% of the urban area, claimed 736 deaths and made 47,153 homeless. (see air raids on Japan )