Itoigawa, Niigata


Itoigawa is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 41,513, and a population density of 55.6 persons per km². The total area of the city is.

Geography

Itoigawa is located in the far southwestern corner of Niigata Prefecture, bordered by the Sea of Japan to the north, Nagano Prefecture to the south, and Toyama Prefecture to the west. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park or the Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park. Itoigawa is also famous for its jade which can be found on local beaches. Itoigawa also lends its name to the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line, a major fault that runs from Itoigawa, through Lake Suwa to the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, forming the western border of the Fossa Magna.

Surrounding municipalities

Itoigawa has a Humid climate characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Itoigawa is 13.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2173 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Itoigawa has declined steadily over the past 40 years.
Census YearPopulation
197067,785
198061,488
199056,803
200053,021
201047,702

History

The area of present-day Itoigawa was part of ancient Echigo Province. Historically, Itoigawa lies at the end of the shio no michi that supplied salt to from the Sea of Japan to Edo via Shinano Province. During the Edo period, Itoigawa was the castle town for Itoigawa Domain. After the Meiji restoration, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, Itoigawa became a town within Nishikubiki District, Niigata.
The modern city was created on June 1, 1954. On April 1, 2005, the towns of Nō and Ōmi were merged into Itoigawa.

Oldest known jadeite-using culture

A great many jadeite beads and axe heads as well as the remains of jadeite workshops from the Neolithic era have been uncovered in Itoigawa. These beads and axes were traded throughout Japan and the Korean Peninsula and were produced by the world's oldest known jadeite-using culture, centered on the Itoigawa region.

Government

Itoigawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.

Economy

and the production of limestone and cement are the mainstays of the local economy.

Education

Itoigawa has seventeen public elementary schools and four public middle schools. There are three public high schools, and also two special education schools.

Transportation

Railway

– Hokuriku Shinkansen
JR West - Ōito Line
Echigo Tokimeki Railway - Nihonkai Hisui Line
Ainokaze Toyama Railway

Highway