Inawashiro (Fukushima)

Inawashiro (Japanese猪苗 代 町, machi ) is a municipality in the district of Fukushima Prefecture Yama on Honshu, the main island of Japan.

Geography

Inawashiro lies on the northern shore of Lake Inawashiro and at the foot of 1,800 meter high Bandai, the highest mountain of the volcanic group of the same name, which also includes the Akahani (1430 m) and the Kushigamine (1636 m) count. To the east of Bandai is the 1413 m high Kawageta. The center of Inawashiro lies in the valley of the Nagase, which flows into the Lake Inawashiro between the two mountains.

In the north of the 1,200 meter high Shirabu -yama and the Ura - Bandai- Sanko are ("three lakes behind the Bandai " ), the Akimoto Lake, Hibira Lake and the Onogawa Lake.

The environment of Bandai, the Adatara and Inawashiro and Akimoto lakes belong to Bandai- Asahi National Park.

History

The Inawashiro Castle ( Inawashiro- jo ), even Kame -ga- jo (亀ヶ城, dt "Turtle Castle " ) called, was built in the Kamakura period, and until the 16th century, the seat of the Inawashiro clan, a branch of Aizu - Ashina. Then the lords of Aizu took over the castle, so she was under control of the Gamo, Uesugi and Katō. Since the early Edo period, the Hoshina - Matsudaira ruled Aizu and the castle Inawashiro.

1868 an important battle in the Boshin war took place on Bonari Pass ( Bonari - tōge ) northeast of Inawashiro. About 700 troops of Aizu, who fought for the feudal government of the Shogun, subject to some 2,000 Imperial troops and had to withdraw. The then lord of the manor of Inawashiro had the castle burned down and the retreating troops of Aizu joined them. Soon after taking the castle Tsuruga in the resistance of the Aizu Wakamatsu was broken.

1889, the small town ( machi ) Inawashiro were built in the introduction of modern authorities by the Meiji government. In the Meiji period, the region was the first time a modern infrastructure: The Asaka Channel ( Asaka - Sosui ) between the Inawashiro Lake and Kōriyama 1883, it was 1889 Inawashiro was joined by the Gan'etsu tetsudō on the railway network. .

In the late 19th century occurred in the same area two volcanic eruptions: On July 15, 1888 eruption of Bandai devastated the surrounding villages, killing 477 people and dammed the Nagase and its tributaries on. In this case, the " five-colored lakes " ( Goshikinuma ) emerged on the north side - now a tourist attraction. In 1900 broke out in the east of the Adatara.

Today's Inawashiro was raised in 1955 by the merger of the old Inawashiro with the surrounding villages ( Mura) Azuma (吾 妻 村), Chisato (千里 村), Okinashima (翁 岛村) and Tsukinowa (月 轮 村), all in the former county Kita Aizu.

Demography

The population is declining, for decades continuously. Since the end of the Shōwa period 1989 she fell from over 19,000 to just over 16,000.

Economy

The landscape around Inawashiro is dominated by agriculture. However, in 2006 only 157 of the approximately 6,500 employees in Inawashiro were employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries. The largest employer is tourism: About 1400 people are employed in the hotel and catering industry, 1365 are employed in the retail sector. The industry provides around 650 jobs.

Attractions

The Tenjin beach lines the northeastern shore of Lake Inawashiro. Further north on the lake shore are the Noguchi Memorial Museum in honor of Hideyo Noguchi microbiologist and physician and the Aizu - minzoku -kan, the Aizu - history museum, where several original buildings in the Edo period were rebuilt. The Tenkyokaku, a princely summer villa built in 1908, is located on the northwest shore of the lake.

The ruins of the castle is located in Inawashiro Kamegajōshi - kōen, a park in the town center. The Kobiragata - tenmangu, a shrine from the 10th century located in the southeast of the Tenjin beach. Another important shrine which Hanitsu -jinja on the slope of Bandai was established in 1675 by the Hoshina.

Several hot springs (onsen ) are in the metropolitan area of ​​Inawashiro. Some golf courses has been created in the area. Around the Bandai are several ski slopes: On the urban area of ​​Inawashiro are the Inawashiro Ski - jo and the Inawashiro Resort. To the east on Kawageta also lies the Listel Ski Fantasia, the venue for the 2009 Freestyle World Cup is the Fédération Internationale de Ski in March. Other slopes are located on the slopes of Adatara in the Northeast.

Traffic

At the Ban'etsusai line of the railway company JR Higashi- Nihon are five railway stations within the city limits of Inawashiro. On Inawashiro station also express trains as well as the Aizu hold liner.

The National Highway 49 runs north of the lake in east-west direction through Inawashiro and connects the village with Kōriyama and Aizu - Wakamatsu, which branches off to the north national highway 115 runs through the town center and connects it to the located outside in the mountains parts of Inawashiro and with Fukushima. To the northwest, the national road 459 branches off, leading to the Ura - Bandai- sanko and after Kitakata. The Ban'etsu highway crosses Inawashiro also from east to west, a driveway is at Inawashiro Bandai- Kōgen Interchange on National Road 115 possible.

Adjacent Cities and Towns

• Fukushima
• Nihonmatsu
• Kōriyama
• Aizu Wakamatsu -
• Bandai (District of Yama )
• Kitashiobara (District of Yama )
• Yonezawa ( Yamagata Prefecture)

Sons and daughters of the town

• Kanae Meguro (born 1978 ), biathlete
• Hideyo Noguchi (1876-1928), physician