270px, Hasami Town Hall 270px, Rice terraces in Hasami is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Higashisonogi District,

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the town had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 14,124 in 5499 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 200 people per km². The total area of the town is . It is known, along with neighboring Arita, Saga Prefecture for its ceramics manufacturing.

Geography

Hasami is located within the central part of Nagasaki prefecture, which is about 20 kilometers from central

Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. , the city had an estimated population of 230,873 in 102,670 households, and a population density of 540 per ...

. The town stretches 10.5 km east-to-west, 7.0 km north-to-south. The eastern and northern parts of the town form the prefectural border with Saga prefecture. As it is a basin surrounded by mountains, it is relatively hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It is the only landlocked town in the prefecture.

Surrounding municipalities

Nagasaki Prefecture * Kawatana *

Saga Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...

* Arita * Takeo * Ureshino

Climate

Hasami has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hasami is 16.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1864 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hasami is as shown below:

History

The area of Hasami was part of ancient

Hizen Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of the Saga Prefecture, Saga and Nagasaki Prefecture, Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen Province, Ch ...

. During the

Edo Period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the area was under the control of

Ōmura Domain was a Japanese Han (Japan), domain of the Edo period. It was centered around Kushima Castle in what is now the city of Ōmura, Nagasaki and was ruled by the ''tozama daimyō'' Ōmura clan for all of its history. History The lineage of the � ...

. After the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the villages of Kamihasami and Shimohasami were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Kamihasami was raised to town status on November 3, 1934. Kamihasami and Shimohasami merged on June 1, 1956 to form the town of Hasami.

Government

Hasami has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

town council of 14 members. Hasami, collectively with the town of Kawatana, contributes one member to the Nagasaki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the

Nagasaki 3rd district is a single-member electoral district of the Japanese House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. It is located in the prefecture of Nagasaki and covers northern parts of the prefecture on the main island of Kyūshū and the ...

of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

Hasami is best known for Hasami ware, a type of Japanese porcelain dating back 400 years. The techniques were brought to the Hasami area by Korean ceramicist

Yi Sam-pyeong Kanagae Sanbee () or Yi Sam-pyeong was a Japanese potter who is believed to have moved from Korea. He is often considered the father of Arita ware porcelain, although this narrative is today questioned by historians. He is honored at Sueyama ...

, also the creator of Arita ware from nearby Arita. Hasami ware is distinct from Arita ware, but is often confused as pieces were shipped out of Arita or the neighboring port of Imari. Seventeen kilns and pottery houses are active in the village, with an additional five kilns around the neighboring Mt. Nakao. The town hosts both the Hasami Spring Festival, and the Autumn Ceramics Festival in October.

Education

Hasami has three public elementary schools and one public junior high school by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Nagasaki Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railways

Hasami does not have any passenger rail service. The closest stations are

Arita Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the town of Arita, Saga, Japan, jointly operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) and the third-sector Matsuura Railway and is a transfer station between the Sasebo Line and the Nishi-Ky ...

in the city of

Arita, Saga is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Nishimatsuura District, Saga, Nishimatsuura District, Saga Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 18,634 in 7867 households, and a population density of 280 people per km2. The ...

and Kawatana Station in the town of

Kawatana, Nagasaki 270px, Rice terraces in Tanada is a town located in Higashisonogi District, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,071 in 5740 households, and a population density of 200 people per km2. The total area is . G ...

Highways

Nishi-Kyushu Expressway (Hasami-Arita IC)

Sister cities

Hasami has one sister city and one friendship city relationship: *

Mauá Mauá () is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo, in Brazil. It is part of the metropolitan region of São Paulo. The population as of 2020 is 477,552 inhabitants (11th largest city in population ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

(since 2 April 1988)

Friendship cities

Gangjin County Gangjin County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Gangjin county proper was established in 1895. The county office is located in Gangjin-eup. The Gangjin Kiln Sites are a noted area f ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

(since 20 October 2010)

Local attractions

* Hizen Hasami Pottery Kiln Sites, National Historic Site

Notable people from Hasami

Hiroaki Iwanaga is a Japanese model, actor, and voice actor. Filmography TV series Films Video games References External links Official profile at G-Star.Pro {{DEFAULTSORT:Iwanaga, Hiroaki Japanese male models 21st-century Japanese male actors 1 ...

, actor

References

External links

*
Hasami official website
Towns in Nagasaki Prefecture {{Nagasaki-geo-stub