Location of Kanazawa ward Yokohama city Kanagawa prefecture Japan

is one of the 18 wards of the city of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 209,565 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematicall ...

of 6,760 persons per km². The total area was . The ward symbol, established 1987, expresses the image of sea, waves, and a

sea gull The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

History

The area around present-day Kanazawa Ward has been inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeologists have found stone tools from the

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC; although any date of human presence before 35,000 BC ...

period and ceramic shards from the

Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...

at numerous locations in the area. Under the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

Ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki' ...

system, it became part of Kuraki District in

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, ...

. By the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle b ...

it was part of a ''

shōen A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private ...

'' controlled by the

Hōjō clan The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of ''shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this period ...

, who established a major seaport for the

Kamakura shogunate The was the feudal military government of Japan during the Kamakura period from 1185 to 1333. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Kamakura-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 459. The Kamakura shogunate was established by Minamoto no ...

at Mutsuura, and a noted library and educational center at Kanazawa Bunko. During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

, much of the area was part of the ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia' ...

'' territory in

controlled directly by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

, but administered through various ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as '' gokenin.'' Howev ...

''. In 1726, a large portion of the present ward came under the control of the newly established Mutsuura Domain ruled by the Yonekura clan. The area consisted of small farming and fishing villages. During the

Bakumatsu period was the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunate to the modern empire of the Meiji governm ...

, the area offshore Kanazawa was an anchorage for the American

black ships The Black Ships (in ja, 黒船, translit=kurofune, Edo period term) was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries. In 1543 Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking ...

under command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853 and 1854. After the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1858, it was one of the first areas in Japan opened to foreign trade. In 1871, with the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lord ...

following 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 practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, the area became part of Kuraki District in the new

. In 1887,

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the '' genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated sa ...

and a group of political scholars completed the final drafts of the

Meiji Constitution The Constitution of the Empire of Japan (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , ), known informally as the Meiji Constitution (, ''Meiji Kenpō''), was the constitution of the Empire of Japan which was proclaimed on February 11, 1889, and remained in for ...

while secluded in an inn in Kanazawa. In the cadastral reform of April 1, 1889, the area was divided into numerous villages. The area was connected by rail to Yokohama with the opening of the Shōnan Electric Railway (the predecessor of the modern Keihin Electric Express Railway in 1930. In October 1936, Kuraki District was abolished, and the area was absorbed into Yokohama City, becoming part of Isogo Ward. A large railway carriage factory was established in Kanazawa Ward in 1946 by the

Tokyu Corporation The is a Japanese multinational '' keiretsu'' (conglomerate) holding company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Its main operation is , a wholly owned subsidiary operating railways in the Greater Tokyo Area. History The oldest predecessor ...

on the site of a former

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...

Technical Center. Kanazawa Ward gained its independence from Isogo Ward in May 1948.

Geography

Kanazawa Ward is located in eastern Kanagawa Prefecture, and in the southeast corner of the city of Yokohama. The area is largely flatland, with scattered small hills. The Ward is bordered to the east by

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populou ...

Surrounding municipalities

* Isogo Ward * Sakae Ward *

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

* Zushi * Yokosuka

Economy

Kanazawa Ward is largely a regional commercial center and

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for central Yokohama, Kawasaki and Tokyo. Yokohama Kanazawa -01

Transportation

Railroads

* Keihin Electric Express Railway- Keikyū Main Line ** - - - * Keihin Electric Express Railway- Keikyū Zushi Line ** - * Yokohama New Transit Co., Ltd -

Kanazawa Seaside Line The is an automated guideway transit line operated by which operates between Shin-Sugita in Isogo Ward to Kanazawa-Hakkei in Kanazawa Ward in Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municip ...

** - - - - - - - - - - - -

Highways

Bayshore Route The signed as Route B, is one of the routes of the tolled Shuto Expressway system in the Greater Tokyo Area. The Bayshore Route is a stretch of toll highway that runs from the Kanazawa ward of Yokohama in the west, northeast to the city of ...

* Yokohama-Yokosuka Route * Japan National Route 16 * Route 357 (Japan)

Prefecture roads

*Kanagawa Prefecture Road 23 *Kanagawa Prefecture Road 204 *Kanagawa Prefecture Road 205

Attractions

* Kanazawa Bunko *

Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise is an amusement park consisting of an aquarium, shopping mall, hotel, marina and amusement rides. It is located in Hakkeijima, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. It opened for business on May 8, 1993. It is a pay-as-you-go theme park, ha ...

Sports centers

* Rinetsu Kanazawa (pool) * Sports center of Kanazawa (indoor gym)

Beaches

* Nojima Beach—It is the last remaining natural beach in Yokohama city. The beach is shallow for a good distance from the shore. * Umi no Kouen—A city park with an artificial beach. The sand was carried by ship from Chiba prefecture. Visitors can go shellfish gathering there.

Fishing ports

* Shiba fishing port * Kanazawa fishing port

Education

Tertiary: *

Yokohama City University is a public university, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2013, YCU has two faculties with a total of around 4,850 students, 111 of whom are foreign. YCU also has four campuses (Kanazawa-Hakkei, Fukuura, Maioka and Tsurumi) and t ...

* Kanto Gakuin University

Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education The is the board of education for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. The board consists of six members; one of them is elected as the chair, and one of them is appointed by the board as the superintendent. The board administers municipal education and ...

operates prefectural high schools: * * operates the following municipal high schools: * Private high schools: * * * The municipal board of education also operates public junior and senior high schools. Nishi Kanazawa Elementary/Junior High School a.k.a. Nishi Kanazawa Gakuen ( 西金沢学園) is a combined elementary and junior high school in Kanazawa-ku. Junior high schools: * Daido ( 大道) * Kamariya ( 釜利谷) * Kanasawa ( 金沢) * Koda ( 小田) * Mutsuura ( 六浦) * Namiki ( 並木) * Nishishiba ( 西柴) * Tomioka ( 富岡) * Tomioka Higashi ( 富岡東) Elementary schools:
From this link
/ref> * Asahina ( 朝比奈) * Bunko ( 文庫) * Daido ( 大道) * Hakkei ( 八景) * Kamariya ( 釜利谷) * Kamariya Higashi ( 釜利谷東) * Kamariya Minami ( 釜利谷南) * Kanazawa ( 金沢) * Koda ( 小田) * Mutsuura ( 六浦) * Mutsuura Minami ( 六浦南) * Nishi Shiba ( 西柴) * Nishi Tomioka ( 西富岡) * Nokendai ( 能見台) * Nokendai Minami ( 能見台南) * Segasaki (瀬ケ崎) * Takafunedai ( 高舟台) * Tomiki Chuo (Central) ( 並木中央) * Tomiki Daiichi (No. 1) ( 並木第一) * Tomiki Daiyon (No. 4) ( 並木第四) * Tomioka ( 富岡) Additionally, Bairin Elementary School (梅林小学校), outside of Kanazawa-ku, has an attendance zone that includes a part of Kanazawa-ku.

Famous people

Teruo Iwamoto is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. Club career Iwamoto was born in Yokohama on May 2, 1972. After graduating from high school, he joined Fujita Industries (later ''Bellmare Hiratsuka'') in 1991. In 1994, ...

– professional soccer player * Kazumasa Oda – singer, songwriter * Koizumi Matajirō – politician *

Naoto Takenaka is a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and director from Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, affiliated with From First Production. He is married to idol singer and actress Midori Kinouchi. He is also known as the voice of Samuel L. ...

– actor * Yuta Tabuse – professional basketball player * Kota Yabu – actor, singer * Max Matsuura – record producer *

Mitsuru Igarashi is the former keyboardist and songwriter of Japanese pop group Every Little Thing. He founded the band in early 1996 with his old friend Ichirō Itō and then 18-year-old singer Kaori Mochida. He left Every Little Thing in April 2000 after rel ...

– musician *

Kōichirō Uno is a Japanese author of erotic novels. His works have often been filmed, most notably by Nikkatsu studio in a prolific series of ''Roman Porno''s giving the author's name in the title. Life and career Kōichirō Uno was born in 1934 and first ap ...

– novelist * Katsumi Asaba – art director * Tadanobu Asano – actor

References

* Kato, Yuzo. ''Yokohama Past and Present''. Yokohama City University (1990).

External links

Kanazawa Ward Office

Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise

Umino Kouen

* {{Authority control Wards of Yokohama