is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in central

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

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 ...

. , the city 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 132,507 in 56,655 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 340 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

History

The city name comes from the former shrine name of

Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha The is a Shintō shrine in the city of Fujinomiya in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Suruga Province, and is the head shrine of the approximately 1300 Asama or Sengen shrines in the country. The shrine has an ex ...

, "Fujinomiya". It is an ancient settlement that developed as a properous ''toriimae-machi'' (town in front of

torii A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simple ...

) of Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha, where the Fuji clan served as the

high priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rev ...

of the shrine. Nearby is the sanctuary of Taiseki-ji temple, founded in 1290 by

Nikkō Shōnin , Buddhist name , was one of the six senior disciples of Nichiren and was the former Chief Priest of Kuon-ji temple in Mount Minobu, Japan. Various Nichiren sects in Japan claim to have been founded by Nikkō, the most prominent being Nichiren ...

as the headquarters of

Nichiren Shōshū is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the traditionalist teachings of the 13th century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282), claiming him as its founder through his senior disciple Nikko Shonin (1246–1333), the founder of ...

Buddhism. Fujinomiya is closely related to Mount Fuji, and was located in the crossroad of Ōmiya and Murayamaguchi mountain pilgrimage trails. During 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 ...

, the hunting event

Fuji no Makigari Fuji no Makigari (富士の巻狩り) was a grand hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo from June to July 1193, centering around the foot of Mount Fuji. 700,000 participated in the event, including a large number of the shogun's ''g ...

arranged by

shogun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

Minamoto no Yoritomo was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1192 until 1199.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Minamoto no Yoriie" in . He was the husband of Hōjō Masako who acted as regent (''shikken'') after his ...

was held in the ancient region of Fujino, where the

Revenge of the Soga Brothers The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (曾我兄弟の仇討ち, ''Soga kyōdai no adauchi'') was a vengeance incident on June 28, 1193, during the Fuji no Makigari hunting event arranged by shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo. The Soga brothers, Soga Sukenar ...

incident also took place. These events were disseminated as historical materials such as ''Ōrai Mono'' (historical primary education textbooks created mainly in the form of letters), and as the subject of entertainment such as

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

, noh, and ''jōruri''. Fujinomiya was a

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

(fortified during the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

) on the primary route connecting Suruga with Kai Province. 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 ...

, the area was ''

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 under direct control of 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 ...

. British consul Sir

Rutherford Alcock Sir John Rutherford Alcock, KCB (25 May 1809''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812''2 November 1897) was the first British diplomatic representative to live in Japan. Early life Alcock was born in St J ...

made the first recorded ascent on Mount Fuji by a non-Japanese person from Fujinomiya in 1860. During the cadastral reform of the early

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

in 1889, the area was reorganized into Omiya Town and eight villages with

Fuji District, Shizuoka (Japan > Shizuoka Prefecture > Fuji District) was a district located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The district covered the entire area of the city of Fujinomiya and parts of the city of Fuji. Until the day before the dissolution, the distric ...

. On 1 June 1942, the modern city was established with the merger of Omiya town with neighboring Fujioka village. The city expanded by annexing neighboring Fujine village in 1955, and Kitayama, Shiraito, Kamiide and Ueno villages in 1956. From 1987,

Aum Shinrikyo , formerly , is a Japanese doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been responsible for the Matsumoto sarin attack the previous year. The group says ...

had their headquarters in the city. The most recent merger was on 23 March 2010, when the town of Shibakawa (from Fuji District) was merged into Fujinomiya.

Geography

Fujinomiya is located in central Shizuoka Prefecture on an upland plateau on the foothills and lower slopes of Mount Fuji, with an altitude ranging from . The average temperature is . Much of the city lies within the borders of

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park is a national park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It consists of Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park covers . Rat ...

. Fujinomiya is known as one of the main starting points for climbing trips to

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest ...

, the summit of which is partly within the borders of the city. As with most of Shizuoka Prefecture, the area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.

Surrounding municipalities

*Shizuoka Prefecture **

Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka is the easternmost of the three wards of the city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Shimizu-ku was created on April 1, 2005, when Shizuoka became a city designated by government ordinance (a "designated city"). Its area is al ...

Fuji Fuji may refer to: Places China * Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan Japan * Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan * Fuji River * Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture * Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefec ...

Gotemba is a city on the southeastern flank of Mount Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 88,370 in 36,096 households, and a population density of 450 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography ...

** Oyama *

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...

** Nanbu **

Minobu is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 11,674 in 5447 households, and a population density of 39 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Minobu is in south-central Yamanash ...

** Narusawa **

Fujikawaguchiko is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 26,542 in 10618 households, and a population density of 170 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Fujikawaguchiko is located in sou ...

Fujiyoshida is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,782 in 19,806 households and a population density of 400 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Fujiyoshida lies at the northern ...

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fujinomiya has steadily increased over the past 50 years.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Fujinomiya is 14.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1881 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.1 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.4 °C.Fujinomiya climate data
/ref>

Government

Fujinomiya 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, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

city legislature of 22 members.

Economy

Fujinomiya is an industrial center within Shizuoka Prefecture, traditionally with a heavy emphasis on the

paper industry The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process The pulp is fed to a paper machine where it is formed as a paper web a ...

. Other manufacturing industries include rotating equipment, automotive parts, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Education

Fujinomiya has 21 public elementary schools and 13 public junior high schools operated by the city government. The city has four public high schools operated by the Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education. The city also has one private junior school, and two private high schools. The prefectural Shizuoka Prefectural Agriculture and Forestry College is also located in Fujinomiya.

Transportation

Railway

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as JR Tōkai ( ja, JR東海, links=no). ''Tōkai'' is a reference to the geographical ...

Minobu Line The is a railway line in the Tōkai region of Japan operated by the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). It connects Fuji Station in Fuji, Shizuoka to Kōfu Station in Kōfu, Yamanashi, and the Tōkaidō Main Line with the Chūō Main ...

** - - - - -

Highway

* Nishi-Fuji Road (connects to

Tōmei Expressway The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is designated as E1 under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering", because it parallels N ...

) * * *

Bus

* Fuji Kyūkō *Fuji-Kyū Shizuoka Bus *Sankō town coach *Fujinomiya Station - Tokyo International Airport Express Bus *Fujinomiya Station -

Tokyo Station Tokyo Station ( ja, 東京駅, ) is a railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The original station is located in Chiyoda's Marunouchi business district near the Imperial Palace grounds. The newer Eastern extension is not far from the Ginza ...

Express Bus *Kyoto/Osaka line Express Bus

Sister city relations

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

since July 21, 1975 *

Shaoxing Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitant ...

Zhejiang Province Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, since November 11, 1997

Local attractions

*Fujinomiya is famous for *

* Taisekiji Temple *

Shiraito Falls is a waterfall in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, near Mount Fuji, Japan. It is part of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and has been protected since 1936 as a Japanese Natural Monument. The falls were regarded as sacred under the Fuji cult. An ...

Asagiri Plateau The is located at the southwest base of Mount Fuji in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.The Asagiri Plateau is richly utilized for its pasture land and many dairy farms are situated along it. The elevation of the plateau is generally around ...

Lake Tanuki is a lake near Mount Fuji, Japan. It is located in the city of Fujinomiya is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 132,507 in 56,655 households, and a population density of 340 pers ...

* Sengo ruins * Ōshikakubo ruins * Yamamiya Sengen-jinja

Festivals

Hatsumōde is the first Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year. Many visit on the first, second, or third day of the year as most are off work on those days. Generally, wishes for the new year are made, new ''omamori'' (charms or a ...

(Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha) *Yabusame (Horseback archery) Festival (May 4, 5, 6) *Oyamabiraki (opening of climbing season) July 1 *Gojinka-festival (August) *Fujinomiya Autumn Festival (November 3, 4, 5)

Events

* The

13th World Scout Jamboree The was held August 2 to 10, 1971, on Asagiri Heights on the western side of Mount Fuji, in Fujinomiya, Japan, approximately 80 miles southwest of Tokyo. The Jamboree was interrupted by Typhoon Olive in which 16,000 of the participating Sco ...

was held August 2–10, 1971 on Asagiri Heights on the western side of

. * The 9th

ISF Women's World Championship The Women's Softball World Cup is a fastpitch softball tournament for women's national teams held historically every four years, now every two years, by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The tournament, originally known as the '' ...

was held in Fujinomiya, in 1998.

Noted people from Fujinomiya

Kumiko Akiyoshi (born July 29, 1954), better known as , is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 1st Hochi Film Award for ''Banka'', ''Saraba natsuno hikariyo'' and ''Brother and Sister''. Filmography Films * '' Tabi no omosa'' (1972 ...

- actress *

Mizuki Sano is a Japanese actor and the eldest member of Johnny's Jr., the trainee unit of the well-known talent agency Johnny & Associates. He is perhaps best known for his role in ''Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo'' and his various activities as a member of Jo ...

- singer *

Kōtarō Satomi (born 28 November 1936) is a Japanese actor from the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In 1956, he signed with Toei film company. He appears in both contemporary roles and in the historical dramas known as '' jidaigeki''. Sele ...

- actor *Kaori Shimizu - singer * Takahiro Yamada (

Asian Kung-Fu Generation (stylized as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION) is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyo ...

) *

Masaaki Sawanobori is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team. Club career Sawanobori was born in Fujinomiya on January 12, 1970. After graduating from Tokai University, he joined new club Shimizu S-Pulse based in his local Shizuoka P ...

- professional soccer player *

Shinsuke Tayama (born October 18, 1982) is a Japanese skeleton racer who has competed since 2001. His best World Cup finish was 15th at Park City, Utah in 2009. Tayama was disqualified at the FIBT World Championships 2009 in the men's skeleton event. He quali ...

- Olympic athlete *

Toshie Uematsu is a female Japanese retired professional wrestler best known for her popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. She was one of the members of the first class of wrestlers trained by Chigusa Nagayo when Nagayo formed the GAEA Japan promotion. Uematsu fi ...

- professional wrestler *

Yasuhiro Hiraoka is a Japanese footballer who plays for Ehime FC from 2023. Club career On 18 December 2022, Hiraoka joined to J3 club, Ehime FC is a professional football club based in Matsuyama, the capital city of Ehime Prefecture of Japan. After winni ...

- professional soccer player *

Yutaka Yoshida is a Japanese football player currently playing for Nagoya Grampus. National team career In August 2007, Yoshida was elected Japan U-17 national team for 2007 U-17 World Cup. He played full time in all 3 matches as left side-back. Club sta ...

- professional soccer player *

Hirotsugu Akaike was a Japanese statistician. In the early 1970s, he formulated the Akaike information criterion (AIC). AIC is now widely used for model selection, which is commonly the most difficult aspect of statistical inference; additionally, AIC is the ba ...

- statistician

Gallery

Image:Fujinomiya-city.jpg, Fujinomiya City File:Fujisan-tozandou.jpg, Climbing Mount Fuji-Fujinomiya routes File:N2 Shiraito Falls 2.jpg, Shiraito Falls File:070127 tanuki-fuji.jpg, Lake Tanuki File:Fujisan from kenashiyama 01 1994 11 27.jpg, Asagiri Plateau File:Otodomenotaki.JPG, Otodome Falls File:Wakutamanoike.JPG, Wakutama Springs of Mount Fuji File:Fujinomiya-yakisoba.jpg, Fujinomiya yakisoba

References

External links

*
Official Shizuoka Prefecture homepage

2013 archive of a Fujinomiya Trail Climbing Guide

Fujinomiya info

Fujinomiya Tourist Association
{{Authority control Cities in Shizuoka Prefecture