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 ...

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest cit ...

, Japan. It includes Ishigaki island and the

Senkaku Islands The are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan. They are located northeast of Taiwan, east of China, west of Okinawa Island, and north of the southwestern end of the Ryukyu Islands. They are known in main ...

territory. The city is the political, cultural, and economic center of the

Yaeyama Islands The Yaeyama Islands (八重山列島 ''Yaeyama-rettō'', also 八重山諸島 ''Yaeyama-shotō'', Yaeyama: ''Yaima'', Yonaguni: ''Daama'', Okinawan: ''Yeema'', Northern Ryukyuan: ''Yapema'') are an archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa P ...

. New Ishigaki Airport serves the city. As of December 2012, the city has 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 48,816 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 213 persons per km². The total area is 229.00 km². It is also the location of the disputed

(see below in the Geography section).

History

The current city of Ishigaki was founded in 1908 as Yaeyama Village, an amalgamation of the Ishigaki, Ōhama, and Miyara

magiri The administrative divisions of the Ryukyu Kingdom were a hierarchy composed of districts, ''magiri'', cities, villages, and islands established by the Ryukyu Kingdom throughout the Ryukyu Islands. Divisions There were three or ''hō'': , , and ...

. In 1914 it was renamed to Ishigaki Village, and grew to become Ishigaki Town in 1926. Ishigaki was elevated to city status on July 10, 1947. Historical footnote: One of the first Frenchmen ever to visit Japan, Guillaume Courtet, came ashore at Ishigaki in 1636.

Geography

The city of Ishigaki covers the entirety of Ishigaki Island (). The island is surrounded by

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

s. The highest point on Ishigaki Island is Omotodake (). The uninhabited Senkaku Islands are located north of the Ishigaki Island. The Senkaku Islands cover roughly .

Economy

Ishigaki produces

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

and

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

s. Tourism is also an important part of the economy of the city.

Transportation

New Ishigaki Airport and Ishigaki Port serve the city.

Climate

Ishigaki has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southe ...

(

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 ...

''Af'') with frequent cyclones so not equatorial. "Summers" are hot and "winters" warm. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year; the rainiest months are August and September (due to tropical storm/typhoon) while the driest months are December and July.

Sights

The town of Ishigaki has various sights to offer. * ''Gongen Do'' is a Shinto shrine close to the center of Ishigaki town which was founded in 1614. The shrine was destroyed during a flood in 1771. The present buildings date from 1787. The neighbouring building is ''Torin Ji'', a buddhist temple which was founded in 1614 as well. It houses several statues dating from 1737 which possibly represent tutelary gods of Ishigaki Island. * Close by is ''

Miyaradunchi The old residence of is located on the island of Ishigaki Island, Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Erected around 1819 by the local governor, it has been designated an Important Cultural Properties of Japan, Important Cultural Property as rep ...

'', a residential building dating from 1819. Its architecture with a

hip roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus ...

consisting of red tiles is similar to samurai houses on mainland Japan, but there have never been samurai on the Yaeyama Islands. * The Museum of the Yaeyama Islands, ''Shiritsu Yaeyama Hakubutsukan'', is on Main Street in the center of Ishigaki town. Various kinds of boats and other items referring to the history and culture of the Yaeyama Islands can be seen. It is famous for being the southernmost museum of Japan. * ''Fuzaki Kannon Do'' is a small Shinto shrine dating from 1742. It is west of the town on a hill offering a scenic view of Ishigaki and Iriomote, the neighbouring island. The shrine is dedicated to

Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...

. * ''Tojinbaka'' is tomb in a typical Chinese style about west the town on the ring road. 400 Chinese labourers who died during a rebellion on a ship sailing to America in 1852 are buried here.Yamakei: ''Ryukyu Nansei Shoto'', p.105. Tokio 2003. * Kabira Bay File:市役所通り.jpg, Shinyakusho-Dori File:Ishigaki torinji gongendo.jpg, Shinto shrine ''Gongen Do'' File:IshigakiTorinJi.jpg, ''Torin Ji'' Temple File:IshigakiMiyaraDonchi.jpg, ''Miyara Donchi'' File:IshigakiKyokai.jpg, Catholic Church in Ishigaki File:IshigakiKannonDo.jpg, Shrine ''Fuzaki Kannon Do'' File:Tojin-baka Ishigaki Island Japan06n4592.jpg, ''Tojinbaka'' Tomb File:Kabira Bay Ishigaki Island41s3s4500.jpg, Kabira Bay File:Ishigaki port - 1 (1).jpg, Ishigaki Port File:Ishigaki taketomi.jpg, Ishigaki viewed from Taketomi

Notable people from Ishigaki

Yukiya Arashiro is a Japanese road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, Arashiro was the Japanese Under-23 National Time Trial and Road Race Champion in 2005. He has also won the Japanese Nationa ...

(born 1984) professional cyclist * Yudai Arashiro (born 1995) professional cyclist * Yōkō Gushiken (born 1955) boxer * Rimi Natsukawa (born 1973) folk singer *

Begin (band) is a Japanese pop rock group from Ishigaki Island in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Their sound contains many elements of traditional Okinawan music, and prominently features the sanshin. History The members of Begin – ( ...

(all members born 1968) pop musical group *

Kaima Taira is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Career Taira was drafted by the Saitama Seibu Lions with the team’s fourth selection in the 2017 Nippon Professional Baseball dra ...

(born 1999) professional baseball pitcher

Sister cities

In Japan

Wakkanai, Hokkaido ' meaning "cold water river" is a city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture. It contains Japan's northernmost point, Cape Sōya, from which the Russian island of Sakhalin can be seen. As ...

Okazaki, Aichi is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 386,999 in 164,087 households, and a population density of 999 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Okazaki is in the coastal plains o ...

* Kamiita, Tokushima *

Kitakami, Iwate is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 92,311, and a population density of 210 persons per km2 in 37,085 households. The total area of the city is . The city is famous for the sakura that blo ...

Overseas

* Su'ao, Taiwan *

Kauai County, Hawaii Kauai County ( haw, Kalana o Kauaʻi) (officially known as the County of Kauai) is a county in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It consists of the islands of Kauai, Niihau, Lehua, and Kaula. As of the 2020 Census the population was 73,298. The county ...

, United States

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in Okinawa Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan