is a city located in

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayam ...

, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, 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 using a ...

of 58,386, and 24,629

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

s. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

is , and the total area is .

History

Sakurai was briefly the

capital of Japan The current capital of Japan is Tokyo."About Japan"
The Government of Japan. Retrieved 9 March 2022.

during the reign of

Emperor Yūryaku (418 - 8 September 479) was the 21st legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 雄略天皇 (21) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. He is remembered as a patron of sericulture.Nippon ...

. The life of the Imperial court was centered at ''Hatsuse no Asakura'' Palace where the emperor lived in 457–479.Koch, W. (1904)
''Japan; Geschichte nach japanischen Quellen und ethnographische Skizzen. Mit einem Stammbaum des Kaisers von Japan,'' p. 13
Other emperors also built palaces in the area, including * ''Iware no Mikakuri'' Palace, 480–484 in reign of Emperor Seinei * ''Nimiki'' Palace, 499–506 in reign of

Emperor Buretsu (489 — 7 January 507) was the 25th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 武烈天皇 (25)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but ...

* ''Iware no Tamaho'' Palace, 526–532 in reign of

Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th legendary emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 継体天皇 (26)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but he ...

* ''Hinokuma no Iorino'' Palace, 535-539 in reign of Emperor Senka * ''Osata no Sakitama'' Palace or ''Osada no Miya'', 572–585 in reign of Emperor BidatsuPonsonby-Fane, p. 18. The modern city was founded on September 1, 1956. Sakurai is home to Ōmiwa Shrine, traditionally considered one of the oldest

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

shrines in Japan dedicated to the god of

sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indee ...

. Sake dealers across Japan often hang a wooden

sugi ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' ...

ball, made at Ōmiwa Shrine, as a

talisman A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...

to the god of sake. It was featured in

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...

's novel '' Runaway Horses''.

Famous places

Buddhist temples A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...

** Miwasanbyōdō-ji ** Hase-dera ** Asuka-dera ** Tachibana-dera ** Abe Monju-in ** Seirin-ji * Shinto shrines ** Ōmiwa Shrine ** Tanzan Shrine ** Kasayamakō Shrine ** Tamatsura Shrine

Transportation

Rail

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

** Sakurai Line (Man-yō Mahoroba Line): Makimuku Station - Miwa Station - Sakurai Station *

Kintetsu Railway , referred to as , is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railway network connects Osaka, Nara, Ky ...

Osaka Line is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 ...

: Daifuku Station - Sakurai Station - Yamato-Asakura Station - Hasedera Station

Road

Japan National Route 165 is a national highway connecting Kita-ku in the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, and the city of Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Route description *Length: 126.5 km *Origin: Kita-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture (originates at the terminus of ...

Japan National Route 166 * Japanese National Route Sign 0169

Japan National Route 169

Sister cities

In Japan

Kumano, Mie is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 16,232 in 8,746 households and a population density of 43 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kumano is located near the southern ti ...

* Taisha, Shimane

Outside Japan

* Chartres, France.

References

External links

*
Sakurai City official website (in English)
* Cities in Nara Prefecture Former capitals of Japan {{Nara-geo-stub