Eryū-ji temple in Aizubange 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

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

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 15,159 in 5487 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 170 persons per km². The total area of the town was .

Geography

Aizubange is located in the northern portion of the

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princ ...

region of Fukushima Prefecture in the western part of Aizu Basin. The basin extends from the center of the town to the east and is relatively flat, with many paddy fields. On the other hand, the western part of the town has many forests. The Aga River flows from the east to the north of the town, and the

Tadami River The is a major tributary of the Agano River in Japan. Its basin covers and its main stem is extensively regulated and developed for hydroelectric power. The river is located within Niigata, Gunma and Fukushima Prefectures. Dams Starting from ...

flows to the west. *Mountains : Mount Takadera *Rivers :

, Agakawa

Neighboring municipalities

Fukushima Prefecture * Aizumisato *

Aizuwakamatsu is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 118,159 in 50,365 households, and a population density of 310 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . History The area of present-day Aizuwakamatsu ...

* Kitakata * Nishiaizu * Yanaizu * Yugawa

Climate

Aizubange has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Dfb'') characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Aizubange is 11.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1399 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Aizubange population statistics
/ref> the population of Aizubange has declined steadily over the past 60 years.

History

The area of present-day Aizubange was part of ancient Mutsu Province. The area formed part of the holdings of

Aizu Domain was a Han (Japan), domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Aizuwakamatsu Castle, Tsuruga Castle in M ...

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 ...

. 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 area was organized as part of Kawanuma District. Fukushima Prefecture. The town of Bange was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. The town of Aizubange was founded on April 1, 1955, by the merger of the town of Bange with the Wakamiya, Kanagami, Hirose, Kawanishi and Yawata.

Economy

The economy of Aizubange is centered on the production of rice, with much of the town area under paddy fields.

Education

Aizubange has two public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government. The town has two public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

–

Tadami Line The is a scenic railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Aizu-Wakamatsu Station at Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima, Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture with Koide Station at Uonuma, Niigata, Uonuma in Niiga ...

* – – –

Highway

* – Aizubange IC * *

Local attractions

* Eryū-ji – Buddhist temple with Important Cultural Property

Kannon Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

-dō. * site of Jingamine Castle (National Historic Site) * Kamegamori-Chinjumori Kofun (National Historic Site)

Noted people from Aizubange

* Yoshitaka Egawa, basketball player *

Hachiro Kasuga , born Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka singer. He has been dubbed "the first enka singer". Having seen Ichiro Fujiyama on stage, he attempted to become a popular singer. After he graduated from the Toyo Music School, he joined the Imperial ...

, singer * Kiyoshi Saitō, artist * Takeda Sōkaku, martial artist * Hiroshi Takahashi, manga artist

References

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Towns in Fukushima Prefecture