
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
Mie Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture an ...
,
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 23,015 in 9309 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 560 persons per km².
The total area of the town was .
Geography
Meiwa is located in eastern
Kii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan and is located within the Kansai region. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. The peninsula has long been a sacred place in Buddhism, Shinto, and Shugendo, and many people wou ...
in central Mie Prefecture between
Matsusaka and
Ise Ise may refer to:
Places
*Ise, Mie, a city in Japan
**Ise Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine located in Ise, Mie
* Ise Ekiti, a city in Nigeria
* Ise, Norway, a village in Norway
*Ise Province, an ancient province of Japan
*River Ise, a tributary of the ...
, facing
Ise Bay
is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie prefecture, Mie and Aichi prefecture, Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the small ...
on the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. Te land is generally flat and agricultural.
Climate
Meiwa has a
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Meiwa is 15.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2015 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.1 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,
Meiwa population statistics
/ref> the population of Meiwa has been increasing over the past 60 years.
History
In pre-modern Japan, Meiwa was best known as the location of the ancient Saikū
The was a palace complex located in what is now the Takegawa neighborhood of the town of Meiwa, Taki District, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Forming a small village, it was established in the Nara period as the palace and public offices of the ''Sai� ...
, the residence of the ''Saiō
or was the title of the unmarried female members of the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese Imperial Family, sent to serve at Ise Grand Shrine from the late 7th century to the 14th century. The 's residence, , was about north-west of the shrine ...
,'' an unmarried Imperial princess who, in place of the Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
, was dispatched to serve as the High Priestess of Ise Grand Shrine
The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the solar goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami and the grain goddess Toyouke-hime (Toyouke Omikami). Also known simply as , Ise Shrine is a shrine complex composed of many Shi ...
to perform three important Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
rituals. 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 ...
the area developed into a thriving agricultural center and post-town, providing lodging to people making the pilgrimage to Ise Grand Shrine. Ōyodo Village was established on April 1, 1889 during the Meiji period establishment of the modern municipalities system. It was elevated to town status on February 1, 1924, and was renamed Sanwa on September 3, 1955. In 1958, the town of Sanwa and the neighboring village of Saimei merged to form the town of Meiwa.
Government
Meiwa 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
city council of 14 members. Meiwa, collectively with the other municipalities of Taki District, contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Mie 4th district of the lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
of the Diet of Japan
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
.
Economy
Meiwa has a mixed economy based on agriculture, commercial fishing
Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for Commerce, commercial Profit (economics), profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice ...
and light manufacturing, and serves as a commercial center for the surrounding region.
Education
Meiwa has six public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.
Transportation
Railway
22px Kintetsu Railway
, referred to as and officially Kinki-Nippon Railway, 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 railw ...
- Yamada Line
:(''for , '' ) ( ''for '')
Bus
Sanco does not operate bus lines to Meiwa, however the town of Meiwa runs a small bus line that connects Myōjō Station and Saikū Station with the Meiwa City Hall and the huge Meiwa Jusco shopping center. Buses run hourly from the stations and only operate between 8:00am and 6:00pm.
Highway
*
Local attractions
* Saikū Historical Museum
* Itsukinomiya Historical Experience - Built without the use of modern technology, this building is crafted to resemble the Saiō's ancient residence. Just outside this building is a small-scale reconstruction of the entire Saikū complex.
* Ōyodo Swimming Beach - A small beach in northeastern Meiwa.
Festivals
* Saiō Festival - Held annually for two days on the first weekend in June near the Saikū ruins, with a procession of people clad in Heian period dress.
* Ōyodo Gion Festival - Held annually on the last Saturday of July or the first Saturday of August, with fireworks over Ōyodo harbour.
References
External links
Meiwa official website
Itsukinomiya Historical Hall
Meiwa city guide
from the at
{{Authority control
Towns in Mie Prefecture
Populated coastal places in Japan
Meiwa, Mie