Sakurai, Nara

270px, Sakurai City Hall
is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 54,384 in 25678 households, and a population density of 550 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Sakurai is located in central Nara Prefecture. The western and northern parts of the city are located southeast of the Nara Basin, and are relatively flat rural areas with the Terakawa and Hatsusegawa (Yamatogawa) rivers flowing through them. The urban area is centered around Sakurai Station and Miwa Station, and along National Route 165. The Ryumon Mountains cover the southern and eastern parts of the city,

Neighboring municipalities

Nara Prefecture
* Nara
* Kashihara
* Tenri
* Uda
* Tawaramoto
* Asuka
* Yoshino

Climate

Sakurai has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sakurai is 14.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1636 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.7 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Sakurai is as shown below

History

Sakurai is part of ancient Yamato Province. Fragments of pottery from the Jomon and Yayoi periods can be found in ordinary fields, indicating that the area has been settled for many thousands of years. Many ancient burial mounds, such as zenpokoenfun from the Kofun periods, indicate that this was central region of the Yamato dynasty, and its predecessor, the Miwa dynasty. It was briefly the capital of Japan during the reign of Emperor Yūryaku. 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
* ''Iware no Tamaho'' Palace, 526–532 in reign of Emperor Keitai
* ''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 village of Sakurai was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on November 1, 1890. Sakurai annexed the villages of Jojima in 1942 and Abe, Tonomine and Asakura in 1954. On September 1, 1956 Sakurai annexed Daifuku and Kaguyama and was raised to city status.

Government

Sakurai has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 16 members. Sakurai contributes two members to the Nara Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Nara 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

As it is a distribution center for lumber from all over Nara Prefecture, the lumber industry is thriving, and lumber is actively promoted through exhibitions of wood products and wood workshops. Agriculture is also important to the local economy and the area is also famous as a mandarin orange production area.

Education

Sakurai has 11 public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Nara Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railways

JR West - Sakurai Line (Manyō-Mahoroba Line)
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20px Kintetsu Railway - Osaka Line
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Highways

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Sister cities

* Kumano, Mie, Japan
* Taisha, Shimane, Japan
* Chartres, France

Local attractions

Sakurai is home to Ōmiwa Shrine, traditionally considered one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan dedicated to the god of sake. Sake dealers across Japan often hang a wooden sugi ball, made at Ōmiwa Shrine, as a talisman to the god of sake. It was featured in Yukio Mishima's novel '' Runaway Horses''.

Famous places

* Buddhist temples
** Abe Monju-in
** Asuka-dera
** Hase-dera
** Miwasanbyōdō-ji
** Seirin-ji
** Tachibana-dera

*Shinto shrines
** Kasayamakō Shrine
** Ōmiwa Shrine
** Tamatsura Shrine
** Tanzan Shrine

* National Historic Sites
**Yamada-dera ruins
** Monju-in Nishi Kofun
** Mesuriyama Kofun
** Ōbara-dera ruins
** Abe-dera ruins
** Hanayamazuka Kofun
** Chihara Ōbaka Kofun
** Kibi-ike temple ruins
** Sakurai Chausuyama Kofun
** Tamakiyama Kofun Cluster
** Tennōzan Kofun
** Makimuku Site
** Makimuku Kofun Cluster
** Kusabaka Kofun
** Hashihaka Kofun

References

External links

*

Sakurai City official website (in English)

*

Cities in Nara Prefecture
Former capitals of Japan
Sakurai, Nara

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