is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

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 city 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 13,531 in 6013 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 54.6 persons per km². The total area of the city was .

Etymology

Suzu is thought to have been named after Suzu Shrine, an ancient

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

located in the Awazu area of the city. The name "Suzu" appears in

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

records; however, the ''

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

'' for Suzu (珠洲) is not thought to have been in use until the early Wadō era (713 AD). There is also the theory that the name originates from the

Ainu language Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu (), is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isola ...

, as with several other place names in the Noto area.

Geography

Suzu occupies the northeastern tip of the

Noto Peninsula The Noto Peninsula (, ''Noto-hantō'') is a peninsula that projects north into the Sea of Japan from the coast of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. Before the Meiji era, the peninsula belonged to Noto Province. Th ...

and is bordered by the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...

on three sides. Parts of the city are within the borders of the

Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park is a quasi-national park covering a portion of Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape (category V) according to the IUCN. in the northern half of Ishikawa Prefecture, extends a ...

Neighbouring municipalities

*Ishikawa Prefecture **

Noto Noto (; ) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were decl ...

** Wajima

Climate

Suzu 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 mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Suzu is 13.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2234 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Suzu has declined steadily over the past 50 years.

History

In ancient times, Suzu prospered as a gateway for trade by sea, establishing connections with places such as

Izumo Izumo (出雲) may refer to: Locations * Izumo Province, an old province of Japan * Izumo, Shimane, a city located in Shimane Prefecture ** Izumo Airport * Izumo-taisha, one of Japan's most ancient and important Shinto shrines Ships * ''Izumo ...

, Sado and

Ezo is the Japanese term historically used to refer to the people and the lands to the northeast of the Japanese island of Honshu. This included the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which changed its name from "Ezo" to "Hokkaidō" in 1869, Nu ...

. In turn, Suzu was introduced to ironware culture from a considerably early period in the Izumo era, and even gained crucial agricultural influence and knowledge to develop an agricultural society. In fact, it is thought that such ancient Noto culture originated and spread outwards from the tip of the Noto Peninsula. In the second year of the

Yōrō was a after '' Reiki'' and before '' Jinki.'' This period spanned the years from November 717 through February 724. The reigning empress was . Change of era * 717 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events. The previ ...

(718),

Noto Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is today the northern part of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, including the Noto Peninsula (''Noto-hantō'') which is surrounded by the Sea of Japan. Noto bordered on Etchū Province, E ...

consisting of the 4 districts of Suzu, Fugeshi, Hakui and Noto was established. For a short period of time, the land was claimed as part of

Etchū Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Etchū bordered on Noto and Kaga Provinces to the west, Shinano and Hida Provinces to the south, Echigo Province to the east and the Sea o ...

. During this period the famous

Ōtomo no Yakamochi was a Japanese people, Japanese statesman and ''waka (poetry), waka'' poet in the Nara period. He was one of the ''Man'yō no Go-taika,'' the five great poets of his time, and was part of Fujiwara no Kintō's . Yakamochi was a member of the pr ...

recited a poem about the picturesque scenery of Suzu Bay, which would later be included in the famous poetry anthology ''

Man'yōshū The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...

''. Later in the Kōji period (1143), Noto Provincial Governor Minamoto no Toshikane established Wakayama ''

shōen A was a field or Manorialism, manor in Japan. The Japanese language, Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese language, Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to th ...

'' which grew to become the largest estate in Noto, expanding territory to take over the majority of land in Suzu. Around this time, production of

Suzu ware is a type of pre-modern Japanese pottery from the Noto Peninsula on the coast of Ishikawa prefecture, in the Hokuriku region of central Japan. History The production of Suzu ware began in the 12th century, at the end of the Heian period (794–11 ...

began, which was exported as far as

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

. The area was also noted from ancient times for the production of salt. During the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

(1467–1568), the area was contested between the

Hatakeyama clan The was a Japanese samurai clan. Originally a branch of the Taira clan and descended from Taira no Takamochi, they fell victim to political intrigue in 1205, when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, first, and his father Shigetada later were killed in batt ...

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its heigh ...

and

Maeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan through Sugawara no Kiyotom ...

, with the area becoming part of

Kaga Domain The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1583 to 1871.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 ...

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. Following 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 organised into one town (Iida) and 14 villages in 1889. These municipalities merged on 15 July 1954 to form the city of Suzu. Since 2020, the city has been hit by an

earthquake swarm In seismology, an earthquake swarm is a sequence of seismic events occurring in a local area within a relatively short period. The time span used to define a swarm varies, but may be days, months, or years. Such an energy release is different fr ...

. A 5.4 earthquake in June 2022 injured seven people, damaged a temple and shattered windows. In May 2023, a 6.5

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

hit the city. One person died, 47 others were injured, 38 houses collapsed, 263 were partially destroyed and 1,825 others were damaged in Suzu, over one-third of the city's housing stock. At the beginning of 2024,

another earthquake ''Another Earthquake!'' is the fourth studio album by American teen pop singer Aaron Carter, released on September 3, 2002. The album made its chart debut at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 (with 41,000 units sold), but fell ...

, measuring 7.6, hit close to Suzu, causing 146 deaths in the city (including 49 indirectly) and destroying or severely damaging 5,916 of the city's 6,000 houses.

Government

Suzu 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 legislature of 14 members.

Economy

Industries

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

: wet-land rice,

Matsutake , ''Tricholoma matsutake'', is a species of choice edible mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Eurasia and North America. It is prized in Japanese cuisine for its distinct odor. Etymology The common name and specific epithet, ''matsutake'', i ...

mushrooms, charcoal, and other crops *

Ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

s: portable stoves called ''

shichirin ''Shichirin'' (; , literally "seven wheels") is a small Japanese charcoal grill. Etymology ''Shichirin'' being a compound word made up of the characters 七 (''shichi'' or ''nana'', "seven") and 輪 (''rin'' or ''wa'', "wheel", "loop", or ...

'' and

are the chief ceramic goods produced in the city. Also,

diatomaceous earth Diatomaceous earth ( ), also known as diatomite ( ), celite, or kieselguhr, is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous rock, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging fr ...

is found almost anywhere within the city limits, and it has been used for ceramics since 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 ...

. *

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 ...

: processing of marine goods *

Livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

: Noto Beef, a regionally renowned brand *''

Sake Sake, , or saki, 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 indeed any East Asi ...

'': there are several

sake Sake, , or saki, 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 indeed any East Asi ...

producers in the area, including the Sougen Sake Brewery. *

Salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

: salt is still manufactured traditionally with evaporation ponds, particularly through the Agehama method of artificially flooded saltpans. More recently, Suzu has become known for its production of

sawtooth oak ''Quercus acutissima'', the sawtooth oak, is an Asian species of oak native to China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Siberia, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand, ...

charcoal (クヌギ炭, ''kunugi-zumi'') for use in the

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

Education

Suzu has seven public elementary schools and four middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education. The prefectural also operates one special education school.

Transportation

Noto Railway is a Japanese railway company on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. It runs the Nanao Line with eight stops between Nanao and Anamizu, a distance of . There are 34 trains plus sightseeing trains on the line. It previously operated the N ...

Noto Line The was a Japanese railway line of Noto Railway in Ishikawa Prefecture, between Anamizu Station in Anamizu, Hōsu District and Takojima Station in Suzu. This railway line closed on April 1, 2005. Line data * Length: 61 km * Rail gau ...

ran from Anamizu Station to Suzu's Takojima Station until April 2005, when the line was permanently closed. Today, the city does not have any passenger railway service.

Highway

Mass media

Newspapers

*''Hokuriku Chunichi Shimbun'' (Chunichi Shimbun Co.), Suzu Correspondence Division *''Hokkoku Shimbun'', Suzu Branch Office

Cable television

*Nouetsu Cablenet

Sister cities

Pelotas Pelotas () is a Brazilian city and Municipalities of Brazil, municipality (''município''), the fourth Largest cities in Rio Grande do Sul by population, most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, after Porto Alegre, Caxias do Su ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, since September 1963

Local attractions

Places

* Godzilla Rock *

Mitsukejima is an uninhabited island in Suzu, Ishikawa, Japan. Because of its shape, it is also known as , which is also the common name given to Hashima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture. According to folklore, the island was given the name "Mitsukejima" by ...

, also called "Battleship Rock" * Rokkozaki Lighthouse * Suzu Shrine * Suzu-yaki Museum

Festivals

* Iida-machi Toroyama Festival (established by the city as an important intangible folk culture asset in 1996) * Houryuu Tanabata Kiriko Festival – Held on the first Saturday of August in Ukai, Houryuu-machi. A 14 meter tall ''kiriko'' is carried by a group of young people on their shoulders around the Ukai area in Houryuu-machi. Although the ''kiriko'' in Jike, Misaki-machi, is recognized as being the biggest in Japan, the ''kiriko'' used in this festival is the largest among ''kiriko'' that are carried on the shoulders. In the final stages of the festival, with fireworks in the background, the ''kiriko'' is pushed towards the sea and the participants do boisterous dance in the sea around pine torches. *

Oku-Noto Triennale The arts festival Oku-Noto Triennale (Japanese 奥能登芸術祭) takes place every three years in Suzu, Japan. Contemporary artists install site-specific works in the city and surrounding countryside and region. During the event, local residents ...

– Contemporary art festival held every three years

Mascot

Suzu's mascot is , a fairy from Mitsukejima. Its goal is to promote Suzu to the rest of the country and the world. It became the mascot on 7 November 2011.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Ishikawa Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan