Kōriyama

Kōriyama Flag Seal
Location of Kōriyama in Fukushima Prefecture
37°24′1.6″N 140°21′35″E / 37.400444°N 140.35972°E / 37.400444; 140.35972
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Fukushima
First official recorded	135 AD
Town settled	April 1, 1889
City settled	September 1, 1924
Government
• Mayor	Masato Shinagawa
Area
• Total	757.20 km2 (292.36 sq mi)
Population  (August 1, 2023)
• Total	321,938
• Density	430/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Prunus serrulata (Japanese hill cherry)
- Flower	Japanese iris
- Bird	Common cuckoo
Phone number	024-924-2491
Address	1-23-7 Asahi, Koriyama, Fukushima 963-8024[1]
Website	Official website

Kōriyama (郡山市, Kōriyama-shi) is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2023^[update], the city had an estimated population of 321,938 people in 141760 households,^[2] and a population density of 425 persons per km². The total area of the city is 757.20 square kilometers (292.36 sq mi). Kōriyama is designated as a core city and functions as a commercial center for Fukushima Prefecture. Kōriyama is the third largest conurbation in the Tōhoku region.

Geography and climate

Kōriyama is located in the center of the Nakadōri region of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. The Adatara Mountains are to the north, Lake Inawashiro is to the west, and the Abukuma Highlands are to the east. The Abukuma River flows through downtown Kōriyama. The downtown area extends to the west of Kōriyama Station.

Neighboring municipalities

• Sukagawa
• Aizu-Wakamatsu
• Nihonmatsu
• Tamura
• Motomiya
• Otama
• Ten-ei
• Hirata
• Miharu
• Ono
• Inawashiro

Climate

Kōriyama has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by hot wet summers and cool, quite dry winters. The average annual temperature in Kōriyama is 11.9 °C (53.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,216 millimeters (47.9 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.0 °C (77.0 °F), and lowest in January, at around 0.1 °C (32.2 °F).^[3]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[6] the population of Kōriyama has increased over the past 60 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1960	213,771	—
1970	241,726	+13.1%
1980	286,451	+18.5%
1990	314,642	+9.8%
2000	334,824	+6.4%
2010	338,712	+1.2%
2020	327,692	−3.3%

History

Kōriyama originated as a regional governmental center in the Nara period, when the area was on the frontier of Yamato settlement of the Tōhoku region. The surrounding area developed into shōen controlled by various samurai clans in the Heian and Kamakura periods. Nearby centers, such as Nihonmatsu developed into castle towns under Hatakeyama clan and which were later controlled by the Date clan, Kōriyama remained as a commercial center and thrived as a post town because of its importance as a traffic focal point into the Edo period and was part of the territory of Nihonmatsu Domain.

With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the town of Kōriyama was established within Asaka District. In the early Meiji period, many dispossessed samurai were assigned undeveloped lands in the area to reclaim and as a result, the population grew and region developed into an agricultural center. The relative abundance of hydroelectric power also helped with the development of local industry.

Kōriyama was raised from town to city status on September 1, 1924 with the annexation of neighboring Odawara Village. Kuwano Village was likewise annexed on June 1, 1925. During the 1930s, Kōriyama was noted a center for military equipment production. It was thus a target for American bombers during World War II, and the city was subject to three large-scale air raids during the war.

From 1954 to 1955, Kōriyama expanded by annexing the town of Otsuki and portions of the villages of Tomita and Iwae, and in 1965 annexed the villages of Nishida and Nakata. In 1997, the city received core city designation, giving it increased autonomy from national and prefectural governments.

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake caused damage, but Kōriyama is located outside of the mandatory evacuation zone set by the Japanese government after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Many people from the evacuation zone relocated to Kōriyama. On 30 July 2020, a shabu-shabu restaurant exploded, damaging an area spanning several hundred meters.^[7]

Government

Kōriyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 38 members. The city contributes nine members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Kōriyama is part of the Fukushima 2nd Electoral District, which includes neighbouring Nihonmatsu, Motomiya and Adachi District.

Mayors

Sources:^[8]

Economy

Kōriyama city is called the "commercial capital in Fukushima" and the economic bloc is the biggest in Fukushima Prefecture.^{[citation needed]}

Principal companies headquartered in Koriyama

• XEBIO; sporting goods
• Kourakuen; ramen noodle shop chain
• York Benimaru; large supermarket retailer with networks in south Tōhoku, Nigata, and North Kanto

Banks headquartered in Koriyama

• Daito Bank
• Toho Bank

Transportation

Kōriyama is an important transportation hub, as it is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture and is the nexus of several railway lines and expressways. Kōriyama Station is the central station for the city. However, Kōriyama does not have an airport.

Railway

JR East - Tōhoku Shinkansen

• Kōriyama

JR East - Tōhoku Main Line

• Asaka-Nagamori - Kōriyama - Hiwada

JR East - East Ban'etsu Line

• Kōriyama - Mōgi

JR East - West Ban'etsu Line

• Kōriyama - Kōriyamatomita - Kikuta - Akogashima] - Bandai-Atami - Nakayamajuku

JR East - Suigun Line

• Kōriyama - Asaka-Nagamori - Yatagawa - Iwaki-Moriyama

Highway

• Tōhoku Expressway - Asaka PA - Kōriyama-minami IC - Kōriyama IC - Kōriyama JCT
• Ban-etsu Expressway - Kōriyama-higashi IC - Kōriyama JCT - Gohyakugawa PA - Bandai-Atami IC
• National Route 4
• National Route 49
• National Route 288
• National Route 294

Media

Television

• Fukushima Central Television (Nippon Television chain)
• Fukushima Broadcasting (TV Asahi chain)

CATY

• Information Network Kōriyama

Radio

• FM Fukushima (JFN)

Newspaper

• Fukushima Mimpō (Fukushima, Mainichi chain)
• Fukushima Minyū (Fukushima, Yomiuri chain)
• Kahoku Shinpō (Sendai)

Education

Universities and colleges

• Nihon University, Faculty of Engineering
• Ohu University
• Kōriyama Women's University & Colleges
• Kōriyama Women's University Junior College
• Open University of Japan, Fukushima Learning Center

Senior high schools

Kōriyama has ten public high schools operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education and six private high schools

Public (prefectural)

• Asaka High School
• Asaka Mitate Branch High School
• Asaka Reimei High School
• Kōriyama High School
• Kōriyama Higashi High School
• Kōriyama Shōgyō High School
• Kōriyama Kita Kōgyō High School
• Asaka Kaisei High School
• Konan High School
• Kōriyama Hōsei High School

Private

• Tohoku High School of Nihon University
• Shōshi Gakuen Shōshi High School
• Teikyō Asaka High School
• High School affiliated with Kōriyama Women's Colleges

Junior high schools

Multi-level schools

• Fukushima Korean School (Japanese: 福島朝鮮初中級学校; Korean: 후쿠시마 조선 초중급학교) - North Korean international school^[9]

Notable people from Koriyama

• Takeshi Honda, Figure skater
• Toru Iwaya, Mezzotint engraver, painter
• Miki Nagasawa, voice actress
• Eimi Naruse (成瀬 瑛美), Japanese idol and voice actress
• Toshiyuki Nishida, actor
• Saga (Alice Nine), musician
• Masashi Ohuchi, Olympic weightlifter^[10]
• Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff of Japan Air Self-Defense Force
• Joji Yuasa, composer
• Hidekaz Himaruya, creator Hetalia
• Takumi Nemoto, Politician (Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare)
• GReeeeN, band

Twinnings

Japanese sister cities

• Nara, Nara (since 5 August 1971)
• Kurume, Fukuoka (since 3 August 1975)
• Tottori, Tottori (since 25 November 2005)

International relations

• Brummen, Netherlands, sister city since 25 June 1988

Local attractions

Festivals

• Kōriyama Uneme Festival
• Koriyama Summer Festival - an Oktoberfest-style festival.
• Koriyama Autumn Festival - includes children's activities, taiko and mikoshi parades.

National Historic Sites

• Ōyasuba Kofun

Pop culture

Some manga are happening in this city : "Engaged to the Unidentified" ^[11] (未確認で進行形 - Mikakunin de Shinkoukei) and "Kimi to Pico-Pico" (きみとピコピコ). Some fan have done some anime map in order to make anime pilgrimage for "Engaged to the Unidentified" ^[12] and for "Kimi to Pico-Pico" (きみとピコピコ).^[13]

References

External links

Core citiesCitiesDistricts