Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kuwana has increased steadily over the past 60 years.

History

thumb|[[Corbicula japonica|Shijimi clams being sold in Kuwana. The city is historically known for its clams]]

During the late Heian period and Muromachi period, the area of modern Kuwana was known as and was a major seaport on the east coast of Japan, controlled by a guild of merchants. The poet Socho described it in 1515 as a major city with over a thousand houses, temples and inns. During the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the warlord Oda Nobunaga. The Sieges of Nagashima took place in 1571, 1573 and 1574, finally resulting in the destruction of the Ikkō-ikki by Nobunaga's forces. After Nobunaga's death, the area came under the control of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who initially installed Nobunaga's younger son Oda Nobukatsu as ruler as all of Ise Province. However, following the Battle of Odawara, Hideyoshi demoted Oda Nobukatsu, divided Ise Province into several domains, was assigned to Ujiie Yukihiro as a 22,000 koku domain in 1595. Ujiie Yukihiro sided with the pro-Toyotomi armies in the Battle of Sekigahara and was dispossessed by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Kuwana was the castle town of Kuwana Domain, with a kokudaka of 150,000 koku. It was also the location of Kuwana-juku, as the forty-second post station on the vital Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. Some travelers along the road would take ships and boats across Ise Bay from Miya-juku (located in present-day Nagoya near Atsuta Shrine) to Kuwana, which reportedly made the journey more enjoyable. As the trip across Ise Bay took a whole day, Kuwana became a necessary stop for most travelers, benefiting the city's numerous inns and restaurants which served fresh seafood. Kuwana was especially known for its clams. The shogunate recognized the strategic value of the location as both a seaport, and the domain was always ruled by a fudai daimyō, and from 1823 by the shinpan daimyō Hisamatsu clan. Matsudaira Sadaaki, the next-to-last daimyō of Kuwana served as the last Kyoto shoshidai and supported his brother, Matsudaira Katamori, daimyō of Aizu Domain. He fought in the Boshin War, finally surrendering to the Meiji government after the fall of the Republic of Ezo. With the abolition of the han system in July 1871 after the Meiji restoration, Kuwana Domain became “Kuwana Prefecture”, and later became Kuwana District within Mie Prefecture.thumb|right|Illumination in Nabana Park

  • Nagashima Spa Land
  • Rokkaen
  • Tado Shrine

Festivals

  • Ishidori Matsuri
  • Tado Festival

Famous products

  • Carp dishes
  • Hamaguri (Oriental clam) dishes

Sister cities

  • Tomamae, Hokkaidō, since September, 1981
  • Gyōda, Saitama, since November 9, 1998
  • Shirakawa, Fukushima, since November 9, 1998

Notable people

  • Toyama Atsuko, bureaucrat and diplomat
  • Hirooki Goto, professional wrestler
  • Koji Iwamoto, professional wrestler
  • Mikako Komatsu, voice actress
  • Tsugio Matsuda, racing driver
  • Tatsumi Naofumi, samurai, general of the Imperial Japanese Army
  • Toshihiko Seko, long-distance runner
  • Katsuyori Shibata, professional wrestler
  • Hiroki Shimowada, voice actor

References

  • Kuwana City official website
  • Kuwana-city Tourist guide (Kuwana City)
  • Travel brochure (Kuwana City)
  • Kuwana: Shichiri Crossing from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, by Utagawa Hiroshige (Ukiyo-e Search)