Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Ryūgasaki has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

History

The name "Ryūgasaki" can be traced back to 1182 when the samurai clan ruling the territory adopted "Ryūgasaki" as their family name. The northern half of the city was an exclave of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, the region joined in 1869 before merging with Ibaraki Prefecture in 1875. The southern portion of the city was part of Kitasōma District in Shimōsa Province, as the boundary between Shimōsa and Hitachi Province had been established in the Nara period as the Tone River. However, by the Meiji period, the course of the river had shifted, leaving the area of present-day southern Ryūgasaki on the northern bank of the river. This area was transferred to Ibaraki Prefecture in 1875

The town of Ryūgasaki was created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

The city was formed on March 20, 1954, when the aforementioned town merged with: , , , , and . In February 1955, the city grew to its present size when a proportion of merged with the city.

In 1974, the city adopted the Swan, the Pinus, and Platycodon grandiflorus as its city symbols for bird, tree and flower respectively.

Government

Ryūgasaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Ryūgasaki, together with neighboring Tone, contributes two members to the Ibaraki Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Ibaraki 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The 20th and current mayor is Isamu Hagiwara, who assumed the position on January 18, 2022.<!--google is Not translating 令和4 Reiwa4=2022 properly--> Issei Nakayama was the seventeenth to nineteenth mayor, beginning in January 2010.

Economy

New Central Airlines, a commuter airline, is headquartered in the city, on the grounds of Ryūgasaki Airfield, although no commercial flights are scheduled from the city.

Education

  • Ryutsu Keizai University
  • Ryūgasaki has 11 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government. There are one public middle school and three public high schools operated by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education as well as one private high school.

Transportation

Railway

20px JR East – Jōban Line

Kantō Railway - Ryūgasaki Line

  • - -

Highway

Airport

  • Ryūgasaki Airfield – however, no scheduled commercial services

Local attractions

Noted people from Ryūgasaki

  • Yuta Nakayama, professional football player
  • Akiyo Noguchi, retired professional rock climber, olympic bronze medalist, seven-time IFSC Climbing World Cup champion
  • Isao Okano, judoka, Olympic gold medalist
  • Nana Suzuki, model
  • Kisenosato Yutaka, the 72nd yokozuna in sumo wrestling

References

  • Official Website