is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 173,740 in 78,483 households and a population density of 1700 people per km<sup>2</sup> (4300 per sq. mi.). The total area of the city is .

Geography

Sakura is located in northeastern Chiba Prefecture on the Shimōsa Plateau. It is situated approximately 40 kilometers (25&nbsp;mi.) northeast of Tokyo and 15 kilometers (10&nbsp;mi.) from Narita International Airport. Chiba City, the prefectural capital, lies 15 kilometers (10&nbsp;mi.) southwest of Sakura. Lake Inba forms the northern city limits.

Neighboring municipalities

Chiba Prefecture

  • Hanamigawa-ku
  • Inzai
  • Shisui
  • Wakaba-ku
  • Yachimata
  • Yachiyo
  • Yotsukaidō

Climate

Sakura has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sakura is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Sakura increased rapidly in the late 20th century and has plateaued in the 21st.

History

The area around Sakura has been inhabited since prehistory, and archaeologists have found numerous Kofun period burial tumuli in the area, along with the remains of a Hakuho period Buddhist temple. During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the area was controlled by the Chiba clan. During the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan fought the Satomi clan to the south, and the Later Hōjō clan to the west. After the defeat of the Chiba clan, the area came within the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who assigned one of his chief generals, Doi Toshikatsu to rebuild Chiba Castle and to rule over Sakura Domain as a daimyō. The Juntendō and other educational institutions in Sakura contributed greatly to the Meiji Restoration. located on the ruins of Sakura Castle.), Tsukamoto Sword Museum, Sakura Museum of History and Folklore, Sakura City Museum of Art, and the Sakura Juntendo Memorial Building. Nearby is also the Kawamura Memorial Museum of Art.

In 1994 on the 40th anniversary of the city's foundation a Dutch windmill called De Liefde was erected by the Dutch millwright company "Verbij Hoogmade BV" on the south-eastern shore of Lake Inba as a landmark of Sakura Furusato Square. The mill serving as a polder mill is named after the first Dutch sailing ship which landed on the Japanese shore in 1600. It is the only windmill of this type in Japan (a so-called "ground-sailer"<!-- derived from a windmill's "sail" and not to be confused with "sailor" - a(n able) seaman or a sailing ship-->, which means a windmill whose sails reach almost down to the ground.

In 2023, a monument dedicated to the dog Kabosu was installed in Sakura.

Noted people from Sakura

  • Ben-K, professional wrestler (real name:
  • Bump of Chicken, alternative rock group
  • Asai Chū, painter, noted for his pioneering work in developing the yōga (Western-style) art movement in late nineteenth century and early twentieth-century Japanese painting
  • Daisuke Fukushima, Olympic show jumping rider
  • Kabosu, Shiba Inu dog known as the origin of the Doge meme
  • Katsuya Nagato, footballer who plays as a defender for Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League
  • Shinnosuke Nakatani, footballer who plays as a defender for Gamba Osaka in J1 League
  • Sakiko Odaka, women's professional shogi player ranked 1-kyū
  • Yoshimi Osawa, judoka and one of only three living Kodokan 10th dan
  • Tsuda Sen, Meiji period statesman
  • Shinnosuke Shigenobu, professional baseball outfielder for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball
  • Nagashima Shigeo, professional baseball player
  • Hayashi Tadasu, Meiji period statesman

Notes

References

  • Official Website