Honjō, Saitama

City in Kantō, Japan

Honjō Flag Seal
Location of Honjō in Saitama Prefecture
36°14′36.9″N 139°11′25.4″E / 36.243583°N 139.190389°E / 36.243583; 139.190389
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama
Area
• Total	89.69 km² (34.63 sq mi)
Population (January 2021)
• Total	77,900
• Density	870/km² (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Osmanthus
- Flower	Oenothera tetraptera (Tsukimiso in Japanese)
Phone number	0495-25-1111
Address	3-5-3 Honjo, Honjo-shi, Saitama-ken 367-8501
Website	Official website

Honjō (本庄市, Honjō-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2021^[update], the city had an estimated population of 77,900 in 35,026 households and a population density of 870 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the city is 89.69 square kilometres (34.63 sq mi).

Geography

Honjō is located on the northwestern border of Saitama Prefecture, bordered by the upper reaches of the Tone River to the north.

Surrounding municipalities

Saitama Prefecture

Fukaya
Kamisato
Kamikawa
Nagatoro
Minano

Gunma Prefecture

Climate

Honjō has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Honjō is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1258 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.9 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Honjō peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1920	43,369	—
1930	48,841	+12.6%
1940	49,783	+1.9%
1950	61,703	+23.9%
1960	58,569	−5.1%
1970	65,187	+11.3%
1980	72,089	+10.6%
1990	78,551	+9.0%
2000	82,670	+5.2%
2010	81,889	−0.9%
2020	78,569	−4.1%

History

The area of Honjō has been inhabited since prehistoric times and numerous burial mounds from the Kofun period have been found in the area. During the Kamakura period, the area was dominated by the Honjō clan, who continued to rule over a castle town and eventually the short-lived Honjō Domain during the early Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period. After the suppression of Honjō Domain, the town continued to prosper as Honjō-juku, a post station on the Nakasendo highway. During the late Edo period and early Meiji period, the area was noted for sericulture. The town of Honjō was created within Kodama District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Honjō was elevated to city status on July 1, 1954 by merging with neighboring Fujita, Nitte, Asahi and Kitaizumi villages. On January 10, 2006, the town of Kodama was merged into Honjō.

Government

Honjō has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 21 members. Honjō, together with the towns of Kamikawa and Kamisato, contributes two members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 11th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Honjō is based on light and precision manufacturing and agriculture, and the city is also a regional commercial center.

Education

Waseda University has a campus at Honjō
Honjō has 13 public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and three public high schools operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are two private combined middle/high schools and one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.
International schools: Escola Intercultural Unificada Arco Íris - Brazilian school^[4] Previously the city hosted another Brazilian school, Centro de Aprendizagem Logos.^[5]

Transportation

Railway

JR East –Joetsu Shinkansen

Honjō-Waseda

JR East – Takasaki Line

Honjō

JR East – Hachikō Line

Kodama

Highway

Sister city relations

Kazo, Saitama, Japan
Shibukawa, Gunma, Japan

Local attractions

Honjō Circuit, a small motorsports circuit
Sagiyama kofun
Maze Dam
Honjo City Museum of History and Folklore

Notable people

Takekoshi Yosaburō, historian and politician
Yukiko Kada, politician
Jaki Numazawa, professional wrestler
Sayuri Inoue [ja], actress, a former member of the idol group Nogizaka46

References

^ "Honjō city official statistics" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan.
^ Honjō climate data
^ Honjō population statistics
^ "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (Archive). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
^ "Escolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão" (). Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. February 7, 2008. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.