Yonezawa, Yamagata

Yonezawa Flag Seal
Location of Yonezawa in Yamagata Prefecture
Symbols
Flower	Azumashakunage (Rhododendron metternichii Sieb. et Zucc. var. pentamerum Maxim)
Tree	Kometsuga (Tsuga diversifolia)

Yonezawa (米沢市, Yonezawa-shi) is a city in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2020^[update], the city had an estimated population of 81,707 in 33,278 households,^[1] and a population density of 150 persons per km². The total area of the city is 548.51 square kilometres (212 sq mi). Yonezawa is most famous for its local delicacies (apples, Yonezawa beef, and carp) and for being a castle town that was once home to the Uesugi clan, including the daimyō Uesugi Yozan.

Geography

Yonezawa is located in the southeast corner of Yamagata Prefecture. The southern and eastern portions of the city are river basins surrounded by large mountains, forming the Yonezawa Basin. The southern portion of the city has a complex terrain with several rivers and alternating ridges and valleys orientated east to west. The Mogami River flows through the city. Part of the city is within the borders of the Bandai-Asahi National Park.

Neighboring municipalities

• Yamagata Prefecture
  • Takahata, Yamagata
  • Kawanishi, Yamagata
  • Iide, Yamagata
• Fukushima Prefecture
  • Fukushima, Fukushima
  • Kitakata, Fukushima
  • Inawashiro, Fukushima
  • Kitashiobara, Fukushima

Climate

Yonezawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Yonezawa is 11.4 °C (52.5 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,444.6 mm (56.87 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C (76.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around −0.8 °C (30.6 °F).^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[4] the population of Yonezawa has recently declined after a long period of stability.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	75,039	—
1930	77,716	+3.6%
1940	82,770	+6.5%
1950	94,649	+14.4%
1960	96,991	+2.5%
1970	92,764	−4.4%
1980	92,823	+0.1%
1990	94,760	+2.1%
2000	95,396	+0.7%
2010	89,401	−6.3%
2020	81,252	−9.1%

History

The area of present-day Yonezawa was part of ancient Dewa Province and was controlled in the Sengoku period by the Date clan. The famed warlord Date Masamune was born in Yonezawa. During the Edo period, the area became Yonezawa Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate, ruled by the Uesugi clan. After the start of the Meiji period, the area was organized into Minamiokitama District, Yamagata Prefecture.

The city of Yamagata was established on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system

Government

Yonezawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members. The city contributes three members to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 3 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

List of mayor of Yonezawa

Economy

The economy of Yamagata is based on agriculture, horticulture, light manufacturing and tourism.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Yamagata University Yonezawa campus
• Yonezawa Women's Junior College

Primary and secondary education

Yonezawa has 18 public elementary schools and eight public middle schools operated by the city government and four public high schools operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education. There are also two private high schools.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company - Yamagata Shinkansen

• Yonezawa

East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line

• Itaya - Tōge - Ōsawa - Sekine - Yonezawa - Oitama

East Japan Railway Company - Yonesaka Line

• Yonezawa - Minami-Yonezawa - Nishi-Yonezawa - Narushima

Highways

• Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway – Yonezawa IC
• National Route 13
• National Route 121
• National Route 287
• National Route 399

Local attractions

• Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum
• Yonezawa Castle
• Tateyama Castle
• Yonezawa Onsen
• Namegawa Great Falls
• Shirabu Onsen (in gorges of Otaru River south of Yonezawa)

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Moses Lake, WA

Japan

• Takanabe, Miyazaki, since 1981
• Jōetsu, Niigata, since 1981
• Okinawa, Okinawa, since 1994
• Tōkai, Aichi, since 1999

Worldwide

• Taubaté, Brazil,^[5] since January 28, 1974
• Moses Lake, Washington, USA, since May 1, 1981

Notable people from Yonezawa

• Junzaburo Ban, actor
• Itō Chūta, architect
• Takehiko Endo, politician
• Yamashita Gentarō, admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy
• Masami Kobayashi, admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy
• Hiroshi Masumura, manga artist
• Mutsuo Minagawa, Nippon Professional Baseball player
• Chūichi Nagumo, admiral, Imperial Japanese Navy
• Ikeda Shigeaki, politician
• Hirata Tosuke, Meiji period statesman

References

External links

Core cityCitiesDistricts