Inuyama (犬山市, Inuyama-shi) is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2019, the city had an estimated population of 73,420 in 31,276 households,[1] and a population density of 980 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 74.90 square kilometres (28.92 sq mi). The name of the city literally translates to "Dog Mountain". The name appears in historical records from 1336 AD, but its origin is unknown.

Inuyama
犬山市
Inuyama Castle
Flag of Inuyama
Official logo of Inuyama
Location of Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture
Location of Inuyama in Aichi Prefecture
Inuyama is located in Japan
Inuyama
Inuyama
 
Coordinates: 35°22′43″N 136°56′40.2″E / 35.37861°N 136.944500°E / 35.37861; 136.944500
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Tōkai)
PrefectureAichi
First official recorded3 BC
City SettledApril 1, 1954
Government
 • MayorTakuro Yamada (from 2014)
Area
 • Total74.90 km2 (28.92 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2019)
 • Total73,420
 • Density980/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- TreeChinese hawthorn
- FlowerSakura
Phone number0568-61-1800
Address36 Higashihata, Inuyama, Inuyama-shi, Aichi-ken 484-0081
WebsiteOfficial website

Geography edit

 
Inuyama skyline
 
Lake Iruka and Meiji-mura

Inuyama lies along the northwestern edge of Aichi Prefecture, separated from neighboring Gifu Prefecture by the Kiso River.

Climate edit

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Inuyama is 15.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1910 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.4 °C.[2]

Demographics edit

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Inuyama has been increasing over the past 70 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 26,079—    
1950 35,145+34.8%
1960 38,202+8.7%
1970 50,594+32.4%
1980 64,614+27.7%
1990 69,801+8.0%
2000 72,583+4.0%
2010 75,151+3.5%

Surrounding municipalities edit

Aichi Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture

History edit

 
Inuyama Old Town

Early modern period edit

The area around Inuyama was settled from prehistoric times. During the Sengoku period, part of the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute was fought in what is now Inuyama, and the Oda clan rebuilt a pre-existing fortification into Inuyama Castle.

Under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate, Inuyama was ruled as a sub-domain of Owari Domain, entrusted to the Naruse clan, who served as senior retainers of the Nagoya-branch of the Tokugawa clan.

Late modern period edit

Immediately following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Inuyama was established as an independent feudal han, until the 1871 abolition of the han system. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889, the town of Inuyama was created.

Contemporary history edit

Inuyama Castle was designated as a national treasure in 1935 and again in 1952.

Inuyama merged with four neighboring villages to form the city of Inuyama on April 1, 1954.

In 2016, the Inuyama Festival was proclaimed an Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

Government edit

 
Inuyama City Hall

Inuyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi 16th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

External relations edit

Twin towns – sister cities edit

Inuyama is twinned with:[4]

International edit

Sister cities
Friendship city

National edit

Sister cities

Economy edit

 
Downtown Inuyama

Secondary sector of the economy edit

Ceramic engineering edit

Education edit

University edit

National Universities
Private Universities

Colleges edit

Private Colleges
  • Nagoya Keizai University Junior College

Schools edit

Inuyama has ten public elementary schools and four public junior high schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation edit

 
Inuyama Bridge

Railways edit

Conventional lines edit

  Meitetsu

Roads edit

Japan National Route edit

Local attractions edit

Castles edit

Museums edit

  • Meiji Mura, an open-air architectural museum for preserving and exhibiting structures of the Meiji (1867–1912) and Taishō (1913–1926) eras. As of 2005, 67 historical buildings are preserved on an area of 1,000,000 m2. The most famous one is the main entrance and lobby of Tokyo's old Imperial Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1923.
  • Little World Museum of Man, an amusement park with an anthropological museum contained a large number of buildings built according to the native style of over 22 countries.

Natural attractions edit

Other structures edit

Culture edit

 
Cormorant fishing
 
Inuyama Festival

Festival edit

  • Inuyama Festival

Notable people from Inuyama edit

References edit

  1. ^ https://www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp Inuyama City official statistics] (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Inuyama climate data
  3. ^ Inuyama population statistics
  4. ^ "姉妹・友好都市". city.inuyama.aichi.jp (in Japanese). Inuyama. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Monkeys use trees as catapults in escape from Kyoto Uni's primate research centre, July 7, 2010 , The Courier-Mail, Queensland Newspapers.

External links edit