Iwanuma

Iwanuma 岩沼市
City
Takekoma Shrine, Kanahebisui Shrine Abukuma River, Iwanuma Station Iwanuma urban area, Dontosai festival
Flag Seal
Location of Iwanuma in Miyagi Prefecture
Iwanuma
Coordinates: 38°06′15.4″N 140°52′12.6″E / 38.104278°N 140.870167°E / 38.104278; 140.870167Coordinates: 38°06′15.4″N 140°52′12.6″E / 38.104278°N 140.870167°E / 38.104278; 140.870167
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
Government
• Mayor	Tsuneaki Iguchi
Area
• Total	60.45 km2 (23.34 sq mi)
Population (August 2017)
• Total	44,738
• Density	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Japanese Black Pine
- Flower	Azalea
- Bird	Seagull
Phone number	0223-22-1111
Address	1-6-20 Sakura, Iwanuma-shi, Miyagi-ken 989-2480
Website	http://www.city.iwanuma.miyagi.jp/

Iwanuma City Hall

Iwanuma (岩沼市, Iwanuma-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2017, the city had an estimated population of 44,738, and a population density of 740 persons per km². The total area of the city is 60.45 square kilometres (23.34 sq mi). Iwanuma is at the convergence of two ancient roads, the Tōkaidō and the Rikuzen-Hama Kaidō.

Geography

Iwanuma is in the east-center Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is also located at the mouth of the Abukuma River.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[1] the population of Iwanuma has increased over the past 40 years.

Climate

Iwanuma has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Iwanuma is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1252 mm with September as the wettest month.The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.6 °C.^[2]

History

The area of present-day Iwanuma was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and the Takekoma Inari Shrine claims to have been founded in 842 AD. Mention of “Iwanuma Castle” appears in early Muromachi period documents. The area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate. The town of Iwanuma was established on June 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

The village of Okuma merged with Iwanuma on January 11, 1947, followed by Sengan and Tamaura on April 1, 1955. Iwanuma was raised to city status on November 1, 1971.

The city was seriously affected by the tsunami associated with the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake,^[3] which resulted in 180 deaths.

Government

Iwanuma has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members.

Education

Iwanuma has four public elementary school and four public middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefectural also operates a special education school.

Transportation

Media

• Iwanuma Community FM Station

Local attractions

• Takekoma Inari Shrine, - claiming to be the second oldest Inari shrine

Sister city relations

• – Napa, California, USA, since February 15, 1973 .^[4]
• – Dover, Delaware, USA^[5] friendship city since 2003
• – Nankoku, Kōchi, Japan since July 23, 1973
• – Obanazawa, Yamagata, Japan since November 7, 1999

Noted people from Iwanuma

• Ryusuke Taguchi – professional wrestler

References

External links

Media related to Iwanuma at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)