Higashimatsushima

Higashimatsushima
東松島市
City
Higashi-Matsushima City Hall

Flag
Seal

Location of Higashi-Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture
Higashimatsushima
 
Coordinates: 38°25′34.5″N 141°12′37.5″E / 38.426250°N 141.210417°E / 38.426250; 141.210417Coordinates: 38°25′34.5″N 141°12′37.5″E / 38.426250°N 141.210417°E / 38.426250; 141.210417
Country Japan
Region Tōhoku
Prefecture Miyagi
Government
 • Mayor Iwao Atsumi
Area
 • Total 101.36 km2 (39.14 sq mi)
Population (June 2017)
 • Total 39,481
 • Density 390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree Pine
- Flower Sakura
Phone number 0225-82-1111
Address 36-1 Kamikawado, Yamoto, Higashimatsushima-shi, Miyagi-ken 981-0503
Website Official website (in Japanese)

Higashi-Matsushima (東松島市, Higashimatsushima-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 June 2017, the city had an estimated population of 39,481 and a population density of 390 persons per km². The total area of the city is 101.36 square kilometres (39.14 sq mi).

Geography

Higashi-Matsushima (lit. "East Matsushima") is in eastern Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshu. The city borders on Matsushima Bay to the west, and the Pacific Ocean (Ishinomaki Bay) to the south. Its coastline forms part of the Sanriku Fukkō National Park, which stretches north to Aomori Prefecture.

Neighboring municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[1] the population of Higashi-Matsushima has been mostly increasing over the past 40 years.

Census Year Population
1970 32,192
1980 36,865
1990 40,424
2000 43,180
2010 42,903

Climate

Higashi-Matsushima has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Higashi-Matsushima is 11.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1191 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.4 °C.[2]

History

The area of present-day Higashi-Matsushima was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people. During the Nara period, the area came under the control of colonists from the Yamato dynasty based at nearby Tagajō. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period.

The modern city of Higashi-Matsushima was created on April 1, 2005, when the towns of Naruse and Yamoto were merged to create the new city.

2011 Earthquake disaster

Houses inundated and collapsed by the tsunami in Nobiru, Higashimatsushima

On March 11, 2011, Higashi-Matsushima was severely hit by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami resulting in at least 1,039 deaths,[3] and the destruction of over 11,000 structures, or approximately two-thirds of the buildings in the city limits. During the tsunami, a 45-metre ship, the Chōkai Maru, was hurled over a pier and left aground in the city. At the time of the disaster, Higashi-Matsushima had still not fully recovered from a previous major earthquake in 2003.[4][5] About 63% of the town was inundated by the tsunami.[6]

Government

Higashi-Matsushima has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.

Economy

Higashi-Matsushima traditionally has been a center for commercial fishing, especially for the cultivation of oysters and on tourism. The Japan Air Self Defense Force’s Matsushima Air Field is located in Higashi-Matsushima.

Education

Higashi-Matsushima has eight public elementary schools and three middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

  • Sanriku Expressway (Naruse-Okumatsushima, Yamoto, and Ishinomaki interchanges)
  • National Route 45

Local attractions

Noted people from Higashi-Matsushima

References

  1. ↑ Higashi-Matsushima population statistics
  2. ↑ Higashi-Matsushima climate data
  3. ↑ NOAA Data 2 April 2011
  4. ↑ Tsunami survivors face monstrous cleanup task, Japan Times, 26 March 2011
  5. ↑ Gilhooly, Rob, "Tsunami-hit towns face dire future", Japan Times, 1 April 2011, p. 4.
  6. ↑ NHK, "Tsunami flooded 100 square kilometers of city land", 29 March 2011.
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