Sukagawa, Fukushima

Sukagawa 須賀川市
City
Skyline of Sukagawa Skyline of Sukagawa
Flag of Sukagawa Flag Official seal of Sukagawa Seal
Location of Sukagawa in Fukushima Prefecture Location of Sukagawa in Fukushima Prefecture
Sukagawa
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Fukushima Prefecture
Government
• - Mayor	Katsuya Hashimoto
Area
• Total	279.55 km2 (107.93 sq mi)
Population (November 2014)
• Total	76,976
• Density	275/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
• Tree	Pinus densiflora
• Flower	Peony
• Bird	Common kingfisher
Phone number	0248-75-1111
Address	135 Hachimanmachi, Sukagawa-shi, Fukushima-ken 962-8601
Website	www.city.sukagawa.fukushima.jp

Sukagawa (須賀川市, Sukagawa-shi) is a city located in Fukushima Prefecture, in northern Honshū, Japan. As of November 2014, the city had an estimated population of 76,976 and a population density of 275 persons per km². The total area was 279.55 square kilometres (107.9 sq mi).

Geography

Sukagawa is located in central Fukushima prefecture.

• Mountains: Utsuminesan (676.9m)
• Rivers: Abukuma River, Shakadogawa,

Neighboring municipalities

• Fukushima Prefecture
  • Kōriyama
  • Ten'ei
  • Kagamiishi
  • Tamakawa
  • Hirata

History

The area of present-day Sukagawa was part of ancient Mutsu Province. During the Edo period the area prospered from its location as a major lodging place on Ōshū Kaidō, which is one of the Edo Five Routes, and was the commercial center in the region. The area was administered as part of Shirakawa Domain. After the Meiji restoration, it was organized as part of Nakadōri region of Iwaki Province.

The village of Sukagawa was formed on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the municipalities system. However, after mid-Meiji period, the municipality was eclipsed by Koriyama, which had succeeded in inviting the junction of West Ban'etsu Line with the Tōhoku Main Line train routes. On March 31, 1954 Sukagawa was elevated to city status after merging with the town of Hamada and villages of Nishibukuro and Inada (all from Iwase District), and the village of Oshioe (from Ishikawa District). Later, Sukagawa absorbed Niida Village (from Iwase District) on March 10, 1955, and then absorbed Ohigashi Village (from Ishikawa District) on February 1, 1967. On April 1, 2005, Sukagawa absorbed the town of Naganuma and village Iwase (both from Iwase District).

After the earthquake of 2011, the Fujinuma Dam collapsed and a part of the city was destroyed. See also Radiation effects from Fukushima I nuclear accidents.

Economy

Sukagawa has a mixed economy, and is a major commercial center for the surrounding region.

Education

Sukagawa has five high schools, ten junior high schools, and seventeen elementary schools.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East – Tōhoku Main Line
  • Sukagawa
• JR East – Suigun Line
  • Kawahigashi - Oshioe

Highway

• Tōhoku Expressway
• Japan National Route 4
• Japan National Route 118
• Japan National Route 294

Local attractions

• Peony Garden
• Fujinuma Dam
• Taimatsu Akashi Festival

International relations

• Luoyang, China, Friendship city since August 1983

Noted people from Sukagawa

• Eiji Tsuburaya – movie director
• Kōkichi Tsuburaya - Olympic marathon runner
• Nakaba Suzuki – Manga artist

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)
• Eiji Tsuburaya official website (Japanese)
• Sukagawa Peony Garden official website (Japanese)