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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Marugame, Kagawa

Marugame (丸亀市, Marugame-shi) is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2022, the city had an estimated population of 108,541 in 46101 households and a population density of 970 persons per km. The total area of the city is 111.79 square kilometres (43.16 sq mi).

Geography

Marugame is located in north-center Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, facing the Seto Inland Sea to the north. The city covers the northeastern part of the Marugame Plain and part of the Shiwaku Islands. As with many other cities and towns in Kagawa Prefecture, there are many reservoirs. The Doki River flows from north to south through the center of the city, and to the south is Mount Tsutsumi, also known as Hatoko Fuji, one of the "Sanuki Seven Fujis". Mount Iino, nicknamed Sanuki Fuji and located on the border between Marugame and Sakaide, is another of the "Sanuki Seven Fujis".

Neighbouring municipalities

Kagawa Prefecture

Climate

Marugame has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Marugame is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1439 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Marugame has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1950 87,271—    
1960 81,523−6.6%
1970 78,263−4.0%
1980 94,849+21.2%
1990 101,253+6.8%
2000 108,356+7.0%
2010 110,473+2.0%
2020 109,513−0.9%

History

The area of Marugame was part of ancient Sanuki Province and has been inhabited since ancient times, with many kofun burial mounds found within the city limits. From the Heian period onwards, it was noted as an entry point for pilgrims to the Kotohira-gū shrine. During the Edo Period, the area developed as the castle town for Marugame Domain, which was ruled for 210 years by the Kyōgoku clan. Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Marugame was established with the creation of the modern municipality system on February 15, 1890. It was elevated to city status on April 1, 1890, becoming the 53rd city in Japan. During the 1950s the southeast area of the city and some islands were amalgamated to form new parts of the city.

On March 22, 2005, the towns of Ayauta and Hanzan (both from Ayauta District) were merged into Marugame to create the current expanded city of Marugame.

  • The former Ayauta was founded in 1959 with the merger of the villages of Kumatami and Okada. Kumatama was founded by the merger of the villages of Kurikuma and Tomikuma in 1951.
  • The former Hanzan was founded in 1956 with the merger of the villages of Sakamoto and Hokunji.

Government

Marugame has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 24 members. Marugame, together with Naoshima, contributes four members to the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Kagawa 2nd district and the Kagawa 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

List of mayors of Marugame (from 1899 to present)

Name Office Entered Office Left
Motoyoshi Toyoda
(豊田元良)
3 August 1899 8 January 1904
Aina Hasegawa
(長谷川和愛)
18 June 1904 17 June 1910
Kenkichi Fujiyoshi
(藤好乾吉)
8 June 1910 12 January 1915
Kenichi Saito
(斎藤研一)
2 November 1915 1 June 1917
Tokutaro Higuchi
(樋口德太郎)
15 September 1917 7 October 1920
Kiyoshi Hisano
(久野廉)
3 June 1921 7 March 1923
Iwao Osuka
(大須賀巖)
5 July 1923 4 July 1931
Kikuma Takaki
(高木季熊)
17 November 1931 10 April 1934
Seizaburo Ogaza
(大柏淸三郎)
25 July 1934 24 July 1942
Toshisuke Irie
(入江俊輔)
25 July 1942 24 July 1946
Katsuhide Mihara
(三原勝英)
26 April 1947 29 April 1963
Shigetoshi Horiie
(堀家重俊)
30 April 1963 29 April 1991
Keisuke Katayama
(片山圭之)
30 April 1991 29 April 2003
Tetsuji Arai
(新井哲二)
30 April 2003 23 April 2013
Masaharu Kaji
(梶正治)
24 April 2013 present

Economy

Marugame has a mixed economy centered on agriculture (rice, vegetables, chicken, peaches) and manufacturing along a coastal belt of reclaimed land which contains a number of industrial parks, textile plants and shipyards. Traditionally, the city was noted for its production of uchiwa fans, claiming a 90% market share; however, due to mechanization and changes in fashion, only two workshops are left in the city. Due to its well-developed transportation network, industry is expanding, and the city is increasingly becoming a commuter town for neighboring Takamatsu.

In 2015, Imabari Shipbuilding announced the construction of a large dry dock capable of building world-class containerships in Marugame.

Education

Marugame has 18 public elementary schools and eight public middle schools operated by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are one private middle school, two private high schools and two correspondence high schools. The prefecture also operates one middle school and one high school.

Transportation

Railways

JR Shikoku - Yosan Line

Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad - Kotohira Line

Highways

Sister cities

Local attractions

Events

Notable people from Marugame

References

  1. ^ "Marugame city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ "Mt. Iino (飯野山)". 14 May 2012.
  3. ^ Marugame climate data
  4. ^ Marugame population statistics
  5. ^ "Imabari to build giant dock in Japan". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  6. ^ "Marugame city homepage" (in Japanese). Japan.
  7. ^ "List of Sister City Affiliations with Japan (by country)". Clair Singapore. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  8. ^ "Freunde aus Japan begrüßt". www.stadt-willich.de (in German). Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  9. ^ Ota, Shigenobu (2009-02-02). Marugame Half Marathon. ARRS. Retrieved on 2010-02-07.
  10. ^ Nakamura, Ken (2006-02-05). Fukushi sets Asian Half-Marathon record in Marugame. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-02-07.