Asahi, Chiba
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Asahi 旭市 |
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| City | |||
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 Location of Asahi in Chiba Prefecture |
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 Asahi
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| Coordinates: 35°43′N 140°39′E / 35.717°N 140.650°ECoordinates: 35°43′N 140°39′E / 35.717°N 140.650°E | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kantō | ||
| Prefecture | Chiba Prefecture | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Tadanao Akechi | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 129.91 km2 (50.16 sq mi) | ||
| Population (April 2012) | |||
| • Total | 68,265 | ||
| • Density | 525/km2 (1,360/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| -Tree | Japanese Black Pine | ||
| - Flower | hydrangea | ||
| Phone number | 0479-62-1212 | ||
| Address | 1920 Banchi, Asahi-shi, Chiba-ken 289-2595 | ||
| Website | Asahi City | ||
Asahi (旭市 Asahi-shi?) is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
As of April 2012, the city has an estimated population of 68,265 and a population density of 525 persons per km². The total area is 129.91 km².
Asahi is located in far northeastern Chiba Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the southeast.
Asahi has a mild climate. The average yearly temperature is 15 degrees Celsius. In 2007, Asahi received 1744.5 mm of precipitation.
Humans have lived in the Asahi area for at least 25,000 years. Clans gave way to a central power during the Taika Reform in 645 A.D. The Chiba clan, or branches of it, ruled the entire Shimōsa region for about 400 years from the Kamakura period. During the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan gained the protection of such powerful clans as the Odawara Hōjō clan, allowing them to get a stronger foothold of power over the area. They lost control when the Hōjō clan was overthrown in 1590 by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. After that, General Kiso Yoshimasa settled in the region. He restored the Ajito Castle, which was the inspiration for the name "Asahi." As the governor of the region, he became a popular and respected politician. When poet Nonoguchi Takamasa visited the area in 1852, he wrote a poem about the general, from which the name "Asahi," which can mean "rising sun," was taken.
"from Shinano / adoring the rising sun / he came to the eastern land / and there remains the evidence of his earthly life"
In the Edo Period, various agricultural changes in the region occurred. The first was the reclamation of the "Sea of Camellias," a vast lake, which was drained into the Pacific Ocean to create the fertile Higata Hachiman-goku. The second was spurred on by the arrival of Ohara Yugaku in 1835. Ohara was an agricultural revolutionary who helped to revive agriculture in the area. During this same time, while Iioka Sukegoro was helping to develop the fishing industry, fishermen from the Kansai region moved to the area to take advantage of the bountiful fishing grounds available.
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