Echizen, Fukui
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Echizen 越前市 |
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| City | ||
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 Location of Echizen in Fukui Prefecture |
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 Echizen
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| Coordinates: 35°54′N 136°10′E / 35.900°N 136.167°ECoordinates: 35°54′N 136°10′E / 35.900°N 136.167°E | ||
| Country | Japan | |
| Region | Chūbu (Hokuriku) | |
| Prefecture | Fukui Prefecture | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Toshiyuki Nara | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 230.75 km2 (89.09 sq mi) | |
| Population (August 2008) | ||
| • Total | 86,562 | |
| • Density | 375/km2 (970/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | |
| – Tree | Cherry blossom | |
| – Flower | Chrysanthemum | |
| Phone number | 0778-22-3000 | |
| Address | 1-13-7 Fuchu, Echizen-shi, Fukui-ken 915-8530 |
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| Website | City of Echizen | |
Echizen (越前市 Echizen-shi?) is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.
As of August 1, 2008, the city has an estimated population of 86,562 and a population density of 375 persons per km². The total area is 230.75 km².
The modern city of Echizen was established on October 1, 2005, from the merger of the city of Takefu, and the town of Imadate (from Imadate District); although the Echizen Basin has been an important regional center for over 1,500 years. It has many former castle sites and prehistoric archeological sites. Echizen is known for its shrines and temples – well over 300. For a year it was the home of Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji. Her father was governor of Echizen Province in the Heian period.
During the Yamato period, the area from Tsuruga to Niigata was a kingdom called Koshi. In 507, during a succession crisis, a ruler from the Ajimano area of Echizen ascended the chrysanthemum throne to become the 26th emperor of Japan, Keitai, founding a new imperial dynasty. At that time, the Echizen basin began to develop economically and culturally.
The Kingdom of Koshi was divided into three provinces, Echizen, Etchū, and Echigo. Echizen Province grew into an important military base guarding the capital provinces from the North. The area that would become Echizen city served as the gateway to the Hokurikudō road, and a government was established at Echizen-Fuchū (present-day Fuchū neighborhood). The area grew and became an important political, economic, and cultural center. During this period, the poet Nakatomi no Yakamori was exiled to Echizen, where he wrote some of his 40 poems collected in the Man'yōshū, including his love letters to Sanuno Otogami no Otome. Another famous Man'yōshū poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, wrote many pieces about Echizen. Their poems can now be found in Echizen no Sato, a garden within the city.
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