Funabashi ( 船橋市 , Funabashi-shi ) is a city located in Chiba Prefecture , Japan . As of 1 December 2020, the city had an estimated population of 644,668 in 309,238 households and a population density of 7,500 inhabitants per square kilometre (19,000/sq mi). The total area of the city is 85.62 square kilometres (33.06 sq mi). It is the Greater Tokyo Area 's 7th most populated city (after passing Kawaguchi , Hachioji and Chiba ), and second largest in Chiba Prefecture.
31-513: Funabashi is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture approximately 20 kilometers in either direction from the prefectural capital at Chiba and downtown Tokyo. The central area forms a flat diluvial upland of the Shimōsa Plateau . The city sits at an elevation of 20 to 30 meters above sea level, and is relatively flat. The highest point is 32.3 meters in Narashino 3-chome, and the lowest point
62-449: A Designated City of Japan on April 1, 1992. Per Japanese census data, Chiba's population has expanded significantly over the past 70 years. As of February 2016, the city had an estimated population of 972,861 and a population density of 3,580 persons per km . The total area of the city is 271.76 km (104.93 sq mi). There were 19,135 registered foreign residents in the city as of March 31, 2007, constituting about 2% of
93-574: A humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with hot summers and cool to mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter. One of the many points of interest is the Experimental Station for Landscape Plants . Chiba plays host to the annual International Chiba Ekiden and the Chiba International Cross Country takes place just outside
124-694: A post town on the river crossing of the Tone River , and was largely retained as tenryō under the direct control of the Shogunate and administered through a number of hatamoto . The area was also a favored hunting grounds for the Shōgun. During the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration , Funabashi was the location of a minor skirmish between Tokugawa loyalists under Enomoto Takeaki and
155-549: A process that continued until 1944. Large-scale land reclamation added to the area of the city throughout the 20th century. The city was a major center of military production leading up to the Pacific War, and the aerial bombing of Chiba in 1945. The city was almost completely destroyed by the end of the war. Post-war industrialization led to the city becoming a major part of the Keiyō Industrial Zone . Chiba became
186-672: Is 0.2 meters in Minatomachi 1-chome. Funabashi is crossed by the Tone River , and the small Ebi River is located entirely within city limits. Funabashi formerly had wide, shallow beaches, but much of the coast has been industrialized and transformed by reclaimed land . The city extends for 13.86 kilometers east–west and 14.95 kilometers north–south. Chiba Prefecture Funabashi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa ) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Funabashi
217-512: Is 15.5 °C (59.9 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,466.1 mm (57.72 in) with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.8 °C (80.2 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.8 °C (40.6 °F). Per Japanese census data, the population of Funabashi has increased rapidly over the past century. The name "Funabashi"
248-451: Is a class or category of Japanese cities . It is a local administrative division created by the national government. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments , but not as many as designated cities . To become a candidate for core city status, a city must have a population greater than 300,000 and an area greater than 100 square kilometers, although special exceptions may be made by order of
279-599: Is famous for the Chiba Urban Monorail , the longest suspended monorail in the world. Some popular destinations in the city include: Kasori Shell Midden, the largest shell mound in the world at 134,000 m (160,000 sq yd), Inage Beach, the first artificial beach in Japan which forms part of the longest artificial beach in Japan, and the Chiba Zoological Park , popular on account of
310-432: Is home to Chiba Port , which handles one of the highest volumes of cargo in Japan. Much of the city is residential, although there are many factories and warehouses along the coast. There are several major urban centres in the city, including Makuhari , a prime waterfront business district in which Makuhari Messe is located, and Central Chiba, in which the prefectural government office and the city hall are located. Chiba
341-714: Is mentioned in the Kamakura period chronicle Azuma Kagami . However, the name itself is even more ancient, dating from before the Nara period and the Yamatotakeru mythology. Archaeologists have found stone tools from the Japanese Paleolithic period and shell middens from the Jōmon period in the area, indicating continuous inhabitation for thousands of years. A number of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in
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#1732772075978372-479: Is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture , Japan. It sits about 40 kilometres (25 mi) east of the centre of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay . The city became a government-designated city in 1992. In June 2019, its population was 979,768, with a population density of 3,605 people per km . The city has an area of 271.77 square kilometres (104.93 sq mi). Chiba City is one of the Kantō region 's primary seaports, and
403-667: The Chiba Prefectural Board of Education and two public high schools operated by the Chiba City Board of Education, including Inage Senior High School . There are also nine private high schools, including the Makuhari Junior and Senior High School . Chiba has 114 public and one private elementary school and 59 public and one private middle school. Chiba City is twinned with: Core cities of Japan A core city ( 中核市 , Chūkakushi )
434-512: The Hotta clan stabilized the governance of their territory. Chiba prospered in this period as a shukuba ( 宿場 ) post-town of the Tokugawa shogunate . After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Chiba Prefecture was established in 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture. The border between Kisarazu and Inba was the location of Chiba Town and was thus chosen as the location of
465-647: The Sakura ( 佐倉氏 ) clans governed the area now occupied by the city. A part of the area was also governed directly by the Tokugawa Bakufu . The Oyumi clan governed their territory stably. On the other hand, according to the Sakura clan, from the beginning of the Edo period , changed governors frequently, including Takeda Nobuyoshi , Matsudaira Tadateru , Ogasawara Yoshitsugu ( 小笠原吉次 ) , and Doi Toshikatsu . Finally
496-1231: The Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Chiba 4th district and the Chiba 14th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Funabashi is a regional commercial center and, due to its numerous train connections, a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo. Approximately 34.5% of the working population commutes to Tokyo, per the 2015 census. [REDACTED] JR East – Musashino Line [REDACTED] JR East – Keiyō Line [REDACTED] JR East – Chūō-Sōbu Line [REDACTED] Keisei Electric Railway - Keisei Main Line [REDACTED] Shin-Keisei Electric Railway - Shin-Keisei Line [REDACTED] Hokusō Railway - Hokusō Line [REDACTED] Tobu Railway – Tobu Noda Line [REDACTED] Tōyō Rapid Railway - Tōyō Rapid Line [REDACTED] Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line Chiba (city) Chiba ( 千葉市 , Chiba-shi , pronounced [tɕiꜜba] )
527-671: The Chiba clan. The clan's power extended in the region until the Muromachi period . The Chiba clan's power and influence declined because of wars around the Kantō region during the Nanboku-chō and Muromachi periods . In the 16th century, the Hara clan , which were vassals of Chiba clan, took control of the region from the Chiba clan and built Inohana Castle . In the Sengoku period ,
558-739: The Hara clan was forcibly removed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki (足利義明, not to be confused with 足利義昭 ). Then, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was also removed by the Sakai (酒井 not to be confused with the Sakai clan in Mikawa ) clan, which was one of the servants of the Satomi (里見) clan. Finally both the Chiba and Sakai clans were annihilated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi . In the Edo period , the Oyumi ( 生実氏 ) , Morikawa ( 森川氏 ) clan, and
589-472: The annexation of neighboring Ninomiya Town in 1953, the population exceeded 100,000. The population exceeded 300,000 in 1969 and 500,000 in 1982. Funabashi was designated a core city on April 1, 2005, with increased local autonomy from the central government. The population exceeded 600,000 in 2006. Funabashi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 50 members. Funabashi contributes seven members to
620-470: The area claim to have been founded in the Nara period or Heian period . During the Muromachi periods , the area was controlled by the Chiba clan . During the Sengoku period , the Chiba clan fought the Satomi clan to the south, and the Late Hōjō clan to the west. After the defeat of the Chiba clan, the area came within the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu . Under the Tokugawa shogunate , the area prospered as
651-405: The cabinet for cities with populations under 300,000 but over 200,000. After the abolition of special city status on April 1, 2015, any city with a population above 200,000 may apply for core city status. Application for designation is made by a city with the approval of both the city and prefectural assemblies. The term "core city" was created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of
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#1732772075978682-853: The city. Chiba Velodrome is located within the city. It also hosts the Bridgestone Open golf tournament. Chiba is home to several professional sports teams, most notably: There is no commercial airport within city limits. Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) are the closest major airports. The Chiba Urban Monorail runs through Chiba City. The major intercity railway stations are Chiba Station , ( Sobu Line , Sotobō Line , Uchibo Line , Sōbu Main Line , Narita Line , transfer for Chiba Urban Monorail ), Keisei Chiba Station ( Keisei Chiba Line ), and Soga Station , ( Keiyō Line , Sotobō Line , Uchibo Line ) all in Chūō-ku. Chiba has 20 public high schools operated by
713-595: The late Heian period . The branch of the Taira adopted the name and became the Chiba clan , which held strong influence over the area of the prefecture until the Azuchi–Momoyama period . The name "Chiba" was chosen for Chiba Prefecture at the time of its creation in 1873 by the Assembly of Prefectural Governors ( 地方官会議 , Chihō Kankai Kaigi ) , an early Meiji-period body of prefectural governors that met to decide
744-546: The prefectural government. With the opening of the Sobu Main Line , Chiba developed rapidly, becoming the political, economic, and cultural capital of Chiba Prefecture. The town of Chiba was established within Chiba District with the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Chiba City formed on January 1, 1921. Numerous small villages and towns were merged into the previous town of Chiba ( 千葉町 ) ,
775-532: The presence of numerous military facilities in the area. On April 1, 1937, Funabashi was elevated to city status through merger with neighboring Katsushika Town and Yasakae, Hoden and Tsukada Villages. The new city was host to numerous military installations in World War II, and was bombed in the air raids on Japan in 1945. The city developed rapidly in the postwar period, with the development of industries, public housing developments and port facilities. With
806-427: The pro-Imperial forces of Okayama Domain and Satsuma Domain , during which most of the town burned down. After the abolition of the han system , the area eventually became part of Chiba Prefecture. Funabashi Town was one of several towns and villages created on April 1, 1889, under Inba District with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Tokyo and
837-468: The same position in Chiba District two years later. Here he proclaimed himself Chiba Tsuneshige ( 千葉常重 ) , became a kokushi governor of the province, and used the area around present-day Chiba City as a power base to rule over Shimōsa Province, Kazusa Province , as well as establish himself as a military force in the Kantō region . Tsuneshige's son, Chiba Tsunetane ( 千葉常胤 ) (1118–1201)
868-541: The standing red panda Futa . The name of Chiba in the Japanese language is formed from two kanji characters. The first, 千 , means " thousand " and the second, 葉 means "leaves". The name first appears as an ancient kuni no miyatsuko , or regional command office, as Chiha no Kuni no Miyatsuko ( 千葉国造 ) . The name was adopted by a branch of the Taira clan , which moved to the area in present-day Chiba City in
899-404: The structure of local and regional administration in Japan. The first records related to the city of Chiba record the emigration of Taira Tsuneshige (1083?–1088), a powerful bushi warlord of the late Heian period, to Shimōsa Province , which historically occupied the north of Chiba Prefecture. Tsuneshige was appointed as gunji administrator of Sōma District , but was transferred to
930-708: The total population. It is the 13th most populous city in Japan as of 2022. Chiba was governed by Keiichi Tsuruoka , an independent (elected with support of LDP and Kōmeitō ), until May 1, 2009. He was arrested in April 2009 during a corruption investigation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He was succeeded by Toshihito Kumagai of the DPJ , who won election in June 2009. The city assembly has 54 elected members. Chiba has six wards ( ku ): Chiba has
961-418: Was instrumental in aiding Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199) with the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate . Tsuneshige built a spacious residence and numerous temples in present-day Chiba City, and in the same period he transferred his power base from Ōji Castle to a mansion in present-day Chiba City. The area of present-day Chiba City became jōkamachi ( 城下町 ) , or castle town , and prospered under