Shimonoseki ( Japanese : 下関市 , Hepburn : Shimonoseki-shi ) is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture , Japan . As of 30 June 2023, the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a population density of 350 persons per km. The total area of the city is 716.18 square kilometres (276.52 sq mi). It is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region in terms of population. It is nicknamed the " Fugu Capital" for the locally caught pufferfish , and is the largest harvester of the pufferfish in Japan.
20-773: Shimonoseki is part of ancient Nagato Province . It has prospered since ancient times as the gateway to Honshu island from the Asian continent, including Kyushu, China, and the Korean peninsula . According to the Nihon Shoki , the semi-legendary Emperor Chuai constructed a palace at the location of what is now the Shimonoseki city hall during the Kofun period . The name of "Shimonoseki" appears in Heian period documents from 869 AD as
40-619: A port city, Shimonoseki has long had a thriving industry related to shipping, trade, and finance. It is still the center of the prefecture in terms of economy. Shimonoseki has 41 public elementary school and 21 public junior high schools and one public high school operated by the city government. The city has nine public high schools operated by the Yamaguchi Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private junior high school and five private high schools. The prefecture also operates four special education schools for
60-671: Is twinned with: Shimonoseki is home to many festivals, held throughout the year. Of these, the most famous are the Shimonoseki Kaikyo Festival and Shimonoseki Bakan Festival. The Goda-ikka yakuza syndicate is headquartered in Shimonoseki. A designated yakuza group , the Goda-ikka is the largest yakuza syndicate in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato Province Nagato Province ( 長門国 , Nagato no kuni ) , often called Chōshū ( 長州 ) ,
80-616: Is 255,051 people. Shimonoseki has been conducting censuses since 1920. Shimonoseki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 34 members. Shimonoseki contributes ten members to the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Yamaguchi 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Having prospered as
100-709: Is located at the westernmost point of Yamaguchi Prefecture and the westernmost point of Honshu . It borders the Sea of Japan to the west and the Seto Inland Sea to the south across the Kanmon Straits . It is long in the north-south direction and has a fan shape that opens to the Seto Inland Sea. The Asa River flows from the north to the central area, and the Ariho River flows from the northeast to
120-518: Is located in Western Yamaguchi and consists of the cities of Shimonoseki and Nagato . The seat was held by former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe until his assassination in July 2022 . As of September 2011, 266,456 voters were registered in the district, giving its voters well above average (347,878 voters per district) vote weight. Unlike many prefectures where the capital is also
140-663: The Edo period , the area was part of Chōfu Domain controlled by the Mōri clan . In February 1691, German explorer Engelbert Kaempfer visited the town as part of his two-year stay in Japan, and described it as having around 400 to 500 houses, and as a major port in the region for supplying ship provisions. During the Bakumatsu period , the Bombardment of Shimonoseki occurred in 1864, and in
160-606: The Socialists for the Renewal Party . But Abe won, and easily held onto the seat from then on. He was elected LDP president and Prime Minister in 2006 against Tarō Asō and Sadakazu Tanigaki in succession to Junichiro Koizumi ( Kanagawa 11th district ), but resigned after one year. In 2012, the party – in opposition since 2009 – once more elected Shinzo Abe as the third LDP president not to become prime minister immediately after his election. Abe then subsequently won
180-589: The United Kingdom . Historically , the oligarchy that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Chōshū province, as Itō Hirobumi , Yamagata Aritomo , and Kido Kōin were from there. Other natives famous for their role in the restoration include Yoshida Shōin , Takasugi Shinsaku , and Kusaka Genzui among others. The Japanese battleship Nagato
200-548: The abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures ( Haihan Chiken ) after the Meiji Restoration , the provinces of Nagato and Suō were combined to eventually establish Yamaguchi Prefecture. At the same time, the province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Nagato is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the United States and (b) between Japan and
220-402: The 2000s. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) usually won the district three seats to one. In the electoral reform, the 1st district was split up into the single-member 3rd and 4th districts. In the first post-reform election of 1996 , the 4th district was contested by Shinzō Abe and Takaaki Koga , himself a former Liberal Democrat who in 1993 took the opposition seat in the 1st district from
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#1732765876520240-480: The creation of the modern municipalities system. The city was renamed Shimonoseki on June 1, 1902. On February 13, 2005, Shimonoseki absorbed the towns of Hōhoku , Kikugawa , Toyota and Toyoura (all from Toyoura District ) to create the new and expanded city of Shimonseki. Since October 1, 2005, the city has been designated as a core city by the Japanese government with increased local autonomy. Shimonoseki
260-536: The early Meiji period , the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed in 1895, seeing a defeated China hand over Taiwan , Penghu , and Port Arthur to the victorious Japanese at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War . An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Shimonoseki as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom . Akamagaseki city was established on April 1, 1889 with
280-409: The east, flowing southward into the Seto Inland Sea. The city hall is located on the west bank of the Ariho River mouth. Yamaguchi Prefecture Shimonoseki has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heavier in summer. Per Japanese census data, the population of Shimonoseki in 2020
300-596: The handicapped. The city has a North Korean school , Yamaguchi Korean Elementary and Junior High School ( 山口朝鮮初中級学校 ) . It formerly housed two other North Korean schools, Yamaguchi Korean High School and Shimonoseki Korean Elementary and Junior High School ( 下関朝鮮初中級学校 ) . [REDACTED] JR West – San'yō Shinkansen [REDACTED] JR West (JR West) - San'yō Main Line [REDACTED] JR West (JR West) - San'in Main Line Shimonoseki
320-819: The location of a checkpoint controlling maritime access to the Seto Inland Sea; however, by the Kamakura period , the name of "Akamanoseki" was in more common use. During the Genpei War , the Heike and Genji fought at the Battle of Dan-no-ura near the present Kanmon Bridge . During the Muromachi period , the powerful Ōuchi clan was shugo of both Nagato and Buzen Province in Kyushu and thus controlled trade and diplomatic missions from Ming China and Joseon Korea . In
340-461: The most populous city, Yamaguchi's major city is Shimonoseki, located at the western tip of Honshū and adjacent to Kyushu island's Fukuoka-Kitakyūshū metropolitan area which lies just south across the Kanmon Straits . Yamaguchi is home to the Kan Abe - Nobusuke Kishi - Shintarō Abe (non-prime minister, father of Shinzo Abe)- Eisaku Satō prime ministerial family whose members have represented
360-623: The prefecture in the Diet for much of the postwar era and the Giichi Tanaka prime ministerial family that produced its first two elected governors. Western Yamaguchi formed the four-member 1st district until the electoral reform of the 1990s, its representatives included Shintarō Abe, Shinzō Abe (former Prime Minister of Japan ) and Tatsuo Tanaka , but also other prominent conservatives such as finance minister Yoshirō Hayashi or Takeo Kawamura who went on to become Chief Cabinet Secretary in
380-469: Was a province of Japan . It was at the extreme western end of Honshū , in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture . Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces. Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimonoseki , Hagi was the seat of the Chōshū han (fief or domain) during the Edo period . Nagato was ruled by the Mōri clan before and after the Battle of Sekigahara . In 1871 with
400-521: Was named after this province. Sumiyoshi jinja was the chief Shinto shrine ( ichinomiya ) of Nagato. [REDACTED] Media related to Nagato Province at Wikimedia Commons Yamaguchi 4th district Yamaguchi 4th district (山口県第4区 Yamaguchi-ken dai-yon-ku ) is a single-member electoral district for the House of Representatives , the lower house of the National Diet of Japan. It
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