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27-456: Toyokawa ( 豊川市 , Toyokawa-shi ) is a city in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture , Japan. As of 1 October 2019, the city had an estimated population of 183,930 in 72,949 households, and a population density of 1,141 persons per km. The total area of the city is 161.14 square kilometres (62.22 sq mi). Toyokawa, famous for its Toyokawa Inari temple, has a good balance of industry, commerce, agriculture and forestry, and

54-679: A few (Yamagata, Toyama, Osaka, Hyōgo, Fukuoka), and none in some – Miyazaki became the last prefecture to contain its first city in 1924. In Okinawa -ken and Hokkai-dō which were not yet fully equal prefectures in the Empire, major urban settlements remained organized as urban districts until the 1920s: Naha-ku and Shuri-ku, the two urban districts of Okinawa were only turned into Naha -shi and Shuri-shi in May 1921, and six -ku of Hokkaidō were converted into district-independent cities in August 1922. By 1945,

81-559: A prolonged situation where the purchasing population flowed to neighboring cities. Entering the Heisei era, efforts were made to open medium-sized commercial facilities in the Suwa District and its vicinity. Simultaneously, roadside stores concentrated around Toyokawa IC and the southern part of Nagadoshi, near the border with Toyohashi City, without a clear shift in the decentralization trend. Major roads, such as National Route 1 to

108-483: A town or village when it fails to meet any of these conditions, but such a demotion has not happened to date. The least populous city, Utashinai, Hokkaido , has a population of three thousand, while a town in the same prefecture, Otofuke, Hokkaido , has over forty thousand. Under the Act on Special Provisions concerning Merger of Municipalities ( 市町村の合併の特例等に関する法律 , Act No. 59 of 2004) , the standard of 50,000 inhabitants for

135-617: Is situated in an area rich in history, traditions, and culture. Located in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, the city has the Toyogawa River to the east, the Otoha River to the west, and the Sana River in the central area, flowing into Mikawa Bay in the southwest. The northern part of the city is predominantly mountainous, featuring numerous golf courses. The city is divided into three districts covering 122.4 hectares in

162-698: The Makino clan . The area prospered during the Edo period with two post towns along the Tōkaidō , Goyu-shuku and Akasaka . After the Meiji Restoration , on October 1, 1889, several villages were organized with the establishment of the modern municipalities system within Hoi District , Aichi Prefecture , including Toyokawa Village. On March 13, 1893, Toyokawa was promoted to town status. Toyokawa City

189-649: The USAAF 20th Air Force , 58th 73rd , 313th , and 314th Bombardment Wings launched from Guam , Saipan and Tinian . They were joined by 48 P-51 Mustang escort fighters deployed from Iwo Jima . Arriving over the target area at 10:13 AM, twelve B-29s bombed the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal, while the remaining bombers concentrated on Toyokawa’s civilian population center, and the P-51s strafed targets of opportunity . A total of 3,256 500-lb bombs (813 tons)

216-552: The Arsenal, and towards the end of the war, this workforce included hundreds of middle school students and high school girls. On August 7, 1945, the Toyokawa Naval Arsenal was targeted by a flight of B-29 bombers. About 2,500 people were killed during the Toyokawa Air Raid . Toyokawa was one of the last places to be targeted using conventional explosive and incendiary bombs in the closing days of World War II, occurring

243-637: The Tokyo metropolitan area, each have an administrative status analogous to that of cities. Tokyo also has several other incorporated cities, towns and villages within its jurisdiction. Cities were introduced under the "city code" ( shisei , 市制) of 1888 during the "Great Meiji mergers" ( Meiji no daigappei , 明治の大合併) of 1889. The -shi replaced the previous urban districts /"wards/cities" (-ku) that had existed as primary subdivisions of prefectures besides rural districts (-gun) since 1878. Initially, there were 39 cities in 1889: only one in most prefectures, two in

270-710: The Toyokawa Navy Arsenal were made in March 1937, along with the Suzuka Naval Arsenal in Mie Prefecture initially for the purpose of supplying 13 mm and 20 mm auto-cannons for the rapidly expanding Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service . The land was acquired in the towns of Toyokawa and Uchikubo and village of Yawata in eastern Aichi Prefecture by July 1938, and construction began on October 1, 1938. The formal opening ceremony for

297-643: The central business area: the Suwa District, where public institutions and commercial facilities are located, the Toyogawa District, which developed as the gateway town to Toyogawa Inari Shrine, and the Chuo-dori District, connecting both areas. The city has implemented the "Basic Plan for Revitalization of the Central Business District," aiming to promote development in the central business district [4]. However, due to

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324-559: The city government, and five public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped. Cities of Japan A city ( 市 , shi ) is a local administrative unit in Japan . Cities are ranked on the same level as towns ( 町 , machi ) and villages ( 村 , mura ) , with

351-685: The city status has been eased to 30,000 if such population is gained as a result of a merger of towns and/or villages , in order to facilitate such mergers to reduce administrative costs. Many municipalities gained city status under this eased standard. On the other hand, the municipalities recently gained the city status purely as a result of increase of population without expansion of area are limited to those listed in List of former towns or villages gained city status alone in Japan . The Cabinet of Japan can designate cities of at least 200,000 inhabitants to have

378-661: The city, creating a lively atmosphere. The city enjoys a relatively mild climate, with little to no snowfall even in winter. The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ). The average annual temperature in Toyokawa is 15.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1751 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.8 °C. Per Japanese census data,

405-418: The day after Hiroshima was destroyed by an atomic bomb. After the war, on April 12, 1955, Toyokawa annexed Mikami village from Yana District . This was followed by the neighboring town of Goyu from Hoi District on April 1, 1959. Toyokawa further expanded on February 1, 2006, by annexing Ichinomiya , On January 15, 2008, the towns of Otowa and Mito became part of Toyokawa, and finally on February 1, 2010,

432-646: The difference that they are not a component of districts ( 郡 , gun ) . Like other contemporary administrative units, they are defined by the Local Autonomy Law of 1947. Article 8 of the Local Autonomy Law sets the following conditions for a municipality to be designated as a city: The designation is approved by the prefectural governor and the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications . A city can theoretically be demoted to

459-525: The merger of four villages that originally formed independent central areas, the city struggled to form a centralized urban center. Despite the expansive nature of the city's urban areas, the central functions are dispersed among several stations in different districts. Notably, Toyogawa Station, despite its name, does not function as the central station, further complicating the formation of a centralized business district. Consequently, large-scale commercial facilities and urban development lagged behind, leading to

486-486: The new facility was held on December 15, 1939. The new plant initially covered 200 hectares , and had 1500 employees. However, as the Second Sino-Japanese War quickly evolved into World War II , the demand for arms and ammunition increased. The Toyokawa Naval Arsenal expanded its facilities to 330 hectares in 1940. The northern 60 percent was devoted to the production of gunpowder and ammunition, and

513-412: The number of cities countrywide had increased to 205. After WWII , their number almost doubled during the "great Shōwa mergers" of the 1950s and continued to grow so that it surpassed the number of towns in the early 21st century (see the List of mergers and dissolutions of municipalities in Japan ). As of October 1 2018, there are 792 cities of Japan. Toyokawa Naval Arsenal Plans to establish

540-487: The plant employed 56,400 workers, including over 6000 school children who had been conscripted into working at the plant by the Japanese military. The plant also included its own water and gas facilities and dormitories for workers. Despite its obvious military significance, the Toyokawa Navy Arsenal was not bombed until the very last stages of World War II. On the morning of 7 August 1945, 135 B-29 Superfortress bombers of

567-531: The population of Toyokawa has been increasing over the past 60 years. The area of modern Toyokawa was settled in prehistoric times. During the Nara period , the kokubunji of Mikawa Province was established in 741. The temple of Toyokawa Inari , a popular pilgrimage destination, dates from 1441. A number of daimyō clans under the Tokugawa shogunate originate in what are now parts of Toyokawa, most notably

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594-534: The southern 40 percent of the area was devoted to machining and assembly work, especially for the Type 92 7.7 mm aircraft gun and the Type 99 20mm aircraft cannon . In addition to aircraft weapons, the Toyokawa Navy Arsenal also produced guntō Japanese swords, bayonets, the Nambu pistol and a variety of small caliber artillery weapons as well as optical equipment such as rangefinders and binoculars. By February 1945,

621-401: The status of core city , or designated city . These statuses expand the scope of administrative authority delegated from the prefectural government to the city government. Tokyo , Japan's capital, existed as a city until 1943, but is now legally classified as a special type of prefecture called a metropolis ( 都 , to ) . The 23 special wards of Tokyo , which constitute the core of

648-595: The town of Kozakai likewise was merged into Toyokawa City. Toyokawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 30 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 8 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan . Toyokawa has 26 public elementary schools and 10 public junior high schools operated by

675-581: The west, National Route 23 to the southwest, and National Route 151 from the east to the south, traverse the city. Additionally, the Hime Kaido (Hon-Zaka Street) runs east to west within the city. There are four railway lines, roughly parallel to the main roads. In spring, cherry blossoms bloom along the Sana River, Otoha River, and in the Sakura Tunnel near the city hall, adding color to the streets. The summer season sees various festivals throughout

702-426: Was dropped on city from an altitude of 15,000 – 17,000 feet. Civilian casualties estimates range from 2,544 to 2,677 people killed, including several hundred women and 452 schoolchildren, who had been conscripted to work at the Toyokawa Navy Arsenal by the Japanese military. After World War II, the site of the former Toyokawa Navy Arsenal was developed into a large industrial complex, with a small portion given over to

729-597: Was founded on June 1, 1943, by the merger of Toyokawa town with neighboring Ushikubo Town and Yawata Village, all from Hoi District. In 1939 the massive Toyokawa Naval Arsenal was established, one of the largest producers of machine guns, aviation ordnance and ammunition in the Empire of Japan . It also had sections that produced military-issue katana , bayonets , and glass lenses for use in cameras, binoculars, and similar equipment. During World War II , many thousands of civilians were conscripted or volunteered to work at

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