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Himeji 姫路市
Core city
Himeji Castle Nada Fighting Festival, Engyō-ji View from the castle, Ieshima, Mt. Seppiko
FlagEmblem
Location of Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture
HimejiLocation in Japan
Coordinates: 34°49′N 134°41′E / 34.817°N 134.683°E / 34.817; 134.683
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Hyōgo
Government
• Mayor	Hideyasu Kiyomoto (from April 2019)
Area
• Total	534.35 km (206.31 sq mi)
Population
• Total	525,682
• Density	980/km (2,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	4-1 Yasuda, Himeji-shi, Hyōgo-ken 670-8501
Climate	Cfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	White Heron
Flower	Pecteilis radiata
Tree	Evergreen Oak

Himeji (姫路市, Himeji-shi) is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. As of 1 June 2022, the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km. The total area of the city is 534.35 square kilometres (206.31 sq mi).

Geography

Himeji is located in the central western part of the Harima Plain in the western part of Hyogo Prefecture, and is the central city of the Harima region of the prefecture. The Ichikawa River is located in the central eastern part of the city, and the Senba River and Noda River are located in the center. The Ieshima Islands in the Seto Inland Sea are within the city limits and are located off the coast of Harima Bay. The city is surrounded by the mountains and the sea.

Neighbouring municipalities

Hyōgo Prefecture

• Ichikawa
• Kakogawa
• Kamikawa
• Kasai
• Shisō
• Taishi
• Takasago
• Tatsuno

Climate

Himeji has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Summers are significantly wetter than winters. The average annual temperature in Himeji is 15.6 °C (60.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,254.7 mm (49.40 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.8 °C (82.0 °F), and lowest in January, at around 4.4 °C (39.9 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Himeji was 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) on 31 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −10.0 °C (14.0 °F) on 24 January 1963.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Himeji in 2020 is 530,495 people. Himeji has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History

Himeji has been the center of Harima Province since the Nara period, and was the location of the provincial capital and Harima Kokubun-ji. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Ikeda Terumasa received a fief at Harima Province and established the Himeji Domain. He expanded Himeji Castle and its castle town. Due to its location dominating the San'yōdō highway connecting the Kinai region with western Japan, Himeji was a major stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate through the Bakumatsu period. Following the Meiji restoration, Himeji was the capital of "Himeji Prefecture" (later Shikama Prefecture) from 1871, which was merged into Hyōgo Prefecture in 1876. The city of Himeji was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the Japanese government reportedly considered moving the nation's capital from Tokyo to Himeji. On April 1, 1996, Himeji attained Core city status, with increased local autonomy.

On March 27, 2006, the town of Yasutomi (from Shisō District), the town of Kōdera (from Kanzaki District), and the towns of Ieshima and Yumesaki (both from Shikama District) were merged into Himeji.

Air raids

During World War II, Himeji was a target for the United States' XXI Bomber Command as it was an important rail terminal and contained two large military zones. The first air raid occurred o June 22, 1945 at 0950, in which 60 B-29 Superfortress bombers centered on Andrea containing a Kawanishi Aircraft Company factory. The bombing killed 341 people and rendered 10,220 homeless. The second attack occurred on July 3, 1945 at 16:23, 107 aircraft dropped 767 tons of incendiary bombs on Himeji, destroying 63.3% of the built up areas of the city. However, the famous Himeji Castle, although blackened by smoke from the burning city, remained unscathed, even with one firebomb being dropped on it. This attack killed 173 people, severely wounded 160, and resulted in the destruction of 10,300 buildings, rendering 45,182 people homeless.

Government

Himeji has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 46 members. Himeji contributes eight members to the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Hyōgo 11th and Hyōgo 12th districts of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Mayors of Himeji City (1889–present)

Economy

Himeji is located within the Hanshin Industrial Area and Harima Seaside Industrial Areas. The coastal region is heavily industrialized, with steel mills, chemical plants, semiconductor and automobile electronics predominating. In addition, Kansai Electric Power's Himeji No. 1 Power Station and Himeji No. 2 Power Station are located in the area. The northern two-thirds of the city is mainly agricultural and commercial fishing off the southern seacoast also plays a role in the economy. Traditional crafts include the production of butsudan (Buddhist altars), leather crafts, glue, matchmaking and candles.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Himeji Dokkyo University
• Himeji Hinomoto College
• Himeji University
• Kenmei Women's Junior College (1951–2008)
• University of Hyogo - Himeji Institute of Technology

Primary and secondary schools

Himeji has 66 public elementary schools, 32 public middle schools and three public high schools operated by the city government and 13 public high schools operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Department of Education. There are also four private combined middle/high schools. There are also four special education school for the handicapped, one operated by the city and three by the prefecture.

A North Korean school, Seiban North Korean Elementary and Middle School (西播朝鮮初中級学校), can also be found in the city.

Transportation

Railway

JR West – San'yō Shinkansen

• Himeji

JR West – San'yō Main Line (JR Kobe Line)

• Himeji-Bessho - Gochaku - Higashi-Himeji - Himeji --- Agaho - Harima-Katsuhara - Aboshi

JR West – Bantan Line

• Himeji - Kyōguchi - Nozato - Tohori - Nibuno - Kōro - Mizoguchi

JR West – Kishin Line

• Himeji - Harima-Takaoka - Yobe - Ōichi

Sanyo Electric Railway - Main Line

• Ōshio - Matogata - Yaka - Shirahamanomiya - Mega - Shikama - Kameyama - Tegara - Sanyo Himeji

Sanyo Electric Railway - Aboshi Line

• Shikama - Nishi-Shikama - Yumesakigawa - Hirohata - Sanyo-Temma - Hiramatsu - Sanyo-Aboshi

Highways

• San'yō Expressway
• Chūgoku Expressway
• Bantan Renraku Road
• National Route 2
• National Route 29
• National Route 179
• National Route 250
• National Route 312
• National Route 372
• National Route 436

Ferries

• Bozeki Kisen: Himeji Kazuma Port - Tanga Island - Boze Island
• Kosoku Ieshima: Himeji Kazuma Port - Iejima
• Shodoshima Ferry: Himeji Kazuma Port-Fukuda Port (Shōdoshima)
• Takafuku Liner: Himeji Kazuma Port - Iejima

International relations

Himeji is twinned or has sister city relationships with six international cities and two Japanese cities, as well as a sister castle located in France. Himeji has a particularly strong relationship with Phoenix, Arizona, as teachers from America are able to teach English abroad for 1–2 years. Additionally, the Youth Ambassador Exchange Program allows for both Japanese and American high school students to experience the cultures and languages of their respective countries for 3 weeks.

Sister cities

International

• Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• Changwon, South Gyeongsang, South Korea
• Charleroi, Belgium
• Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
• Phoenix, Arizona, United States
• Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

Japan

• Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture
• Tottori, capital city in Tottori Prefecture

Sister castles

• Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, France
• Conwy Castle (Castell Conwy) in North Wales, since October 2019

Local attractions

• Engyō-ji temple
• Harima Kokubun-ji ruins, National Historic Site
• Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For over 400 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the extensive bombing of Himeji in World War II and natural disasters such as the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and various typhoons.
• Himeji Central Park (a safari park)
• Himeji City Tegarayama Botanical Garden
• Koko-en Garden.
• Mount Seppiko
• Okishio Castle - A castle ruin, Home castle of the Akamatsu clan.

• Engyō-ji
• Koko-en Garden
• Tegarayama Central Park

Notable people from Himeji

• Kuroda Kanbei (黒田 官兵衛) (1546–1604), famed strategist under Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• Mikinosuke Kawaishi (川石 酒造之助) (1899–1969), judoka
• Aya Matsuura (松浦 亜弥) (1986-), entertainer
• Psycho le Cému (サイコ・ル・シェイム), visual kei rock band
• Kenzō Takada (高田 賢三) (1939-2020), fashion designer
• Masahisa Takenaka (竹中 正久) (1933-1985), the 4th kumicho of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza syndicate
• Tetsuro Watsuji (和辻 哲郎) (1889-1960), philosopher and historian

References

1. ^ "Himeji city official statistics" (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan.
2. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
3. ^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
4. ^ Himeji population statistics
5. 21st Bomber Command Tactical Mission Report 247, 250, Ocr
6. "David Millet". Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
7. ウリハッキョ一覧. Chongryon. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015..
8. Sister Cities Archived 2014-07-12 at the Wayback Machine. City of Himeji. Retrieved August 24, 2008. (in Japanese)
9. "Phoenix Sister Cities". Phoenix Sister Cities. Archived from the original on 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
10. "Conwy and Himeji castles' twinning starts "beautiful friendship"". BBC News. November 7, 2019.
11. "A hilltop white heron 400 years old". The Daily Yomiuri. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
12. "Himeji Castle starts its renovation in April". Official Tourism Guide for Japan Travel. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
13. "Himeji Castle". Japan Atlas. Retrieved July 5, 2010.

External links

• Himeji City official website (in Japanese)
• Official tourism website (in English)
• Geographic data related to Himeji at OpenStreetMap

v t e Hyōgo Prefecture
Kobe (capital)
Kobe	Wards Chūō Higashinada Hyōgo Kita Nada Nagata Nishi Suma Tarumi
Core cities	Akashi Amagasaki Himeji Nishinomiya
Special cities	Kakogawa Takarazuka
Cities	Aioi Akō Asago Ashiya Awaji Itami Kasai Katō Kawanishi Miki Minamiawaji Nishiwaki Ono Sanda Shisō Sumoto Takasago Tamba Tamba-Sasayama Tatsuno Toyooka Yabu
Districts	Akō District Kamigōri Ibo District Taishi Kako District Harima Inami Kanzaki District Fukusaki Ichikawa Kamikawa Kawabe District Inagawa Mikata District Kami Shin'onsen Sayō District Sayō Taka District Taka
List of mergers in Hyōgo Prefecture

v t e Cities in Japan with a population of 200,000+
2,000,000 and more	Tokyo (capital) Yokohama Osaka Nagoya
1,000,000–1,999,999	Sapporo Fukuoka Kobe Kyoto Kawasaki Saitama Hiroshima Sendai
500,000–999,999	Kitakyushu Chiba Setagaya Sakai Niigata Hamamatsu Shizuoka Sagamihara Nerima Okayama Ōta Kumamoto Edogawa Adachi Kagoshima Funabashi Hachiōji Kawaguchi Himeji Suginami Itabashi Matsuyama Higashiōsaka Utsunomiya
200,000–499,999	Matsudo Nishinomiya Kurashiki Ichikawa, Chiba Oita Fukuyama Amagasaki Kanazawa Nagasaki Kōtō Katsushika Yokosuka Toyama Toyota Takamatsu Machida Gifu Hirakata Fujisawa Kashiwa Toyonaka Nagano Toyohashi Ichinomiya Wakayama Okazaki Miyazaki Nara Suita Takatsuki Shinagawa Asahikawa Iwaki Kochi Takasaki Kōriyama Tokorozawa Kawagoe Kita Akita Ōtsu Koshigaya Maebashi Naha Nakano, Tokyo Shinjuku Yokkaichi Aomori Kurume Kasugai Morioka Akashi Fukushima Tsu Shimonoseki Nagaoka Ichihara Hakodate Yao Ibaraki, Osaka Fukui Meguro Kakogawa Tokushima Mito Hiratsuka Toshima Yamagata Sasebo Fuchū, Tokyo Kure, Hiroshima Hachinohe Saga Neyagawa Sōka Sumida Fuji Kasukabe Chigasaki Matsumoto Atsugi Yamato Ageo Takarazuka Chōfu Ōta, Gunma Tsukuba Numazu Joetsu Shibuya Minato Kumagaya Isesaki Nishitokyo Kishiwada Tottori

• Himeji, Hyōgo
• Cities in Hyōgo Prefecture
• Port settlements in Japan
• Populated coastal places in Japan