is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 353,214 in 162,210 households and a population density of 3200 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . The city is known locally as after the old name for Tokyo, due to its many historic buildings.

History

Kawagoe is part of ancient Musashi Province. In the medieval period, the Kawagoe area was associated with the Uesugi and Hōjō clans. Kawagoe Castle was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōshin and Ōta Dōkan on behalf of Uesugi Mochitomo, and the castle and surrounding area later came under Hōjō control. In the 1450s, Kawagoe was held by the Yamanouchi branch of the Uesugi Clan. Decades later, Hōjō Ujitsuna seized Kawagoe Castle in 1537, and the city served as an important base of operations when the Later Hōjō clan sought to gain control of the Kantō. For roughly two decades after that, the Uesugi launched a number of attempts to regain the region. This culminated in the 1545 Battle of Kawagoe, as the heavily outnumbered Hōjō garrison of Kawagoe defeated an attempted siege of Kawagoe Castle. This victory would lead to the end of Uesugi power in the region, and the near-total destruction of the clan. The Hōjō having secured themselves in the region, Kawagoe served for another forty-five years as a satellite castle town defending Edo, and the clan's central castle at Odawara. Kawagoe's location on the Arakawa River and near the Edo River were important elements of its tactical significance in defending the Kantō region from potential attacks from the north.

During the Edo period, Kawagoe Castle was the seat of the Kawagoe Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The castle town developed as a commercial center, with goods transported between Kawagoe and Edo via the Shingashi River. After the Meiji restoration, it briefly became capital of Kawagoe Prefecture (1871) then Iruma Prefecture (1871–1873), before becoming part of Saitama Prefecture.

The town of Kawagoe was created within Iruma District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. A large part of the town was destroyed in a fire on May 13, 1893 and was rebuilt with many structures using construction techniques of traditional kura warehouses. On December 1, 1922 Kawagoe merged with neighboring Senba Village, and was elevated to city status, with a population of 30,359.

The village of Tanomozawa was annexed in 1939. The city escaped World War II with only minor damage. The city expanded in 1955 by annexing the villages of Yoshino, Furuya, Minamifuruya, Takashina, Fukuhara, Daito, Kasumigaseki, Naguwashi and Yamada. In December 1999, the old core of Kawagoe was designated a Historic Preservation District. On April 1, 2003, Kawagoe was designated a core city with increased local autonomy.

Geography Located in the Musashino Terrace of central Saitama Prefecture, both the Arakawa and the Iruma Rivers flow through the city, which is approximately 30 kilometers from downtown Tokyo. The city area is approximately 16.3 km east–west and approximately 13.8 km north–south. The altitude is 18.5 meters above sea level in Motomachi, the highest at the southern end of the city is 50.7 meters, the lowest in the eastern part is 6.9 meters.

Surrounding municipalities Saitama Prefecture Ageo Fujimino Fujimi Hidaka Kawajima Miyoshi Saitama (Nishi-ku) Sakado Sayama Tokorozawa Tsurugashima

Climate Kawagoe has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kawagoe is 14.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1448 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.5 °C.Kawagoe climate data

Demographics Per Japanese census data,Kawagoe population statistics the population of Kawagoe has increased steadily over the past century.

Government Kawagoe has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 36 members. Kawagoe contributes four members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 7th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

List of Kawagoe mayors (from 1922)

  Mayor Term start Term end 1Riuemon Ayabe (綾部　利右ヱ門)1 December 1922February 1923 2Kumazo Takeda (武田　熊蔵) 1 August 192331 July 1927 3Kikuro Terao (寺尾　規矩郎) 22 September 192721 September 1931 4Hisao Hayashi (林　寿夫) 13 October 193115 January 1932 5Kinjyuro Hayakawa (早川　金十郎) i March 193212 August 1935 6Sadagoro Hashimoto (橋本　定五郎) 17 August 193516 August 1939 7Tokujiro Date (伊達　徳次郎) 24 August 193923 August 1943

  Mayor Term start Term end 8Kaiichi Shibuya (渋谷　塊一) 14 September 194315 March 1945 9Masaumi Kawai (河合　正臣) 21 April 194516 August 1946 10Taikichi Itoh (伊藤　泰吉) 7 October 194631 July 1965 11Takiji Kato (加藤　瀧二) 19 September 19657 February 1981 12Kiichi Kawai (川合　喜一) 8 February 19817 February 1993 13Koichi Funahashi (舟橋　功一) 8 February 19937 February 2009 14Yoshiaki Kawai (川合 善明) 8 February 2009Incumbent

Education Universities and colleges Toyo University - Kawagoe campus Tokyo International University Toho College of Music Shobi University Saitama Medical University – Kawagoe campus

Primary and secondary education Kawagoe has 32 public elementary schools and 22 public middle schools operated by the city government, and one private elementary school and four private combined middle/high schools. The city has seven public high schools operated by the Saitama Board of Education, one by the Kawagoe city government and three private high schools. The prefecture also operates three special education schools for the handicapped.

Transportation Railway

JR East – Kawagoe Line

Tōbu Railway - Tōbu Tōjō Line

Seibu Railway - Seibu Shinjuku Line

Highway

Cycling The city of Kawagoe operates a bicycle sharing scheme in the city centre, with eight pickup/parking locations.

Sister cities Kawagoe is twinned with the following six municipalities in Japan and worldwide.

Japan Nakasatsunai, Hokkaido, since November 2002 Obama, Fukui, since November 1982 Tanagura, Fukushima, since January 1972

International Autun, France, since October 2002 Offenbach am Main, Germany, since August 1983 Salem, Oregon, United States, since August 1986 Jacareí, São Paulo (state), Brazil, since August 1977

Local attractions

Kawagoe is famous for its sweet potatoes, and the local "Candy Street" sells such treats as sweet potato chips, sweet potato ice cream, sweet potato coffee, and even sweet potato beer, brewed at the local Coedo Brewery. Some of its streets preserve the old castle town of the Edo period (17th to 19th centuries).

Sights

is a bell tower originally built on the orders of between 1624 and 1644. The present structure goes back to 1894, a year after the Great Fire of Kawagoe. It is a three-story tower measuring 16 meters in height. The tower has been telling time to the city's residents for 350 years and has been deemed as a symbol of the city. Currently, the bell can be heard four times a day (6 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM and 6 PM)Kawagoe City website . Retrieved on 4 August 2019 is a small backstreet alley where a dozen stores sell old-fashioned cheap sweets and snacks, most of which are priced at less than 50 yen. The location was known as a neighborhood where scores of confectionery manufactures lined the alley. Many tourists come here to enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of the early Shōwa period.Kawagoe City website . Retrieved on 4 September 2008 Meibutsu of Confectionary Row include fukashi, a stick of wheat bran covered in brown sugar, and amezaiku. is lined with traditional warehouses constructed in a style called and maintains the style of the Edo period. The city of Kawagoe started building kurazukuri-style warehouses in the aftermath of a great fire that consumed one-third of the old Kawagoe in 1893. The style was designed to be fireproof. Within and beyond the Kurazukuri Street, many warehouses from the 18th and 19th centuries can still be seen. The Kawagoe Kurazukuri Museum is located in a traditional warehouse built in 1893 and allows its visitors to walk around inside and experience the life of Edo merchants.Kawagoe Kuradukuri Museum website . Retrieved on 4 September 2008 The artisan shops in the area include Machikan, a sword and knife manufacturer in operation for generations.The Traditionalist Afar magazine

Festivals Kawagoe Festival is held every year on the third Saturday and Sunday of October. In 2016, it was designated as an "Intangible cultural heritage".Kawagoe Festival official website Retrieved 21 January 2013

Notable people

Hisako Higuchi, professional golfer Masachika Ichimura, actor Ayaka Miyoshi, J-Pop idol and actress Asada Nobuoki, General in the Imperial Japanese Army Asahi Sasaki, football player Nobutaka Shiōden, General in the Imperial Japanese Army Yuzuho Shiokoshi, football player Nanaka Suwa, voice actress Sho Tsuboi, racing driver

References

External links

Official Website Little Edo: The Ultimate guide to visiting the 400-year old district of Kawagoe