Asahi, Chiba

Asahi is located in far northeastern Chiba Prefecture, approximately 50 kilometers from the prefectural capital at Chiba and 80 to 90 millimeters from central Tokyo. Located at the northern end of the Kujukuri Plain, the southern part faces Kujukuri Beach and the Pacific Ocean, and the Shimōsa Plateau extends to the northern part.

Asahi has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Asahi is 15.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1559 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.2 °C.[2]

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Asahi has remained relatively steady over the past 70 years.

The Chiba clan, or branches of it, ruled the Shimōsa region for about 400 years from the Kamakura period. During the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan gained the protection of such powerful clans as the Odawara Hōjō clan, allowing them to get a stronger foothold over the area. They lost control when the Hōjō clan was overthrown in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After that, General Kiso Yoshimasa settled in the region. He restored the Ajito Castle, which was the inspiration for the name "Asahi." When poet Nonoguchi Takamasa visited the area in 1852, he wrote a poem about the general, from which the name "Asahi," which can mean "rising sun," was taken:

"from Shinano / adoring the rising sun / he came to the eastern land / and there remains the evidence of his earthly life"

In the Edo period, various agricultural changes in the region occurred. The first was the reclamation of the "Sea of Camellias", a vast lake, which was drained into the Pacific Ocean to create the fertile Higata Hachiman-goku. The second was spurred on by the arrival of agrarian scholar Ohara Yugaku in 1835 and other kokugaku scholars who helped to revive agriculture in the area. During this same time, while Iioka Sukegoro was helping to develop the fishing industry, fishermen from the Kansai region moved to the area to take advantage of the bountiful fishing grounds available.[4]

The town of Asahi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to city status on July 1, 1954. On July 1, 2005, Asahi absorbed the town of Hikata (from Katori District), and the towns of Iioka and Unakami (both from Kaijo District) .

The city was damaged during the March 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Around 15 people were killed, 2,265 buildings were damaged, with 427 buildings destroyed, 716 people were left homeless, and heavy damage was done to the town's port and fishing boat fleet.[5]

Asahi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 20 members. Asahi contributes one member to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Chiba 10th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The local economy is dominated by commercial fishing, agricultural and seasonal tourism to its beach resorts.

Agriculture

Asahi City's agricultural output is ranked first in Chiba Prefecture and ninth in Japan. The city's location on the coast of the Bōsō Peninsula gives it easy access to abundant fishing grounds created by the intersection of the Japan Current and the Okhotsk Current. Iioka fishing port has the second highest volume of fish unloaded in Chiba Prefecture.[6]

A field of Asahi rapeseed flowers

Asahi has 15 public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education.

• - Chino, Nagano Prefecture (Sister City) [9]
• - Nakagusuku, Okinawa Prefecture (Friendship City)[9]

Asahi City uses characters from Tetsuya Chiba's manga works as official mascots, including Mukai Taiyo from "Ashita Tenki ni Naare" as the mascot of Asahi Park Golf Course.[10] Framed art and messages from Tetsuya Chiba can be seen in many public buildings. Tetsuya Chiba lived in Asahi (then Iioka-machi) during his childhood.[11]

• Noriko Arai, Paralympic athlete
• Hiromichi Ishige, professional baseball player
• Shoya Tomizawa, professional motorcycle racer

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asahi, Chiba.

• Official Website (in Japanese)