Hagi, Yamaguchi

Hagi (萩市, Hagi-shi) is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, which was incorporated on July 1, 1932.

Hagi

萩市
City
Hagi castle town
Flag
Location of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture
Hagi
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°24′N 131°24′E
CountryJapan
RegionChūgoku (San'yō)
PrefectureYamaguchi Prefecture
Government
 • MayorKenji Fujimichi
Area
 • Total698.86 km2 (269.83 sq mi)
Population
 (May 31, 2016)
 • Total50,179
 • Density71.80/km2 (186.0/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
Websitewww.city.hagi.lg.jp

As of May 31, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 50,179 and a population density of 71.80 of persons per km². The total area is 698.86 km².

History
Main keep (tenshu) of Hagi Castle, before 1880

In the medieval period, Hagi was dominated by the Yoshimi clan, who built Hagi Castle, the ruins of which can be visited today. The Mōri clan became daimyōs of Chōshū Domain at the beginning of the Edo period and built Hagi Castle at the foot of Mt. Shizuki in 1608. They transferred the capital of the domain from Hiroshima to Hagi at the same time. Hagi then developed as the political center of Chōshū for over 250 years.

When the Meiji Restoration came about in the 1860s, as the result of efforts by samurai from Chōshū and a number of other domains, this small city gained great historical significance. Many Japanese statesmen and Prime Ministers were born and brought up in this city.

On March 6, 2005, Hagi absorbed the towns of Susa and Tamagawa, and the villages of Asahi, Fukue, Kawakami and Mutsumi (all from Abu District) to create the new, expanded city of Hagi.

Population

One of the factors underlying the continual decrease of population is said to be its poor public transport. Industry did not grow at all and the rapid economic growth of Japan only caused the town to decline. But it also kept the traditions alive and the traditional lack of the town preserved.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
195597,744—    
196093,245−0.94%
197077,962−1.77%
198074,846−0.41%
199068,999−0.81%
YearPop.±% p.a.
199565,293−1.10%
200061,745−1.11%
200557,989−1.25%
201053,606−1.56%
Source: [1]

Climate

Hagi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with hot, humid and wet summers combined with cool to mild winters, with a relatively high precipitation amount compared to mainland Asian locations on similar latitudes.

Climate data for Hagi, Yamaguchi (1981-2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.8
(65.8)		 23.6
(74.5)		 25.9
(78.6)		 30.7
(87.3)		 32.0
(89.6)		 34.3
(93.7)		 36.6
(97.9)		 37.9
(100.2)		 37.4
(99.3)		 32.0
(89.6)		 26.5
(79.7)		 21.6
(70.9)		 37.9
(100.2)
Average high °C (°F) 9.2
(48.6)		 10.0
(50.0)		 13.0
(55.4)		 18.1
(64.6)		 22.2
(72.0)		 25.3
(77.5)		 29.3
(84.7)		 30.8
(87.4)		 26.8
(80.2)		 22.1
(71.8)		 17.1
(62.8)		 12.0
(53.6)		 19.7
(67.5)
Average low °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5)		 2.6
(36.7)		 4.6
(40.3)		 9.1
(48.4)		 13.7
(56.7)		 18.3
(64.9)		 22.8
(73.0)		 23.7
(74.7)		 19.5
(67.1)		 13.4
(56.1)		 8.7
(47.7)		 4.5
(40.1)		 12.0
(53.6)
Record low °C (°F) −5.8
(21.6)		 −6.8
(19.8)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 3.0
(37.4)		 8.6
(47.5)		 12.2
(54.0)		 15.2
(59.4)		 8.1
(46.6)		 3.9
(39.0)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −3.8
(25.2)		 −6.8
(19.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 90.0
(3.54)		 79.0
(3.11)		 124.2
(4.89)		 118.8
(4.68)		 147.5
(5.81)		 227.2
(8.94)		 265.0
(10.43)		 139.2
(5.48)		 207.3
(8.16)		 92.7
(3.65)		 91.6
(3.61)		 75.7
(2.98)		 1,658.2
(65.28)
Average rainy days 22.6 19.7 19.7 15.3 14.6 16.3 17.4 14.8 16.8 13.8 16.5 20.5 208
Average relative humidity (%) 67 67 71 71 74 80 81 78 79 75 72 68 74
Mean monthly sunshine hours 77.0 95.6 141.4 181.7 197.8 151.1 165.6 205.7 155.2 167.1 119.6 92.1 1,749.9
Source 1: Japan Meteorological Agency[2]
Source 2: Japan Meteorological Agency[3]

Economy

Iwami Airport in nearby Masuda, Shimane Prefecture serves Hagi.

Tourism is a strong factor of the town.

Military

Hagi is home to the Ground Self-Defense Force's Mutsumi Training Area, and is a proposed installation site for the Aegis Ashore missile defense system.[4]

Hagi Pottery (Hagiyaki)
Hagi ware tea bowl (chawan), Edo period, 18th-19th century

The city was the capital of the Chōshū Domain during the Edo period (ca. 1603–1868). Hagi is renowned for Hagi ware, a form of Japanese pottery dating from 1604 when two Korean potters were brought to Hagi by Lord Mōri Terumoto.

Hagi was also the location for an International Sculpture Symposium in 1981. Twenty-six international sculptors worked together to create a seaside park. They created many functional sculptures, including tables and benches.

People
Tamae Kannon

Sister cities

Since 1968, Hagi has been a sister city to Ulsan (울산광역시, 蔚山廣域市 www.ulsan.go.kr), a fishing port and the headquarters of Hyundai, the motor world's largest assembly compelex with an in-house port and a capacity of 1.5 million units/year. It is one of the world's top shipyards and also one of largest petrochemical complex, w/ SK & S-OIL refineries in the southeast of South Korea.

References
  1. National Census by Statistics Bureau Japan
  2. "平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  3. "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  4. The Associated Press (June 23, 2018). "Japan's defence chief seeks local support to deploy a land-based missile shield". The South China Morning Post.

Further reading
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