Odawara

Did You Know?

• Odawara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a 27-member city council.
• The city contributes two members to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly.
• Odawara has one private junior college, the Odawara Women's Junior College.

Geography

Odawara sits on the Ashigara Plains at the far western edge of Kanagawa Prefecture, where the Kantō region meets its southwestern tip. The Hakone Mountains form its northern and western boundaries, the Sakawa River runs along its eastern side, and Sagami Bay on the Pacific Ocean lies to the south. The city experiences a humid subtropical climate, with warm summers and cool winters that see little to no snow. Its average yearly temperature is 13.4 degrees Celsius, and it receives about 2,144 millimeters of rain annually.

History

The area around present-day Odawara has been settled since prehistoric times, with high population density in the Jōmon period. Under the Ritsuryō system it became part of Ashigarashimo District of Sagami Province. During the Heian period it was divided into shōen mostly controlled by the Hatano clan. The Battle of Ishibashiyama of the Genpei War was fought nearby. In the Sengoku period, Odawara developed as a castle town and capital of the later Hōjō clan domains, covering most of the Kantō region. Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated the Hōjō in the Battle of Odawara in 1590, and the territory came under Tokugawa Ieyasu. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, Odawara was the center of Odawara Domain and prospered as Odawara-juku post station on the Tōkaidō highway. After the Meiji Restoration, Odawara Domain briefly became Odawara Prefecture, then merged into Ashigara Prefecture before joining Kanagawa Prefecture in 1876. The city suffered population decline when the Tōkaidō Main Line bypassed it via Gotemba. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake devastated Odawara, collapsing ninety percent of its buildings. The opening of the Tanna Tunnel in 1934 brought the main Tōkaidō Main Line routing through the city. Odawara was raised to city status on December 20, 1940. On August 15, 1945, it was the last city in Japan bombed by Allied aircraft during World War II. On November 1, 2000, it became a special city.

Economy

Odawara serves as western Kanagawa Prefecture's key commercial hub, with manufacturing focused on light industry, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. Agriculture and fishing contribute little to the economy. Many residents commute to Yokohama and Tokyo. Major local headquarters include Hakone Tozan Railway, Odakyu Sharyo Kogyo, and Wako Pure Chemical Industries.

Local attractions

Odawara Castle is a major landmark, and the city is a transit point for the Hakone hot springs resort area and Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The Yugawara area within the city is a well-known hot spring resort. Ishigakiyama Ichiya Castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Enoura, a coastal area, has clear water with kumamomi fish and sea turtles, attracting scuba divers. The city is traditionally known for kamaboko, stockfish, umeboshi, and herbal medicines. The Suzuhiro Kamaboko Village offers experiences related to Odawara Kamaboko. The Odawara Hōjō Godai Festival takes place every May 3.