Ōtsu

Geography and history

Ōtsu has been settled since at least the Yayoi period as part of ancient Ōmi Province.^[4] The city area gradually expanded through annexations of neighboring towns and villages from 1932 to 1967.^[3] Emperor Tenji founded the Ōmi Ōtsu Palace, which served as Japan's capital from 667 until 672.^[4] Following the Jinshin War, the settlement was given a different name; after Heian-kyō was founded in 794, the name "Ōtsu" was brought back into use.^[4][5]

During the Edo period, Ōtsu flourished because it functioned as a Lake Biwa port and as Ōtsu-juku, a significant shukuba located on both the Tōkaidō and Nakasendō highways.^[2] Due to its strategic position and its importance for travel and commerce, the Tokugawa shogunate governed Ōtsu directly.^[2] On January 1, 1872, Ōtsu became part of what is now Shiga Prefecture and was designated as that prefecture's capital.^[5] With the introduction of the modern municipal system on 1 April 1889, the town of Ōtsu was formally created.^[5]

The town of Shiga was incorporated into Ōtsu on March 20, 2006.^[3]

What the cited sources add

The Ōtsu climate data confirms that August is the hottest month with an average temperature of 25.8 °C, and January is the coldest with 2.3 °C.^[6] The Ōtsu incident, a failed assassination attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, occurred on 11 May 1891.^[7] Ōtsu's mean yearly temperature is 13.8 °C, and its mean yearly precipitation measures 1430 mm.^[8] In 1500, the court noble Konoe Masaie selected the Eight Views of Ōmi; six of those scenic locations fall within Ōtsu's boundaries.^[9]