Fukuyama, Hiroshima
Core city in Hiroshima Prefecture known for steel and roses.
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Where it is
Coordinates: 34°29′10″N 133°21′43″E (34.4860, 133.3620) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Fukuyama, Hiroshima (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
Fukuyama is a core city located in southeastern Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is the second-largest city in the prefecture after Hiroshima and serves as a major center for heavy industry, notably steel production, hosting one of the world's largest steelworks. The city is also known for its annual Rose Festival in May and its official mascot, Rola, an anthropomorphic rose child.
Lore & Background
The Fukuyama area was part of ancient Bingo Province, largely tidal flats until Edo-period land reclamation. Fukuyama Castle and its castle town were founded in 1619 by Mizuno Katsunari, a cousin of Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The town of Fukuyama was established on April 1, 1889, and became a city on July 1, 1916, with a population of 32,356. On August 8, 1945, two days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 91 American B-29 bombers raided Fukuyama, destroying much of the city. The city expanded through mergers with surrounding towns and villages, including Matsunaga City in 1966, and was promoted to core city status on April 1, 1998.
Reader's Guide
Fukuyama's significance lies in its transformation from a feudal castle town to a modern industrial powerhouse. The JFE Steel West Japan Works, completed in 1961, is the world's largest steelworks and anchors the local economy. The city also manufactures textiles, processed food, electronic equipment, pumps, cranes, and rubber products.
Culturally, Fukuyama hosts the annual Rose Festival and is home to the Holocaust Education Center, the first institution in Japan devoted to Holocaust education, inaugurated in 1995. Notable attractions include Fukuyama Castle, Tomonoura fishing port, and Myōōin temple with two national treasures. The city has sister city relationships with six municipalities worldwide, including Hamilton, Canada, and Pohang, South Korea.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Fukuyama, Hiroshima (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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