Mito
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A city of east-central Honshu, Japan, northeast of Tokyo. It was the center of an important shogunate after 1600. Population: 263,000.
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Japanese han (domain) belonging to one of the three branches of the Tokugawa family from which the shogun was chosen during the Tokugawa period. During the 19th century, nationalists from Mito adopted the slogan Sonn ji (Revere the emperor, expel the barbarians). Tokugawa Nariaki (180060), daimyo of Mito at the time of Commodore Matthew Perry's mission to Japan, called for Japan's continued isolation, supported by greater national unity and military renovation. Ii Naosuke; Meiji Restoration; Yoshida Shin.
For more information on Mito, visit Britannica.com.
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Mito (mē'tō), city (1990 pop. 234,968), capital of Ibaraki prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, on the Naka River. It is chiefly a communications center. It produces electrical machinery, iron and steel products, chemicals, furniture, and handicrafts. From 1606 Mito was the seat of a branch of the Tokugawa family. The city's Tokiwa Park is one of the greatest landscape gardens of Japan.
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Mito, Ibaraki
For other uses, see Mito.
| Mito 水戸 |
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| — Special city — | |||
| 水戸市 · Mito | |||
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 Mito
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| Coordinates: 36°22′N 140°28′E / 36.367°N 140.467°ECoordinates: 36°22′N 140°28′E / 36.367°N 140.467°E | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kantō | ||
| Prefecture | Ibaraki | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Yasu Takahashi (since June 2011) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 217.45 km2 (83.96 sq mi) | ||
| Population (June 1, 2010) | |||
| • Total | 265,993 | ||
| • Density | 1,223.24/km2 (3,168.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Ume | ||
| - Flower | Bush clover (hagi) | ||
| - Bird | White Wagtail | ||
| Phone number | 029−224−1111 | ||
| Address | 1-4-1 Chūō, Mito-shi, Ibaraki-ken 310−8610 |
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| Website | www.city.mito.lg.jp | ||
Mito (水戸市 Mito-shi) is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km². Mito nattō is the city's culinary specialty and is well-known across Japan.
Mito is the site of the Japanese garden Kairaku-en, located near Senba lake and counted as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Constructed by Tokugawa Nariaki in 1842, the park is known nationwide for its ume trees. Many people come to the park in spring to view the blossoms, particularly during the Ume Festival. In summer, Mito also holds the Mito Koumon Festival.
Mito was the seat of the so-called Mito School, a congregation of nativist scholars of Confucian persuasion led by Aizawa Seishisai, who during the 18th and 19th centuries advocated Western learning as a means not only to further Japanese technological development and international strength, but as means to prove Japanese uniqueness and superiority among nations. The Kōdōkan was the largest of the han schools.
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History
The Yamato people settled in Mito around the 4th century CE. Around the end of the Heian period, Baba Sukemoto, a warlord of the Heike family, moved to Mito and built a castle there. Mito Castle changed hands several times after that: a daimyo named Satake Yoshinobu won it in the mid-16th century, but he was forced to surrender it to Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 after the epic Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu's son Tokugawa Yorifusa then took over Mito Castle, becoming one of the three "gosanke" family members fortified outside of Edo. Edo was directly connected to Mito by the Mito Kaidō.[1] The Tokugawas directly ruled Mito until the mid-19th century, when the bakufu in Edo was overthrown.
The modern city of Mito was formed on April 1, 1889, with a population of 25,000. It was designated as the prefectural capital. By 1900, the Joban Line connected it to Tokyo, and by 1910, telephones and electric lighting were available throughout the city. Although more than three-quarters of the city burned to the ground near the end of World War II, the population rebounded to 70,000 just two years later, and has continued to grow ever since.
Today, Mito is primarily a commercial and administrative city: most industry in Ibaraki is concentrated around the nearby city of Tsukuba. Mito has a modest but thriving tourism industry, centered on Kairaku-en (park) and local museums dedicated to the Tokugawa family. Mito is also the site of Ibaraki University and Tokiwa University.
Transportation
Mito is located on the Joban Line (Mito Station) and Joban Expressway, which connects it to Tokyo and Tsukuba to the south and Hitachi and Iwaki to the north. The Suigun Line runs north to Koriyama, and the Mito Line runs west to Oyama. The closest major airport is Narita International Airport. Ibaraki Airport in nearby Omitama opened in March 2010. At present, it offers only limited service with one flight a day to Kobe, Korea (Seoul), and three flights a week to China (Shanghai). The airport hopes to attract services by budget air carriers and has structured services and fees accordingly.[2]
Professional sports
Mito is the home city of the J-League professional soccer team, Mito HollyHock.
Famous residents
- Aizawa Seishisai (1782–1863)
- Stomu Takeishi (born 1964, jazz bass player)
Tourist attractions
- Kōdōkan School
- Mito Castle
- Lake Senba
- Kairakuen Park
- Ibaraki Museum of Modern Art
- Art Tower Mito
- Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History
- Mito Municipal Botanical Park
- The Tokugawa Museum
- Tokiwa Jinja
Sister cities
Anaheim, California, USA
References
- ^ Chiba Kokaidō Rekishi Sanpo. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Accessed December 28, 2007.
- ^ In Japan, No-Frills Airport Lures Bargain Players. The New York Times. Accessed March, 2010.
External links
Media related to Mito, Ibaraki at Wikimedia Commons
- Mito official website (English)
- Art Tower Mito (Japanese)
- Seifu-Meitokukai Foundation: The Tokugawa Museum
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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