| Shiogama | |||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||
| Settlement Type: | City | ||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |||
| Coordinates: | 38.3144°N 141.022°W | ||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||
| Subdivision Name1: | Tōhoku | ||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||
| Subdivision Name2: | Miyagi | ||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||
| Established Title: | City Settled | ||
| Established Date: | November 23, 1941 | ||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||
| Leader Name: | Kōki Satō (from September 2019) | ||
| Area Total Km2: | 17.37 | ||
| Population Total: | 52662 | ||
| Population As Of: | June 1, 2019 | ||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time | ||
| Utc Offset1: | +9 | ||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Phone number | ||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 022-364-1111 | ||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Address | ||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 1-1 Asahimachi, Shiogama-shi, Miyagi-ken 985-8501 | ||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||
| Website: | http://www.city.shiogama.miyagi.jp/ | ||
| Module: |
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is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 52,662, and a population density of 3,032 persons per km² in 23,270 households.[1] The total area of the city is 17.37km2.
Shiogama is in north-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east.
Shiogama has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Shiogama is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around .
Per Japanese census data,[2] the population of Shiogama peaked around 1990 and has declined since.
"Shiogama" means "salt furnace" and refers to a local Shinto ritual involving the making of salt from sea water, still performed every July. The name is sometimes written using the kanji 塩釜 rather than 塩竈 and both spellings are officially permitted. Both 釜 and 竈 are pronounced gama in compounds, but as lone words they are pronounced kama and kamado, respectively. A kamado (竈, "furnace") is what a kama (釜, "kettle") is placed upon, and so the two are not completely interchangeable. 塩竈 is the form officially used by the city, but for ease of writing, the 10-stroke 釜 is often used in place of the 21-stroke 竈, such as in Shiogama Station.[3]
Shiogama Jinja uses the rendering 鹽竈, with an archaic character for salt. This third form is rarely seen outside of this context.
The area of present-day Shiogama was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people. During the Nara period, the area came under the control of colonists from the imperial dynasty based at nearby Tagajō and was the most important seaport in Mutsu. The ruins of the provincial capital of Mutsu Province have been found within the city borders. During later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate.
The town of Shiogama was established with the post-Meiji restoration creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Parts of Tagajō and Shichigahama were incorporated into Shiogama of September 1, 1938. Shiogama was raised to city status on November 23, 1941 (187th, nationally; 3rd in Miyagi). The city annexed the Gyūchi area of neighboring Tagajō on December 1, 1949 and the village of Urato on April 1, 1950.
The city was affected by the tsunami caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake,[4] although damage to its fishing industry turned out to be light.[5]
Shiogama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.
The economy of Shiogama is largely based on commercial fishing, especially of tuna, and fish processing. The city also boasts one of the highest density of sushi restaurants in Japan.
Shiogama has six public elementary schools and four middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education.
Shiogama-city Community Center (Fureai ESP Shiogama)