INTRODUCTION TO KAWAGUCHI CITY

Mar 20, 2007 01:03:00

INTRODUCTION OF KAWAGUCHI CITY The Historical Background of Area Names In the "Gikeiki (a biography)" written at the beginning of the Muromachi period (1336-1573), there were the records of Ko-Kawaguchi, Adachi- gun, and Musashi-no-kuni. During the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1867), the name, Ko- Kawaguchi was changed into Kawaguchi in1622 when Shogun Hidetada Tokugawa paid respect to the Nikko Shrine. Thereafter, it became a place bustling with traffic consisting of people and horses. In 1869 Kawaguchi belonged to Omiya, and subsequently to Urawa Prefecture: In 1872 it was changed into Saitama Prefecture by the Prefecture Reform Law, and finally became Kawaguchi-machi in 1875. The Birth of the City On April 1, 1933, with Kawaguchi-machi at the center, the villages of Yokosone, Minami- Hirayanagi, and Aoki were consolidated, and was designated as Kawaguchi city under the implementation of the Municipal Ordinance. Thereafter, it went through the services of M & A to arrive at the current status after consolidating Mikuni-village into the city in 1972. The Topography Kawaguchi city is located at the southern tip of Saitama Prefecture adjacent to the great metropolis of Tokyo just across the Arakawa River. With the exception of the city's north-east section, the major portion consists of low-lands. In ancient times, Tokyo Bay used to stretch into this area and the major portion was considered to have been underwater. The Arakawa River, flowing between the city and Tokyo has its source deep in the Chichibu mountain range and flows into Tokyo Bay after cutting through the south-eastern region. Transportation The JR (Japan Railway) Keihin Tohoku Line runs through the city's south-west section in a north- west direction, taking less than 30 minutes from Tokyo Station to Kawaguchi Station. Also, in the north, the JR Musashino Line opened a line in 1973, and housing developments were rapidly implemented in Tozuka and Yanagisaki. On March 28, 2001, the subway Saitama Express Railway Line opened connecting the city's north-east section running towards Akabane, Tokyo. This greatly enhanced the convenience of transportation. Industry Kawaguchi city has been long known, nationwide, as "a city of casting." The current industrial structure of the city is multi-dimensional, covering from the casting industry to the highly technologically innovative machine industry as well as the traditional technologically driven manufacturing industry for wooden models, fishing poles, textiles, the food industry including beer, plus the chemical and precision machinery industries. All are broad and versatile in the face of modern industry. In addition to these, in the Angyo and Kamine areas, such special products as garden plants, young plants, bonsai, and flowers are produced and marketed not only nationwide, but also throughout the world. Source: http://www.jurian.or.jp/en/index.html