Himeji

History

Himeji has been the center of Harima Province since the Nara period, and was the location of the provincial capital and Harima Kokubun-ji. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Ikeda Terumasa received a fief at Harima Province and established the Himeji Domain. He expanded Himeji Castle and its castle town. Due to its location dominating the San'yōdō highway connecting the Kinai region with western Japan, Himeji was a major stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate through the Bakumatsu period. Following the Meiji restoration, Himeji was the capital of "Himeji Prefecture" (later Shikama Prefecture) from 1871, which was merged into Hyōgo Prefecture in 1876. The city of Himeji was established on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system. After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the Japanese government reportedly considered moving the nation's capital from Tokyo to Himeji. On April 1, 1996, Himeji attained Core city status, with increased local autonomy.

On March 27, 2006, the town of Yasutomi (from Shisō District), the town of Kōdera (from Kanzaki District), and the towns of Ieshima and Yumesaki (both from Shikama District) were merged into Himeji.

Air raids

During World War II, Himeji was a target for the United States' XXI Bomber Command as it was an important rail terminal and contained two large military zones. The first air raid occurred on June 22, 1945 at 09:50, in which 60 B-29 Superfortress bombers centered on an area containing a Kawanishi Aircraft Company factory. The bombing killed 341 people and rendered 10,220 homeless. The second attack occurred on July 3, 1945, at 16:23, 107 aircraft dropped 767 tons of incendiary bombs on Himeji, destroying 63.3% of the built up areas of the city. However, the famous Himeji Castle, although blackened by smoke from the burning city, remained unscathed, even with one firebomb being dropped on it. This attack killed 173 people, severely wounded 160, and resulted in the destruction of 10,300 buildings, rendering 45,182 people homeless.

Government

Himeji has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 46 members. Himeji contributes eight members to the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Hyōgo 11th and Hyōgo 12th districts of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Mayors of Himeji City (1889–present)

Economy and Tourism

Himeji is located within the Hanshin Industrial Area and Harima Seaside Industrial Areas. The coastal region is heavily industrialized, with steel mills, chemical plants, semiconductor and automobile electronics predominating. In addition, Kansai Electric Power's Himeji No. 1 Power Station and Himeji No. 2 Power Station are located in the area. The northern two-thirds of the city is mainly agricultural and commercial fishing off the southern seacoast also plays a role in the economy. Traditional crafts include the production of butsudan (Buddhist altars), leather crafts, glue, matchmaking and candles.

Himeji lies near the famous “Golden Route” tourist itinerary, which stretches from Tokyo west to Osaka. Himeji is about 1.5 hours west of Osaka by train. Himeji faces the scenic Seto Inland Sea and boasts one of Japan’s best-preserved feudal-era castles. In the Himeji area, tourists can experience a medium-sized Japanese city away from the crowds of Osaka and other large cities.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Himeji Dokkyo University
• Himeji Hinomoto College
• Himeji University
• Kenmei Women's Junior College (1951–2008)
• University of Hyogo - Himeji Institute of Technology

Primary and secondary schools

Himeji has 66 public elementary schools, 32 public middle schools and three public high schools operated by the city government and 13 public high schools operated by the Hyōgo Prefectural Department of Education. There are also four private combined middle/high schools. There are also four special education school for the handicapped, one operated by the city and three by the prefecture.

A North Korean school, Seiban North Korean Elementary and Middle School (西播朝鮮初中級学校), can also be found in the city.

Transportation

Railway

JR West – San'yō Shinkansen

• Himeji

JR West – San'yō Main Line (JR Kobe Line)

• Himeji-Bessho - Gochaku - Higashi-Himeji - Himeji - Tegarayamaheiwakōen - Agaho - Harima-Katsuhara - Aboshi

JR West – Bantan Line

• Himeji - Kyōguchi - Nozato - Tohori - Nibuno - Kōro - Mizoguchi

JR West – Kishin Line

• Himeji - Harima-Takaoka - Yobe - Ōichi

Sanyo Electric Railway - Main Line

• Ōshio - Matogata - Yaka - Shirahamanomiya - Mega - Shikama - Kameyama - Tegara - Sanyo Himeji

Sanyo Electric Railway - Aboshi Line

• Shikama - Nishi-Shikama - Yumesakigawa - Hirohata - Sanyo-Temma - Hiramatsu - Sanyo-Aboshi

Highways

• San'yō Expressway
• Chūgoku Expressway
• Bantan Renraku Road
• National Route 2
• National Route 29
• National Route 179
• National Route 250
• National Route 312
• National Route 372
• National Route 436

Ferries

• Bozeki Kisen: Himeji Kazuma Port - Tanga Island - Boze Island
• Kosoku Ieshima: Himeji Kazuma Port - Iejima
• Shodoshima Ferry: Himeji Kazuma Port-Fukuda Port (Shōdoshima)
• Takafuku Liner: Himeji Kazuma Port - Iejima

Air

The city does not have it own airport. The nearest airports are:

• Kobe Airport providing domestic and some international travel. It is located 66 km (41 mi) to the east.
• Kansai International Airport provides a large number of international and domestic destinations. It is located 127 km (79 mi) to the south east.

International relations

Himeji is twinned or has sister city relationships with six international cities and two Japanese cities, as well as a sister castle located in France. Himeji has a particularly strong relationship with Phoenix, Arizona, as teachers from America are able to teach English abroad for 1–2 years. Additionally, the Youth Ambassador Exchange Program allows for both Japanese and American high school students to experience the cultures and languages of their respective countries for 3 weeks.

Sister cities

International

• Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• Changwon, South Gyeongsang, South Korea
• Charleroi, Belgium
• Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
• Phoenix, Arizona, United States
• Taiyuan, Shanxi, China

Japan

• Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture
• Tottori, capital city in Tottori Prefecture

Sister castles

• Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, France
• Conwy Castle (Castell Conwy) in North Wales, since October 2019

Local attractions

• Engyō-ji temple
• Harima Kokubun-ji ruins, National Historic Site
• Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For over 400 years, Himeji Castle has remained intact, even throughout the extensive bombing of Himeji in World War II and natural disasters such as the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake and various typhoons.
• Himeji Central Park (a safari park)
• Himeji City Tegarayama Botanical Garden
• Koko-en Garden
• Mount Seppiko
• Okishio Castle - A castle ruin, Home castle of the Akamatsu clan.

Notable people from Himeji

• Kuroda Kanbei (黒田 官兵衛) (1546–1604), famed strategist under Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• Mikinosuke Kawaishi (川石 酒造之助) (1899–1969), judoka
• Aya Matsuura (松浦 亜弥) (1986-), entertainer
• Psycho le Cému (サイコ・ル・シェイム), visual kei rock band
• Kenzō Takada (高田 賢三) (1939–2020), fashion designer
• Masahisa Takenaka (竹中 正久) (1933–1985), the 4th kumicho of Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza syndicate
• Tetsuro Watsuji (和辻 哲郎) (1889–1960), philosopher and historian