Coordinates: 35°39′43.7″N 138°34′5.6″E

Kōfu

Kōfu ( 甲 府 市 Kōfu-shi, Japanese: ɸɯ]) is the capital city of Y amanashi [ko̞ː Kōfu Prefecture, . 甲府市 As of November 1, 2015, the city had an estimated population of 193,127 , and a Special city population density of 909 persons per km2 . The total area is 212.41 square kilometres (82.01 sq mi). Kōfu's name means "capital of ". During the Sengoku period, it was famous as the stronghold of .

Contents History Geography Surrounding municipalities Climate Education Colleges and universities Primary and secondary education Transportation Railway Highway

Media View from Sakaorimiya Local attractions Kai-Zenko-ji, Kakueno in autumn Notable people from Kofu Moats of Kofu Castle, Takeda Shingen festival Sport Night view of Kofu, Kofu motsu-ni stew Kose Sports Stadium Sister cities References External links

Flag Seal History

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of human settlement in the Kōfu area dating to the Japanese Paleolithic period, with continuous settlement through the Jōmon, Y ayoi and Kofun periods. During the , the provincial temple of Kai Province was established in what is now Kōfu, indicating that the Nara period provincial capital was located nearby, as the name of the city implies. During the , a branch of the Minamoto clan, the “Kai-Genji” ruled over vast shōen estates, and developed a military force noted for its use of cavalry. By the Muromachi period, a branch of the Kai-Genji, the came to dominate the area, and built a castle in what is now part of Kōfu.

Under the rule of Takeda Nobutora, Kōfu was rebuilt as a castle town starting in 1519, and remained the capital of the Takeda clan under Takeda Shingen and his son . During the , Kai Province was tenryō territory Location of Kōfu in ruled directly by the , and Kōfu Castle remained its administrative center. Following the restoration, with the establishment of the municipalities system, the town of Kōfu was proclaimed on July 1, 1889.

During World War II, much of the city was destroyed by United States Army Air Forces B-29 Superfortress bombers during a major air raid during the night of 6 July 1945.[1] Kōfu Kōfu is designated as one of the special . On March 1, 2006, Kōfu, with a population of 193,7 95, absorbed the town of Nakamichi (from Higashiyatsushiro District), and the northern part of the village of Kamikuishiki (from Nishiyatsushiro District) increasing the population to 201,184. Location of Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture Geography Coordinates: 35°39′43.7″N 138°34′5.6″E Country Japan Kōfu is located in north-central Region Chūbu (Tōkai) Y amanashi Prefecture, extending Prefecture Yamanashi Prefecture from the northern border of the Government prefecture with Nagano Prefecture, • Mayor Yūichi Higuchi (since February south until it almost reaches the 2015) southern border of the prefecture. It Area is narrow along its east-west axis. The • Total 212.47 km2 (82.04 sq mi) city bisects the Kofu Basin, and is at an 1907 Kofu Flood Population (November 2015) elevation of between 250 and 300 • Total 193,127 meters, surrounded by mountains on • Density 909/km2 (2,350/sq mi) all sides. Much of the northern portion Time zone (UTC+9) of the city is within the borders of the - Tree Quercus Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park - Flower Dianthus - Bird Common kingfisher Surrounding municipalities Phone number 055-237-1161 Address 2-17-1 Aioi, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi- Yamanashi Prefecture ken400-8585 Kai Kōfu Website http://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/ Yamanashi (http://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.j p/) Hokuto Chūō Shōwa Minobu Nagano Prefecture Kawakami

Climate Kōfu City Hall

Kōfu has a humid subtropical climate (Cwa), though it is less wet than either the south or Sea of Japan coast due to its location in a shielded mountain valley. Temperature ranges are noticeably greater than in coastal regions: in 2004 Kōfu reached a temperature of 40 °C (104 °F) previously almost unknown in Japan, and it has fallen below 0 °C (32 °F) as early as 26 October,[2] which is about a month before the earliest freezing temperatures in such coastal cities as Kanazawa or Tokyo. Climate data for Kōfu, Yamanashi (1981～2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high 20.2 25.4 28.8 33.1 34.5 38.1 40.4 40.7 38.0 33.8 29.6 24.9 40.7 °C (°F) (68.4) (77.7) (83.8) (91.6) (94.1) (100.6) (104.7) (105.3) (100.4) (92.8) (85.3) (76.8) (105.3) Average high 8.8 10.3 14.2 20.4 24.6 27.3 30.9 32.5 28.0 21.9 16.4 11.2 20.5 °C (°F) (47.8) (50.5) (57.6) (68.7) (76.3) (81.1) (87.6) (90.5) (82.4) (71.4) (61.5) (52.2) (68.9) Daily mean 2.8 4.3 8.0 13.8 18.3 21.9 25.5 26.6 22.8 16.5 10.4 5.0 14.7 °C (°F) (37) (39.7) (46.4) (56.8) (64.9) (71.4) (77.9) (79.9) (73) (61.7) (50.7) (41) (58.5) Average low −2.4 −1 2.7 8.3 13.3 17.9 21.8 22.8 19.1 12.3 5.5 −0.2 10.0 °C (°F) (27.7) (30) (36.9) (46.9) (55.9) (64.2) (71.2) (73) (66.4) (54.1) (41.9) (31.6) (50) Record low −19.5 −17.2 −11.4 −4.6 −0.6 5.4 12.6 13.2 6.0 −1.8 −6 −11.7 −19.5 °C (°F) (−3.1) (1) (11.5) (23.7) (30.9) (41.7) (54.7) (55.8) (42.8) (28.8) (21) (10.9) (−3.1) Average 40.2 46.1 87.9 77.7 86.3 122.5 132.6 149.5 180.3 125.2 54.9 32.1 1,135.3 precipitation (1.583) (1.815) (3.461) (3.059) (3.398) (4.823) (5.22) (5.886) (7.098) (4.929) (2.161) (1.264) (44.697) mm (inches) Average 13 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 28 snowfall cm (5.1) (3.9) (1.6) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0) (0.4) (11) (inches) Average precipitation 4.9 5.7 9.8 8.9 9.7 12.1 12.5 10.1 11.2 9.4 6.3 4.2 104.8 days (≥ 0.5 mm) Average 4.5 3.1 0.9 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 9.2 snowy days Average relative 57 54 56 58 64 71 73 71 72 71 68 61 65 humidity (%) Mean monthly 204.8 189.9 198.7 202.0 196.3 148.9 164.1 197.3 142.2 160.9 176.6 201.3 2,183 sunshine hours

Source #1: Japan Meteorological Agency[3]

Source #2: Japan Meteorological Agency (records)[4]

Education

Colleges and universities

University of Yamanashi Yamanashi Prefectural University Yamanashi Gakuin University Yamanashi Eiwa College Yamanashi Gakuin Junior College

Primary and secondary education

Kōfu has 25 public and two private elementary schools, eleven public, three private middle schools and one combined national elementary/middle school, and eight public and five private high schools.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company – Chūō Main Line Kōfu - Ryūō Central Japan Railway Company - Kokubo - Kai-Sumiyoshi - Minami-Kōfu - Zenkōji - Kanente - Kōfu Highway

Chūō Expressway National Route 20 National Route 52 National Route 140 National Route 137 National Route 358 National Route 411

Media

Yamanashi Broadcasting System UHF Television Yamanashi

Local attractions

Kai-Zenkō-ji temple Maizuru Castle Park Yōgaiyama Castle Yumura Spa Yamanashi Science Museum Shōsen Kyō (Valley)

Notable people from Kofu

Banjō Ginga – voice actor Hideo Hagiwara – woodblock print artist Tsuneo Horiuchi – former manager of Yomiuri Giants baseball team Takao Kajimoto – former professional baseball player and sports announcer Junichi Kanemaru - voice actor Yoshinobu Kanemaru – professional wrestler Hidetoshi Nakata - football player who last played with the Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League, but has since retired following the 2006 World Cup. Naoko Takeuchi – manga artist, creator of Sailor Moon and other comics. Fujizakura Yoshimori – former sumo wrestler

Sport

A J-League football team, Ventforet Kofu is based in Kōfu. They currently play in the J. League Division 1, and their home ground is the Kose Sports Stadium. Yamanashi Iida Baseball Stadium

Sister cities

Des Moines, Iowa, USA,[5] since August 16, 1958 Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France,[6] since August 18, 1975 Lodi, California, USA, since April 11, 1981[7] Chengdu, China,[6] since September 27, 1984 Yamatokoriyama, Nara, Japan, since January 22, 1992 Cheongju, South Korea,[6] since September 26, 2002

References

1. Ijiri, Toshiyuki (1991). Paul Rusch. Cincinnati, Ohio: Forward Movement Publications. p. 167. 2. http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php? prec_no=19&prec_ch=%8B%FA%98H%8Ex%92%A1&block_no=47638&block_ch=%8B%FA%98H&year=&month=10&day=&view= 観測史上1～10位の値 （10月としての値） 3. "平年値（年・月ごとの値）" (http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=49&prec_ch=%8ER%97%9C%8C%A7&block_no= 47638&block_ch=%8Db%95%7B&year=&month=&day=&elm=normal&view=). Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-11-26. 4. "観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）" (http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=19&prec_ch=%8B%FA%98H%8Ex% 92%A1&block_no=47638&block_ch=%8B%FA%98H&year=&month=&day=&elm=rank&view=). Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 2011-11-26. 5. "US-Japan Sister Cities by State" (http://www.asiamattersforamerica.org/japan/data/sister-cities-state). Asia Matters for America. Honolulu, HI: East-West Center. Retrieved 20 November 2015. 6. "International Exchange" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160205180944/http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=19&n=Yamanashi%20P refecture). List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original (http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=19&n=Yamanashi%20Prefecture) on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015. 7. "Consolidation of Local Governments in Japan and Effects on Sister City Relationships (http://www.cgjsf.org/pdf/Local_Government.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20071019123532/http://www.cgjsf.org/pdf/Local_Government.pdf) 2007-10-19 at the Wayback Machine.," Consulate General of Japan, San Francisco

External links

Official Website (http://www.city.kofu.yamanashi.jp/) (in Japanese)

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