Tsuruoka
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Tsuruoka
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![]() Top:Cherry blossom in Tsuruoka Park, Middle left:Chido hall of Tsuruoka, Middle right:Five story pagoda in Mount Haguro, Bottom left:Atsumi Spa, Bottom right:Ogisai Kurokawa Noh | |
![]() Location of Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture | |
Coordinates: 38°43′38″N 139°49′36″E / 38.72722°N 139.82667°E | |
Country | Japan |
Region | Tōhoku |
Prefecture | Yamagata |
First official recorded | 593 AD |
City Settled | October 1, 1924 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Osamu Minagawa (From October 2017) |
Area | |
• Total | 1,311.53 km2 (506.38 sq mi) |
Population (February 2020) | |
• Total | 125,389 |
• Density | 96/km2 (250/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
Phone number | 0235-25-2111 |
Address | 9-25, Babachō, Tsuruoka-shi, Yamagata-ken 997-8601 |
Climate | Cfa |
Website | Official website |
Symbols | |
Flower | Sakura |
Tree | Japanese beech |
Tsuruoka (
Today's Tsuruoka is the result of the fusion of several neighborhoods around the center of the city such as Atsumi, Asahi, Fujishima, Kushibiki, and Haguro in 1953.[3]
Geography[edit]
Tsuruoka is located on the coast of Yamagata Prefecture bordering the Sea of Japan and has some locally popular beaches such as Yunohama and Sanze. All three of the Three Mountains of Dewa are at least partially within the city limits.
Two main rivers run through Tsuruoka, the Akagawa River (
Neighboring municipalities[edit]
Climate[edit]
Tsuruoka has a Humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Tsuruoka is 12.9 °C (55.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,191.4 mm (86.28 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C (77.5 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.7 °C (35.1 °F).[4] The region is known for its heavy snowfalls during the winter, and people living in Sekigawa and Atsumi's neighborhoods can expect up to 2 meters of snow which after removal creates very particular snow walls standing high along the road. The first snows usually come in late November but the real peak is generally around January. The red leaves appear generally at the end of October and end in mid-November.
Climate data for Tsuruoka (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
30.4 (86.7) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
37.8 (100.0) |
39.9 (103.8) |
38.2 (100.8) |
31.7 (89.1) |
25.2 (77.4) |
19.5 (67.1) |
39.9 (103.8) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.4 (39.9) |
5.1 (41.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
15.7 (60.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.8 (76.6) |
28.2 (82.8) |
29.9 (85.8) |
26.0 (78.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
17.1 (62.9) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
4.9 (40.8) |
10.4 (50.7) |
16.0 (60.8) |
20.1 (68.2) |
23.9 (75.0) |
25.3 (77.5) |
21.3 (70.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
4.2 (39.6) |
12.9 (55.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
1.0 (33.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
20.3 (68.5) |
21.4 (70.5) |
17.3 (63.1) |
11.0 (51.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
1.2 (34.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | −9.6 (14.7) |
−11.6 (11.1) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
2.2 (36.0) |
6.9 (44.4) |
11.5 (52.7) |
13.7 (56.7) |
7.2 (45.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−11.3 (11.7) |
−11.6 (11.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 218.3 (8.59) |
134.8 (5.31) |
130.0 (5.12) |
106.8 (4.20) |
119.9 (4.72) |
124.3 (4.89) |
220.2 (8.67) |
198.9 (7.83) |
184.6 (7.27) |
207.7 (8.18) |
267.0 (10.51) |
278.7 (10.97) |
2,191.4 (86.28) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 25.4 | 20.8 | 18.8 | 13.5 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 13.8 | 12.2 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 20.2 | 24.9 | 202.4 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 24.6 | 44.7 | 109.2 | 171.1 | 199.3 | 177.1 | 155.0 | 198.5 | 150.8 | 121.5 | 77.7 | 35.8 | 1,465.3 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[5][4] |
Climate data for Nezugaseki Pass, Tsuruoka (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.3 (59.5) |
20.4 (68.7) |
24.9 (76.8) |
28.8 (83.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
33.1 (91.6) |
37.6 (99.7) |
40.4 (104.7) |
39.1 (102.4) |
30.6 (87.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
20.7 (69.3) |
40.4 (104.7) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.8 (47.8) |
14.5 (58.1) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.9 (80.4) |
28.9 (84.0) |
25.3 (77.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
13.9 (57.0) |
8.4 (47.1) |
16.7 (62.0) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5.1 (41.2) |
10.0 (50.0) |
15.2 (59.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
5.2 (41.4) |
12.9 (55.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
15.6 (60.1) |
20.3 (68.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
17.6 (63.7) |
11.8 (53.2) |
6.5 (43.7) |
2.2 (36.0) |
9.4 (49.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | −6.3 (20.7) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
1.8 (35.2) |
7.0 (44.6) |
10.7 (51.3) |
12.9 (55.2) |
7.2 (45.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 171.0 (6.73) |
107.5 (4.23) |
118.4 (4.66) |
115.0 (4.53) |
130.4 (5.13) |
137.7 (5.42) |
225.4 (8.87) |
201.3 (7.93) |
187.6 (7.39) |
198.6 (7.82) |
227.7 (8.96) |
217.3 (8.56) |
2,037.9 (80.23) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 24.3 | 19.0 | 17.2 | 13.0 | 11.9 | 10.7 | 13.7 | 11.1 | 13.5 | 15.5 | 19.2 | 23.1 | 192.2 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 31.3 | 52.3 | 108.7 | 161.8 | 194.4 | 182.0 | 157.5 | 194.5 | 147.6 | 126.3 | 79.1 | 37.6 | 1,473.2 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[6][7] |
Demographics[edit]
Per Japanese census data,[8] the population of Tsuruoka has declined in recent decades.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1920 | 126,228 | — |
1930 | 136,332 | +8.0% |
1940 | 142,150 | +4.3% |
1950 | 172,467 | +21.3% |
1960 | 167,810 | −2.7% |
1970 | 153,173 | −8.7% |
1980 | 153,330 | +0.1% |
1990 | 150,840 | −1.6% |
2000 | 147,546 | −2.2% |
2010 | 136,623 | −7.4% |
2020 | 125,347 | −8.3% |
History[edit]
The area of present-day Tsuruoka was part of ancient Dewa Province. In the Edo period, it served as the capital of the Shōnai Domain. It was a minor port for the kitamaebune coastal trade.
After the start of the Meiji period, the area organized as Tsuruoka Town under Nishitagawa District, Yamagata Prefecture in 1878. It was elevated to city status on October 1, 1924, becoming Japan's 100th city. In 1955, the city expanded by annexing the town of Kamo and nine neighboring villages. The town of Oyama was annexed by Tsuruoka in 1963.
On October 1, 2005, the towns of Fujishima, Haguro and Kushibiki, and the village of Asahi (all from Higashitagawa District), and the town of Atsumi (from Nishitagawa District) were merged into Tsuruoka.[9][10]
Government[edit]
Tsuruoka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members. The city contributes five members to the Yamagata Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Yamagata District 3 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy[edit]
Tsuruoka has a mixed economy based on light manufacturing, commercial services, agriculture, and commercial fishing.
Education[edit]
Tsuruoka has 26 public elementary schools and 11public middle schools operated by the city government and six public high schools operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education. There are also two private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.
Colleges and universities[edit]
- Yamagata University, Faculty of Agriculture
- Keio University, Institute for Advanced Biosciences (Tsuruoka Town Campus and Metabolome Campus)
- Tohoku University of Community Service and Science (Tsuruoka Campus)
- Tsuruoka National College of Technology
High schools[edit]
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Junior high schools[edit]
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Elementary schools[edit]
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Health care[edit]
- Tsuruoka Shonai Hospital
- Tsuruoka Kyoritsu Hospital
- Yutagawa Onsen Rehabilitation Medical Center
Transportation[edit]
Airports[edit]
Railway[edit]
East Japan Railway Company - Uetsu Main Line
- Nezugaseki - Koiwagawa - Atsumi Onsen - Iragawa - Kobato - Sanze - Uzen-Mizusawa - Uzen-Ōyama - Tsuruoka - Fujishima
Highway[edit]
Yamagata Expressway: Yudonosan, Shōnai Asahi, Tsuruoka interchanges
Nihonkai-Tōhoku Expressway
National Route 7
National Route 112
National Route 345
Media[edit]
TV[edit]
- NHK Tsuruoka Broadcast Station
Newspapers[edit]
- Shonai Nippo
Culture[edit]
The Mountain Spirit[edit]
Tsuruoka is mostly known for its "Three Mountains of Dewa", which refers to Mt. Haguro, the smallest mount that culminates at only 436m high; Mt. Gassan, the highest mount at 1984m; and Mt. Yudono, at 1500m.
Yamabushi and Shugendô[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Yamabushi_outfit.jpg/254px-Yamabushi_outfit.jpg)
Those three mounts are considered as the core of Shugendô's practice. Shugendô
The pilgrimage of all the three mounts is done in that sense. The three mounts symbolically represent death and rebirth. By going down and up the 2466 stone stairs of the mount Haguro, people can experiment a "symbolic death" and "rebirth", after which they can access to the world of the dead represented by Mt. Gassan and its foggy landscapes, and then go purify their body and their soul in Mt. Yudono's natural hotsprings.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Shojin_ryori.png/270px-Shojin_ryori.png)
Shôjin ryôri
National Treasures[edit]
Mt. Haguro hosts The Five-Storied Pagoda (gojûnotô
Culinary culture[edit]
Heritage and creativity[edit]
In 2014, Tsuruoka has been registered as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Its more than 50 species of "ancestral food" (zairai sakumotsu
The city is also known for its large variety of soups (it is said the harsh cold during the winter is the reason why there are so many types of hot soups in Tsuruoka),[13] apart from kandarajiru, there is takenokojiru タケノコ
Peas[edit]
Tsuruoka is known for dadacha-mame (だだちゃ
Dadachamame are used in any kind of meal: sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, sour, just boiled, crushed, grilled, and in sauces.
Dadakko (だだっ
Seafood[edit]
Tsuruoka and the whole region of Shônai benefit from a large variety of fishes and sea food coming from the Sea of Japan. Among all the local sea foods you can find in Tsuruoka, there are: Cherry salmon, Japanese seabream, blue crab, littlemouth flounder, flatfish, black rockfish, tonguefish, flying squid, oyster, sea robin, sandfish, Japanese codfish, and others. The huge variety of fresh local fishes and seafood in Tsuruoka had contributed to the local sushi shops' good reputation, but it has also helped constitute a very particular kind of "family gastronomy", where fishes hold a very important place.[15]
Rice[edit]
The rice cultivated in Tsuruoka and more generally in Shonai region has been recognized for its strong umami taste. In 2010, searchers from Keiô University's Institute for Advanced Biosciences
Arts and crafts[edit]
The city is literally surrounded by plains, forests and mountains. Thus, wood and grass were largely used in all kinds of crafts. As for architecture, thatch-roofed houses (kayabukiyane かやぶき
Concerning clothing, shinaori しな
Local attractions[edit]
- Yamabushi Training at Ideha Culture Museum (いでは
文化 記念 館 , "Ideha Bunka Kinenkan") - Mt. Haguro
- Zenpō Temple (
善 宝 寺 , - Where, in 1990, a carp fish with a human-like face was seen in a pond on the temple grounds.[18]) - Chido Museum (
到 道 博物館 ,“Chido Hakubutsukan”) - Shōnai Shrine
- Yutagawa Hot Spring
- Yunohama Hot Spring
- Atsumi Hot Spring
- Dewa-no-Yuki Shuzō Museum
- Tsuruoka Art Forum
- Dewa Shōnai Kokusai Mura International Forum and the Amazon Folk Museum
- Gassan Asahi Museum
- Tsuruoka Kamo Aquarium (
加茂 水族館 , “Kamo-Suizokukan”.This is registered in Guinness for the number of jellyfish exhibits.)
Local events[edit]
- Saitansai (New Year Ceremony) in Mt. Haguro Shrine - January 1
- Ogisai Kurokawa Noh (Noh Festival) in Kushibiki - February 1 to 2
- Oyama Sake Festival - Middle of February
- Mt. Yudono Ski Festival in Mt. Yudono - From middle to late February
- Tsuruoka Hinamatsuri in Shonai Temple and Chido Museum - March
- Tsuruoka Sakura Festival in Tsuruoka Park - From middle to late April
- Tulip Festival in Ikoi Village Shonai - From late April to Early May
- Amazon Kid Festival in Gassan Asahi Village - May 3 to 5
- Ceremony for Women and Children in Mt. Haguro Shrine - May 5
- Kinen-sai (Prayer service for a good crop) in Mt. Haguro Shrine - May 8
- International Nordic Walk in Yunohama - Middle of May
- Tenjin Festival - May 25
- Oyama Dog Festival - June 5
- Yutagawa Hot Spring Hotaru Matsuri (Firefly Festival) - June 15 to August 10
- Flower Festival in Mt. Haguro - July 15
- Gassan Shrine Festival in Mt. Gassan - July 15
- International Bungee jumping in Gassan Asahi Village - Middle of July
- Edamame Shop Open in Shirayama - Late July to Late August
- Akagawa Fireworks Festival - Middle of August
- Oku no Hosomichi National Haiku Competition at Ideha Bunka Kinenkan - Middle of September
- Experience:Yamabushi Training at Ideha Bunka Kinenkan - Middle of September
- Miss Shonai Contest - Late October
- Shonai Hyakuman-goku Festival - Early November
- Shôreisai
松 例祭 - Last day of December. Through different rites involving trees and fires, Yamabushi pray for a good rice harvest and the good health of the crops.
International relations[edit]
Twin towns – Sister cities[edit]
Tsuruoka is twinned with:
Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan[19]
– Kikonai, Hokkaido, since April 27, 1989
– New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA, since June 10, 1960
- La Foa, New Caledonia[20]
- Shangzhi, Heilongjiang, China [20]
Notable people from Tsuruoka[edit]
- Koichi Kato (LDP), politician
- Kashiwado Tsuyoshi, sumo wrestler
- Takashi Ishikawa, sumo wrestler
- Rentaro Kita, musician
- Kanji Ishiwara, general in the Imperial Japanese Army
- Satō Tetsutarō, admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy
- Tomegoro Yoshizumi, spy and defector to Indonesia
- Shuhei Fujisawa, writer
- Ishirō Honda, movie director
- Shin Togashi, movie director
- Saiichi Maruya, writer and literary critic
- Ryo Chonan, mixed martial artist
- Shōichi Watanabe, English scholar
- Yuya Hasegawa, professional baseball player
References[edit]
- ^ Tsuruoka City official statistics (in Japanese)
- ^ "
山形 県 鶴岡 市 はこんなところ | ぐるたび". gurutabi.gnavi.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-11-13. - ^ City, Tsuruoka.
鶴岡 市 の沿革 鶴岡 市 . www.city.tsuruoka.lg.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-11-13. - ^ a b
気象庁 /平年 値 (年 ・月 ごとの値 ). JMA. Retrieved March 25, 2022. - ^
観測 史上 1~10位 の値 (年間 を通 じての値 ). JMA. Retrieved March 25, 2022. - ^
観測 史上 1~10位 の値 (年間 を通 じての値 ). JMA. Retrieved March 25, 2022. - ^
気象庁 /平年 値 (年 ・月 ごとの値 ). JMA. Retrieved March 25, 2022. - ^ Tsuruoka population statistics
- ^
住民 基本 台帳 人口 移動 報告 年報 [Annual Report on Population Movement in the Basic Resident Register] (in Japanese).総務庁 統計 局 . 2005. p. 136. - ^
名寄 市役所 . "北海道 名寄 市 |姉妹 都市 「山形 県 鶴岡 市 」との交流 事業 ".北海道 名寄 市 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-07.平成 17年 10月 1日 に、鶴岡 市 ・羽黒 町 ・櫛引 町 ・朝日 村 ・温海 町 と藤島 町 が合併 し、新 「鶴岡 市 」となりました。 - ^ Tsuruoka UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. pp. 69–70.
- ^ Tsuruoka Creative city of Gastronomy. p. 55.
- ^ Tsuruoka Creative city of Gastronomy. p. 59.
- ^ Yamagata foods: Dadacha-mame
- ^ Tsuruoka UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. p. 70.
- ^ "
朝日新聞 10/19 「つや姫 のうまさ、秘密 は「バランス」慶応大 など研究 」". - ^ "「メタボローム
解析 」が拓 く未来 の健診 ――わずかな唾液 や血液 、尿 の検査 で、すい臓 がんからうつ病 まで一挙 に早期 発見 する". - ^ Metropolis, "Fortean Japan", 27 June 2008, p. 12.
- ^
姉妹 ・友好 ・兄弟 都市 [Twin cities]. Kagoshima International Affairs Division (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-08-08. - ^ a b "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official Website (in Japanese)
- Official tourism website (in Japanese)
- Official English website