Mihara, Hiroshima

Mihara (三原市) is a city located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 88,591 in 43253 households and a population density of 190 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 258.14 sqkm.

Geography
Mihara is located in south-central Hiroshima Prefecture. It faces the Seto Inland Sea to the south, and part of the coastline forms part of the Setonaikai National Park. The origin of the name of "Mihara" is from the alluvial fans of Yubara, Komagahara, and Konishihara Rivers. The Numata River, a second-class river that originates from the Kamo plateau of Higashihiroshima City, flows through the center of the city, and the central urban area flourishes at its mouth. Most of the current central city area is reclaimed land, and steep mountains approach the coastline, while the northern part is a highland area with an elevation of 400 meters or more at the southern tip of Kibi Plateau, and the western part is mostly hilly.

Adjoining municipalities
Hiroshima Prefecture
 * Onomichi
 * Takehara
 * Higashihiroshima
 * Sera

Climate
Mihara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average annual temperature in Mihara is 14.2 C. The average annual rainfall is 1374.6 mm with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.9 C, and lowest in January, at around 2.9 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Mihara was 36.3 C on 24 July 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -9.4 C on 16 January 2011.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Mihara in 2020 is 90,573 people. Mihara has been conducting censuses since 1960.

History
The Mihara area is part of ancient Aki Province and has been settled since prehistoric times. The area has many burial mounds from the Kofun period. During the Sengoku Period, Mihara developed as a jōkamachi around Mihara Castle, the stronghold of Kobayakawa Takakage from 1582. Following the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, Fukushima Masanori was granted Aki Province, which he ruled from Hiroshima Castle; Mihara Castle has retained as a branch castle. In 1619, his holdings were divided between Fukuyama Domain and Hiroshima Domain, with Mihara becoming part of the holdings of the Asano clan of Hiroshima. Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Mihara was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Mihara merged with the town of Itozaki and several neighboring villages to become the city of Mihara on November 15, 1936.

On March 22, 2005, the town of Daiwa (from Kamo District), the town of Kui (from Mitsugi District), and the town of Hongō (from Toyota District) were merged into Mihara.

Government
Mihara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 25 members. Mihara, collectively with the town of Sera, contributes three members to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Hiroshima 4th district, Hiroshima 5th district, and Hiroshima 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy
Mihara is a key point of transportation in Hiroshima Prefecture, with major transportation infrastructure, such as the Sanyo Shinkansen, Sanyo Main Line, Mihara Port, Hiroshima Airport, and Sanyo Expressway. The city is a center for heavy industry, with metallurgical and chemical-related companies in the coastal areas, and electronic equipment-related companies in the inland industrial parks. In terms of agriculture, citrus fruits are grown in coastal areas, and paddy rice and fruit trees are cultivated in mountainous areas.

Education
Mihara has 20 public elementary schools, and ten public junior high schools operated by the city government, and three public high schools operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the disabled. There is also one national elementary school, one national junior high schools. two private junior high schools and two private high schools.

The Prefectural University of Hiroshima has a campus in Mihara.

Airports

 * Hiroshima Airport

Railway
JR West – San'yō Shinkansen JR West (JR West) - San'yō Main Line JR West (JR West) - Kure Line
 * Mihara
 * Itozaki - Mihara - Hongō
 * Mihara - Sunami - Akisaizaki

Highways

 * JP Expressway E2.svg San'yō Expressway

Ports

 * Mihara Port
 * Onomichi-itozaki Port
 * Sagi Port
 * Sunami Port

Sister city relations

 * 🇯🇵 – Yugawara, Kanagawa, Japan
 * 🇳🇿 – Palmerston North, New Zealand

Castles

 * Mihara Castle, National Historic Site
 * Niitakayama Castle - A castle ruin, one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles.
 * Takayama Castle

Temples

 * Daizen-ji
 * Buttsū-ji – Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12

Shrines

 * Mitsugi-hachimangu

Festivals

 * Mihara Yassa Matsuri
 * Mihara Shinmeiichi Festival
 * Satsuki Matsuri

Historical

 * Kobayakawa Takakage
 * Fukushima Masanori
 * Lady Kasuga
 * Inaba Masanari

Modern

 * Ayako Miyake (三宅綾子), dancer
 * Choji Murata (村田兆治), baseball player
 * Ko Hiura (火浦功), novelist
 * Yoshihisa Ishida (石田義久), shot putter
 * Leyona, singer and songwriter
 * Masatoshi Kawahara, manga artist
 * Ryuji Imada, professional golfer
 * Satoshi Urushihara, manga artist
 * Hisatoshi Shintaku, long-distance runner
 * Toshiko Shirasu-Aihara, former Japanese gymnast and Bronze medalist of 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
 * Keiko Ikeda, former Japanese gymnast and Bronze medalist of 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo

In popular culture
A small island off the coast of Sagishima, called Sukune, was the location of Kaneto Shindo's film The Naked Island released in 1960. Director Shindo and his wife Nobuko Otowa both had their ashes scattered on the island.