Kure, Hiroshima

Template:Redirect Template:Infobox settlement

Template:Nihongo is a city in the Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Template:As of, the city had an estimated population of 208,024 in 106,616 households and a population density of 590 persons per km².<ref name="Kure-hp">Template:Cite web</ref> The total area of the city is Template:Convert. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force.

History

The area of Kure is part of ancient Aki Province, and the port of Kure was an important seaport for Hiroshima Domain in the Edo period.

The Kure Naval District was first established in 1889, leading to the construction of the Kure Naval Arsenal and the rapid growth of steel production and shipbuilding in the city. Kure was formally incorporated on October 1, 1902. From 1889 until the end of the Pacific War, the city served as the headquarters of the Kure Naval District.

Kure dockyards recorded a number of significant engineering firsts including the launching of the first major domestically built capital ship, the battlecruiser Template:Ship (1905)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the launching of the largest battleship ever built, the Template:Ship (1940).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

During the Pacific War, Kure acted as the Imperial Japanese Navy's single-largest naval base and arsenal. Most of the city's industry and workforce were employed in the service of the naval installations, munitions factories and associated support functions. In the later stages of the conflict Kure came under sustained aerial bombardment culminating in the bombing of Kure in June and July 1945.

From February 1946 until the end of Japan's postwar occupation in 1952, military establishments in Kure served as the operational headquarters for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.

Since 2005, Kure has attracted attention as a tourism center with the Yamato Museum hosting a 1:10 scale model of the Yamato alongside a waterfront JMSDF museum of Japanese naval history.

The city continues as a major maritime center hosting both the dockyards of Japan Marine United and numerous shore-based facilities of the JMSDF including training centers and a major hospital. The city serves as the home port of an Escort Flotilla (Destroyers), a Submarine Flotilla and the Training Squadron of the JMSDF Regional Kure District.

Historic timeline

July 1, 1889 — Kure Naval District established.
1895 — Kure naval shipyard established, initially as a subsidiary of the Onohama Shipyards in Kobe.
October 1, 1902 — The towns of Washō and Futagawa and the villages of Miyahara and Sōyamada merge to form the city of Kure.
November 10, 1903 — Kure Naval Arsenal established.
December 27, 1903 Kure rail line opens providing direct rail access to Hiroshima
April 1, 1928 — The towns of Kegoya, Yoshiura, and Aga merge into Kure.
April 21, 1941 — The town of Nigata and the village of Hiro incorporated into Kure.
March 19, 1945 — US Navy aircraft attack Japanese warships at Kure
May 5, 1945 — Bombing of Hiro Naval Arsenal.
June 22, 1945 — Bombing of Kure Naval Arsenal.
July 1, 1945 — Kure Air Raid.
July 24–28, 1945 — Battle of Kure, American bombers attack the remaining fleet in Kure Naval Base.
July 1, 1954 — Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces founded.
October 1, 1956 — The town of Tennō and the village of Shōwa in Aki District, and the village of Gōhara in Kamo District merge into Kure.
November 1, 2000 — Kure becomes a Special City
April 1, 2003 — The town of Shimokamagari (from Aki District) was merged into Kure.
April 1, 2004 —The town of Kawajiri (from Toyota District) was merged into Kure.
March 20, 2005 — The towns of Ondo, Kurahashi and Kamagari (all from Aki District), and the towns of Yasuura, Toyohama and Yutaka (all from Toyota District) were merged into Kure.
April 1, 2016 — Kure officially became a Core city with increased local autonomy

Government

Kure has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 31 members. Kure contributes five members to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Hiroshima 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

List of mayors of Kure (from 1903 to present)

#	Name	Term start	Term end	Japanese name
1	Giichiro Sakuma	Template:Center	Template:Center	佐久間義一郎
2-3	Kingo Arao	Template:Center	Template:Center	荒尾金吾
4-5	Toshio Sawahara	Template:Center	Template:Center	沢原俊雄
6	Kentaro Amano	Template:Center	Template:Center	天野健太郎
7	Kahei Shundo	Template:Center	Template:Center	春藤嘉平
8	Masaharu Hashimoto	Template:Center	Template:Center	橋本正治
9	Toichi Katsuta	Template:Center	Template:Center	勝田登一
10	Hideo Sasaki	Template:Center	Template:Center	佐々木英雄
11	Atsumu Watanabe	Template:Center	Template:Center	渡辺伍
12	Katsutaro Matsumoto	Template:Center	Template:Center	松本勝太郎
12-13, 15	Jinjiro Mizuno	4 May 1937 14 January 1946	13 December 1941 15 November 1946	水野甚次郎
14	Noboru Suzuki	Template:Center	Template:Center	鈴木登
17-18	Jyutsu Suzuki	Template:Center	Template:Center	鈴木術
19-20	Kenichi Matsumoto	Template:Center	Template:Center	松本賢一
21-24	Yoshito Okuhara	Template:Center	Template:Center	奥原義人
25-28	Ari Sasaki	Template:Center	Template:Center	佐々木有
29-31	Shinya Ogasawara	Template:Center	Template:Center	小笠原臣也
32-34	Kazutoshi Komura	Template:Center	Template:Center	小村和年
35	Yoshiake Shinhara	Template:Center	Template:Center	新原芳明

Geography

Kure is located Template:Convert south-east of Hiroshima city and faces the Seto Inland Sea. Surrounded by steep hillsides to the north, the two major commercial and industrial centers of the city are bisected by Mount Yasumi Template:Convert. The city is next to the Setonaikai National Park. As well as densely populated urban and industrial centers, the city also incorporates sparsely inhabited outlying islands such as Kurahashi-jima, Shimo-kamagari, Kami-kamagari and Toyoshima.

Adjoining municipalities

Hiroshima Prefecture

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kure has been declining for the past 40 years.

Template:Historical populations

Climate

Kure has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year and is heaviest in summer.

Template:Weather box

Economy

Disco Corporation has three manufacturing plants in Kure<ref>"Location list – Japan." Disco Corporation. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.</ref>
Japan Marine United, formerly IHI Marine United, has a shipyard in the city<ref>"Locations Template:Webarchive." Japan Marine United. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.</ref>
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
Mitutoyo<ref>"Domestic Network Base list – Manufacturing." Mitutoyo. Retrieved on September 23, 2017.</ref>
Nisshin Steel
Oji Paper Company
Sailor Pen Company
Yodogawa Steel Works

Education

Colleges and Universities

Goko Academy
Japan Coast Guard Academy
Kure Kyosai Hospital Nursing College
Kure University
National Institute of Technology, Kure College

Primary and secondary education

Kure has 37 public elementary schools, 25 public junior high schools and one public high school operated by the city government, and seven public high school operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private middle school and three price high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the disabled.

Transportation

Railway

JR West (JR West) - Kure Line

Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN - Template:STN

Highways

Sister cities

Template:As of, Kure has sister city agreements with the following cities.<ref name="sistercity">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sister cities

Template:Flagdeco Bremerton, Washington, United States (since August 1970)
Template:Flagdeco Marbella, Andalusia, Spain (since December 1990)
Template:Flagdeco Jinhae-gu, Changwon, South Gyeongsang, South Korea (since October 1999)
Template:Flagdeco Keelung, Taiwan (since April 2017)

Friendship cities

Template:Flagdeco Template:Flagdeco Daisen, Tottori (since September 1995)

Friendship ports

Template:Flagdeco Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China (since May 2001)

Local attractions

Museums

Irifuneyama Memorial Museum
JMSDF Kure Museum (Displaying Yūshio-class submarine Akishio), nicknamed Iron Whale Museum
Kurahashi-cho Nagato Museum of Shipbuilding History
Kure Municipal Museum of Art and Museum Avenue
Rantokaku Art Museum
Sannose Gohonjin Art and Culture
Yamato Museum

Shrines

Kameyama Shrine

Historical places

Former Kure-chinjufu
Former House of Prince Takamatsu
House of Kimiyo Fujii
Takechimaru anti-invasion cement ships

Parks and gardens

Allay Karasu Kojima Park
Kure Port-pia Park
Nagasako Park
Nikokyo Park
Ondono-seto and Park
Setonaikai National Park
Rekishi-no-mieru-Oka and Park

Mountains

Haiga-mine
Honjo Suigenchi
Mount Noro
Mount Yasumi
Nikyu-kyo

Beaches

Kajigahama Beach
Romantic Beach Karuga

Festivals

Kure Port Festival
Kure Fireworks above the Sea (late July or early August)
Kameyama Shrine Festival (2nd Sunday in October, and the day before)

Notable people from Kure

Template:Unreferenced section

Musicians

Authors

Sports

Politicians

Rob Lucas

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Commons category

Template:Hiroshima Template:Metropolitan cities of Japan Template:Most populous cities in Japan Template:Authority control

Kure, Hiroshima

Contents