Koshigaya (越谷市, Koshigaya-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2021, the city had an estimated population of 345,353 in 158,022 households and a population density of 5700 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 60.24 square kilometres (23.26 sq mi). It is famous for producing daruma dolls.

Koshigaya
越谷市
Koshigaya City Hall
Koshigaya City Hall
Flag of Koshigaya
Official seal of Koshigaya
Location of Koshigaya in Saitama Prefecture
Location of Koshigaya in Saitama Prefecture
Koshigaya is located in Japan
Koshigaya
Koshigaya
Coordinates: 35°53′28.1″N 139°47′27.3″E / 35.891139°N 139.790917°E / 35.891139; 139.790917
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureSaitama
Government
 • MayorTsutomu Takahashi
Area
 • Total60.24 km2 (23.26 sq mi)
Population
 (February 2021)
 • Total345,353
 • Density5,700/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number048-982-5111
Address4-2-1 Koshigaya, Koshigaya-shi, Saitama-ken 343-8501
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdEurasian collared dove
FlowerChrysanthemum
TreeZelkova serrata
View of Aeon LakeTown shopping mall

Geography

edit

Koshigaya is situated in eastern Saitama Prefecture, in the alluvial plain of the Nakagawa basin between the Omiya plateau and the Shimosa plateau. Most of the city area is flat with an average elevation of only five meters above sea level. Many rivers, including the Motoara River, Naka River, Ayase River, Furutone River, and Sakagawa River flow in the city. Koshigaya, which is about 25 kilometers north of Tokyo and developed as a transportation for water and land transportation from premodern times.

Surrounding municipalities

edit

Climate

edit

Koshigaya has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Koshigaya is 14.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1408 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.[2]

Climate data for Koshigaya (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.9
(66.0)
24.3
(75.7)
27.7
(81.9)
30.3
(86.5)
35.1
(95.2)
35.8
(96.4)
40.2
(104.4)
40.4
(104.7)
37.9
(100.2)
33.6
(92.5)
26.1
(79.0)
25.9
(78.6)
40.4
(104.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.6
(49.3)
10.6
(51.1)
14.1
(57.4)
19.6
(67.3)
24.1
(75.4)
26.7
(80.1)
30.7
(87.3)
32.1
(89.8)
27.9
(82.2)
22.1
(71.8)
16.6
(61.9)
11.8
(53.2)
20.5
(68.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.2
(39.6)
5.2
(41.4)
8.7
(47.7)
13.9
(57.0)
18.7
(65.7)
22.0
(71.6)
25.9
(78.6)
27.1
(80.8)
23.3
(73.9)
17.5
(63.5)
11.6
(52.9)
6.5
(43.7)
15.4
(59.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.5
(31.1)
0.4
(32.7)
3.6
(38.5)
8.7
(47.7)
14.0
(57.2)
18.2
(64.8)
22.2
(72.0)
23.4
(74.1)
19.7
(67.5)
13.7
(56.7)
7.3
(45.1)
1.8
(35.2)
11.0
(51.8)
Record low °C (°F) −7.5
(18.5)
−7.1
(19.2)
−4.9
(23.2)
−1.4
(29.5)
4.7
(40.5)
10.6
(51.1)
14.1
(57.4)
15.4
(59.7)
10.2
(50.4)
4.2
(39.6)
−1.8
(28.8)
−5.3
(22.5)
−7.5
(18.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 50.2
(1.98)
47.5
(1.87)
94.5
(3.72)
109.8
(4.32)
124.4
(4.90)
144.0
(5.67)
138.0
(5.43)
134.3
(5.29)
197.0
(7.76)
203.4
(8.01)
78.6
(3.09)
50.3
(1.98)
1,366.9
(53.81)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 4.4 5.0 9.2 9.9 10.2 12.0 11.0 8.6 11.0 10.1 7.3 5.2 103.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 199.6 181.7 185.3 184.0 182.5 128.9 153.4 180.1 134.7 135.5 153.7 174.5 1,993.9
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4]

Demographics

edit

Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Koshigaya has increased rapidly from the 1960s.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1960 49,585—    
1970 139,368+181.1%
1980 223,241+60.2%
1990 285,259+27.8%
2000 308,307+8.1%
2010 326,313+5.8%
2020 341,621+4.7%

History

edit

The area around Koshigaya was an inlet of the sea in the Jōmon period and was settle during the Yayoi or early Kofun period. In the Nara period, it was a border area straddling Musashi and Shimōsa Provinces. Koshigaya-shuku prospered during the Edo period as a post station on the Nikkō Kaidō and the Ōshū Kaidō highways, and the town served as the temporary residence of the Tokugawa shōgun after the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki which destroyed Edo Castle. The town also had a riverine connection with Edo and served as a transportation and transshipment center.

Municipal timeline

edit
  • The town of Koshigaya (then spelled 越ヶ谷) was created within Minamisaitama District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.
  • It annexed the neighboring villages of Ozawa, Niikata, Sakurai, Obukuro, Ogishima, Dewa, Gamo, Osagami, and Masubayashi on November 3, 1954 and changed the spelling of its name to its present form.
  • Koshigaya annexed the neighboring village of Soka on November 3, 1955.
  • Koshigaya was elevated to city status on November 3, 1958.

Koshigaya was elevated further to special city status on April 1, 2003 and to core city status on April 1, 2015.

Government

edit

Koshigaya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 32 members. Koshigaya contributes four members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

edit

Koshigaya is a major regional commercial center with a diversified industrial base.

Education

edit
  • Bunkyo University
  • Saitama Prefectural University
  • Saitama Toho Junior College
  • Koshigaya has 30 public elementary schools and 15 public middle schools operated by the city government, and six public high schools operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are one private middle school and two private high schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

Transportation

edit

Railway

edit

  JR EastMusashino Line

  Tōbu Railway - Tōbu Isesaki Line

Highway

edit

Sister cities

edit

Local attractions

edit

In fiction

edit

The actual scenery of Koshigaya is set in the anime and manga series, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. albeit with the name of "Oborozuka".

Notable people

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Koshigaya city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ Koshigaya climate data
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  4. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Koshigaya population statistics
  6. ^ "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 4 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
edit