Izumo (Japan)

Izumo is a city in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Izumo is known for Izumo soba noodles and the Izumo Taisha Shinto shrine.

Izumo-shi and Hikawa-cho are known as "mythical country Izumo" in the whole country and are Izumooyashiro, Kojindani remains, the history, cultural heritage such as the Nishidani grave group and rich naturally comfortable areas such as the Sea of Japan, Lake Shinji, the Hii River.

In addition, it is a high area of the agriculture production capacity that rich Izumo Hirano brought up by the Hii River and Kandogawa opens and has many fishing ports along the Sea of Japan. The industry is San-in eminent base, and the commercial accumulation advances and is the area where each industry harmonized with. It is a traffic base to be able to take an Izumo matchmaking airport, port of Kawashimo, Sanin Expressway and the function of the ring Sea of Japan interchange on at the same time.

Izumo acts for realization of the high quality living environment while it links each area by the merger of these both municipalities on October 1, 2011 and raises collective strength and promotes the autonomous development, growth as the city and promote town development of the integral development and independence and self-government of the city by administrative cooperation, collaboration with a citizen.

In the city after the merger, advance by the town development that stood in the superior characteristic of both municipalities, the wide viewpoint utilized resources and give quality of the whole area to a key by the construction of the inhabitants participation type system that aimed at the realization of the open municipal administration, fiscal restoration, industrial promotion in every field and wrestle for branding of Izumo "IZUMO" in the true meaning, and, including a city to be able to boast of to the whole country, "children and a youth, all citizens aim at the realization of "Izumo-shi of the five star" that can have a dream and hope".

History

Izumo Taisha is the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan. In 2008, the holy area was open to the public from 1 August until August 17, after which extensive renovation work began. The nearby Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo, also located in Taisha Machi, has artifacts from the site.

In 2009, a team of archaeologists announced that they likely discovered—at the Sunabara Remains in Taki-chō, Izumo City—the oldest stone tools ever found in Japan. The find totaled about 20 tools dating back an estimated 120,000 years: about 80,000 years earlier than previous estimates of when the first humans arrived in the Japanese archipelago. The stones were found directly across Route 9 from Kirara Taki beach on the Sea of Japan. The excavation team was led by Doshisha University professor Kazuto Matsufuji, and the first of the tools were unearthed by Toshiro Naruse, a professor emeritus at Hyogo University of Teacher Education.

In Izumo, there are various tombs and temples, including an ancient cluster of tombs to the south of the station. Within this tomb cluster is located the largest Tumulus style tomb within the Izumo region. With an overall length of 100 metres and mound 6 metres in height, the tomb located behind the Dainenji Temple is believed to have been constructed in the 6th century with highly sophisticated construction methods for the time.

The Takase River is a canal that runs through the center of Izumo. Beginning at the Hiikawa River, the canal runs directly across the town. Constructed by developer Okaji Shichibei in 1670, the Takase was the first canal ever constructed in the then-Matsue domain. Before Okaji began his agricultural developments, the Izumo area was infertile and unable to support crops. Thanks to Okaji's developments, the area became an important region for the growing of rice and grain in the Matsue area.

Demographics

The modern city was founded on November 3, 1941. As of 2017, the total population is 172,039 and the area of the new city of Izumo is 624.36 km².

On March 22, 2005, Izumo absorbed the city of Hirata, and the towns of Koryō, Sada, Taisha and Taki (all from Hikawa District) to create the new and expanded city of Izumo.

On October 1, 2011, the town of Hikawa (also from Hikawa District) was also merged into the new Izumo. Hikawa District was dissolved as a result of this merger.