Kōchi (高知市, Kōchi-shi) - The capital city
of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.
Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of
its population. As of the January 1, 2005 expansion but with
2003 population estimates, the city had an estimated
population of 335,341 and a density of 1,269 persons per
km². The total area is 264.23 km².
A symbol of the city is its most famous dish, katsuo tataki,
made by lightly searing and seasoning tuna.
Geography
The area of Kōchi has three distinct geographic sections.
The major settled part of the city lies at the head of Urado
Bay, in a narrow alluvial plain crossed by several rivers,
notably the Kagami River and Kokubu River. The plain is
bounded by mountains to the north and a range of hills to
the south and west.
The northern mountains form the least densely populated part
of the city, with the only settlement being along narrow
river valleys. The highest point in Kōchi is Kuishi-yama at
1176m.
To the south of the city centre, Urado Bay cuts through the
hills to its outlet into the Pacific Ocean. The land
surrounding the bay and a small strip of the coastline form
the third part of the city. This area, although hillier and
less dense than the plain, is nevertheless a major location
of housing and port-related industry.
Kōchi's most famous festival is the Yosakoi which is held in
August. Teams of dancers dance to traditional and modern
songs at various places around Kōchi. The total number of
dancers is in the thousands.
Kōchi Castle still exists in its pre-restoration form, and
is one of the main tourist attractions. Other places of
interest in the city centre are the Obiyamachi (帯屋町,
Obiyamachi) shopping arcade, the regular Sunday street
markets which are close to a kilometre in length, and
Harimaya-bashi (はりまや橋, Harimaya-bashi), a bridge that
featured in a famous Kōchi song about the forbidden love of
a Buddhist priest.
The mountain Godaisan (五台山, Godaisan) holds a public park
with views of the city, and is home to stop 31 on the
Shikoku Pilgrimage, Chikurin-ji (竹林寺, Chikurin-ji), as well
as the Makino Botanical Garden.
At the mouth of Urado Bay, the remnants of Urado Castle (an
earlier provincial seat) stand above Katsurahama (桂浜,
Katsurahama), a famous beach with an aquarium and statue of
the Kōchi hero Sakamoto Ryoma.
History
The river plain now containing the city centre was
originally settled as a castle town around the seat of the
lords of Tosa Province, Kōchi Castle. The castle site was
chosen by Lord Yamauchi Katsutoyo in 1601. The city takes
its name from that of the castle. As the centre of
administration for the province, and the prefecture which
succeeded it, the town rapidly grew to become the largest
settlement of the region.
During the time of the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi became
famous as a centre of pro-imperial ideology, and later for
incubating democratic and human rights movements.
The city was incorporated on April 1, 1889.
Tram service began in the city on May 2, 1904, and the city
was connected to the national rail network on November 12,
1951.
On April 1, 1998, the city was designated as the first core
city on Shikoku.
Information source: “Kōchi, Kōchi.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 4 Mar. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Kōchi, Kōchi>. |
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