Shiogama

Shiogama 塩竈市
City
Urato islandsShiogama Port, Shiogama ShrineAeon Town Shiogama, Shiogama Port Festival Urato islands Shiogama Port, Shiogama Shrine Aeon Town Shiogama, Shiogama Port Festival
Flag of Shiogama Flag Official seal of Shiogama Seal
Location of Shiogama in Miyagi Prefecture Location of Shiogama in Miyagi Prefecture
Shiogama
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
Area
• Total	17.86 km2 (6.90 sq mi)
Population (August 2014)
• Total	54,621
• Density	3,060/km2 (7,900/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Shiogama Sakura
- Flower	White Chrysanthemum
Phone number	022-364-1111
Address	1-1 Asahimachi, Shiogama-shi, Miyagi-ken 985-8501
Website	Official website

Shiogama (塩竈市 and 塩釜市, Shiogama-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2014, the city had an estimated population of 54,621 and a population density of 3060 persons per km². The total area was 17.86  km².

Geography

Shiogama is in north-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Tagajō, Miyagi
  • Rifu, Miyagi
  • Shichigahama, Miyagi

Etymology

"Shiogama" means "salt furnace" and refers to a local Shinto ritual involving the making of salt from sea water, still performed every July. The name is sometimes written using the kanji 塩釜 rather than 塩竈 and both spellings are officially permitted. Both 釜 and 竈 are pronounced gama in compounds, but as lone words they are pronounced kama and kamado, respectively. A kamado (竈, "furnace") is a what a kama (釜, "kettle") is placed upon, and so the two are not completely interchangeable. 塩竈 is the form officially used by the city, but for ease of writing, the 10-stroke 釜 is often used in place of the 21-stroke 竈, such as in Shiogama Station.

Shiogama Jinja uses the rendering 鹽竈, with an archaic character for salt. This third form is rarely seen outside of this context.

History

The area of present-day Shiogama was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jomon period by the Emishi people. During the Nara period, the area came under the control of colonists from the Yamato dynasty based at nearby Tagajō and was the most important seaport in Mutsu. The ruins of the provincial capital of Mutsu Province have been found within the city borders. During later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate. The town of Shiogama was established with the creation of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Parts of Tagajō and Shichigahama were incorporated into Shiogama of September 1, 1938. Shiogama was raised to city status on November 23, 1941 (187th, nationally; 3rd in Miyagi). The city annexed the Gyūchi area of neighboring Tagajō on December 1, 1949 and the villgae of Urato on April 1, 1950.

The city was affected by the tsunami caused by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, although damage to its fishing industry turned out to be light.

Economy

The economy of Shiogama is largely based on commercial fishing, especially of tuna, and fish processing. The city also boasts of the highest density of sushi restaurants in Japan.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Tōhoku Main Line
  • Shiogama
• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Senseki Line
  • Nishi-Shiogama, Hon-Shiogama, Higashi-Shiogama

Highway

National highways

• National Route 45

Miyagi Prefectural Highways

• Miyagi Prefectural Route 3 (Shiogama—Yoshioka)
• Miyagi Prefectural Route 10 (Shiogama—Watari)
• Miyagi Prefectural Route 11 (Shiogama—Shiogama-kō)
• Miyagi Prefectural Route 23 (Sendai—Shiogama)
• Miyagi Prefectural Route 35 (Izumi—Shiogama)
• Miyagi Prefectural Route 58 (Shiogama—Shichigahama—Tagajō)

Local attractions

Festivals

• Shiogama 'Hote' festival (10 March)
• Shiogama Flower festival and Shiogama Citizens Festival (late April)
• Shiogama Harbor festival (Eve: before Marine Day/festival: Marine Day July)

Specialties and crafts

• raw tuna (Maguro) catches in Japan
• Sushi restaurant density in Japan
• Sasa Kamaboko (fish paste and roasted into the shape of sasa (bamboo leaf)) processed fishery production in Japan

• Sweets (Shihogama, Namadora, etc.)
• Japanese sake (Shiogama brands: Uragasumi Zen, Omotaka Otokoyama, Shiki no Matsushima, Date no Iki, etc.)

Visitor attractions

• Shiogama Jinja
• Shiwahiko Jinja
• Okama Jinja
• Magaki Jinja
• Shiogama Port
• Shiogama Fish Market

• Urato Islands
• Nagai Shiyouiti Manga Museum

Shiogama-city Community Center (Fureai ESP Shiogama)

• Shiogama Kyokusui
• Noda no Tamagawa (One of Japan's six Tamagawa)
• Mother and child stone
• Marine Gate Shiogama

Notable people from Shiogama

• Masao Maruyama (anime producer)
• Masashi Nakano (politician)
• Hitomi Takahashi (singer)
• Kōichi Yamadera (voice actor, actor, TV personality)

External links

• Shiogama City official website (Japanese)
• Shiogama tourism and industry association (Japanese)
• Shiogama tourism and industry association (English)
• Shiwahiko Shrine & Shiogama Shrine official website (Japanese)
• The Shiogama Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Japanese)
• ShioNavi-Shiogama Navigation (English)