Akitakata, Hiroshima

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Map showing location of Akitakata in Hiroshima Prefecture (as of 2006).

Akitakata (安芸高田市, Akitakata-shi^?) is a city located in north-central Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

The city has a population of 34,160 and an area of 538.17km². It was founded on March 1, 2004 with the merger of six towns in Takata District (Koda town, Midori town, Mukaihara town, Yachiyo town, Yoshida town, Takamiya town), thereby dissolving the district. It is a mountainous farming area known for many traditional events as well as certain food products.

One such food product is Ebisu tea, a sweet fragrant tea, that comes from Mukaihara Town. Another is "Yuzu juice" (柚子ジュース), a product of the Kawane area of Takamiya town in the northeastern part of the city.

The city also lays claim to be the birthplace and hometown of Mori Motonari, the famous "Warring States" era daimyo of the 16th century.

1 History
2 Culture
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The area of Akitakata city was originally known as Takata District(高田郡), which combined 26 villages into a single administrative unit on April 1st Meiji 22 (1889, Western calendar).

The area now known as Akitakata was the site of a number of fortifications during the period when Mori Motonari fought against the Amago clan. Mori Motonari himself was born in Suzuo Castle (鈴尾城) in 1497^[1], the remains of which are in the town of Yoshida. In 1500, Motonari's father, Mori Hiromoto (毛利弘元) retired to Tajihi-Sarukake castle(多治比猿掛城), about 4 kilometers north of the family's base in Kouriyama castle (郡山城), both of whose remains are also in Yoshida town. Motonari would remain based here until the age of 27 when he would return to the family base in Kouriyama castle.

Ikenouchi (池の内) in the town of Koda was part of the site of a battle against the Amago clan on September 26th 1540. The Amago clan was defeated, and it is said that the leader, Yubara Yajirou (湯原弥二郎) committed ritual suicide at that location, where a stone monument has been erected. Koda is also the site of the remains of Goryuu castle (五龍城), a castle of the Shishido clan (宍戸氏).The family would become tied to the Mori clan with the marriage of Motonari's eldest daughter to Shishido Takaie (宍戸隆家).

[edit] Culture

Kagura, an ancient traditional form of Shinto dance and music, is still very much alive there today. The towns of Midori and Takamiya practice the "new dance" style, which is not actually new at all, just a later emergent performance style compared to the "old style". (There is a Kagura village in Midori town called Kaguramonzentojimura where various Kagura performances and competitions begin in August and lasts until December.)

Akitakata city is in the countryside, and still maintains many traditional local festivals. One such is Hanadaue, or rice-planting festival where men play flutes and taiko while women sing and plant rice. There are also new traditions, one in particular started by a participant in the JET program 10 years ago, called mud volleyball, in which locals and foreigners have an informal "soft-volleyball" competition in rice paddies.