Sekigahara
関ケ原町
Town
Sekigahara Town Hall
Sekigahara Town Hall
Flag of Sekigahara
Flag
Official seal of Sekigahara
Seal
Location of Sekigahara in Gifu Prefecture
Location of Sekigahara in Gifu Prefecture
Sekigahara is located in Japan
Sekigahara
Sekigahara
 
Coordinates: 35°21′55.8″N 136°28′01″E / 35.365500°N 136.46694°E / 35.365500; 136.46694
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu
PrefectureGifu
DistrictFuwa
Government
 • MayorKentarō Azai
Area
 • Total49.28 km2 (19.03 sq mi)
Population
 (December 1, 2018)
 • Total7,109
 • Density140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
City symbols 
Phone number0585-22-2111
AddressSekigahara 894-58, Sekigahara-chō, Fuwa-gun, Gifu-ken 503-1592
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdRock ptarmigan
FlowerUme[1]
TreeJapanese Cedar[1]
Site of the Battle of Sekigahara

Sekigahara (関ケ原町, Sekigahara-chō) is a town located in Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 December 2018, the town had an estimated population of 7,109 and a population density of 140 persons per km2, in 2,725 households.[2] The total area of the town was 49.28 square kilometres (19.03 sq mi).

The town is most famous for the Battle of Sekigahara which ended the Sengoku Period and created the Tokugawa Shogunate. Due to this, Sekigahara is also a sister city of Waterloo, Belgium and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, sites of other famous and significant battles on their continents.

Geography

Sekigahara is located in a mountainous valley in far southwestern Gifu Prefecture, which forms a natural bottleneck connecting the Kansai region with the Tōkai region of Japan. The routes of the ancient Nakasendō highway and the modern Meishin Expressway, as well as the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Tōkaidō Main Line all pass through this area.

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Sekigahara is 14.5 °C (58.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,181.9 mm (85.90 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C (80.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C (37.6 °F).[3] The mountainous areas of the town are noted for heavy snow in winter.

Climate data for Sekigahara (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 15.6
(60.1)		 19.1
(66.4)		 23.7
(74.7)		 29.5
(85.1)		 32.6
(90.7)		 36.1
(97.0)		 37.6
(99.7)		 37.9
(100.2)		 35.7
(96.3)		 30.7
(87.3)		 25.0
(77.0)		 19.7
(67.5)		 37.9
(100.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.9
(44.4)		 8.0
(46.4)		 12.1
(53.8)		 18.0
(64.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 26.2
(79.2)		 30.0
(86.0)		 31.8
(89.2)		 27.6
(81.7)		 21.9
(71.4)		 15.8
(60.4)		 9.7
(49.5)		 19.3
(66.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.1
(37.6)		 3.6
(38.5)		 7.1
(44.8)		 12.6
(54.7)		 17.6
(63.7)		 21.5
(70.7)		 25.4
(77.7)		 26.7
(80.1)		 22.8
(73.0)		 17.0
(62.6)		 11.0
(51.8)		 5.6
(42.1)		 14.5
(58.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.1
(31.8)		 0.0
(32.0)		 2.6
(36.7)		 7.6
(45.7)		 12.9
(55.2)		 17.7
(63.9)		 22.1
(71.8)		 23.1
(73.6)		 19.2
(66.6)		 13.0
(55.4)		 6.8
(44.2)		 2.1
(35.8)		 10.6
(51.1)
Record low °C (°F) −6.6
(20.1)		 −8.7
(16.3)		 −5.5
(22.1)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 4.3
(39.7)		 10.6
(51.1)		 15.2
(59.4)		 14.6
(58.3)		 9.7
(49.5)		 3.8
(38.8)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 −5.8
(21.6)		 −8.7
(16.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 140.8
(5.54)		 111.9
(4.41)		 143.0
(5.63)		 160.7
(6.33)		 204.0
(8.03)		 242.4
(9.54)		 297.5
(11.71)		 194.9
(7.67)		 283.1
(11.15)		 169.2
(6.66)		 95.9
(3.78)		 138.5
(5.45)		 2,181.9
(85.90)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 59
(23)		 42
(17)		 8
(3.1)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 29
(11)		 131
(52)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 15.6 13.0 13.1 11.1 10.8 12.3 13.5 10.9 11.3 9.7 10.0 15.7 147
Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) 5.0 3.8 0.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2.1 11.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 125.3 137.0 177.6 188.5 188.4 145.3 151.6 182.1 143.4 155.7 146.1 134.2 1,875.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][3]

Neighbouring municipalities

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Sekigahara has declined over the past 50 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1970 10,788—    
1980 10,483−2.8%
1990 9,544−9.0%
2000 9,110−4.5%
2010 8,096−11.1%
2020 6,610−18.4%

History

The area around Sekigahara was part of traditional Mino Province. In 1600, the Battle of Sekigahara took place here. During the Edo period it was tenryō territory directly under the Tokugawa shogunate, administered by a hatamoto. During the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms, the area was organised into Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture. The village of Sekigahara was formed on July 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, and was raised to town status on April 1, 1928. In 1954, Sekigahara annexed the village of Imasu, as well as part of the neighboring town of Tarui. A proposed merger with the neighboring city of Ōgaki was rejected in 2004.

Education

Sekigahara has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one private combined elementary/middle school. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Sister city relations

Local attractions

Notes

  1. 1 2 町のプロフィール>町章と町民憲章. Sekigahara official website (in Japanese). Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  2. ↑ Sekigahara Town official statistics (in Japanese)
  3. 1 2 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ Sekigahara population statistics
  6. ↑ "Sister Cities Share Bond". Gettysburg Times. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
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