Hōfu

Hōfu (防府市, Hōfu-shi) is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Hōfu 防府市
City
Hofu city seen from Hōfu Tenman-gū shrine.
Flag
Location of Hōfu in Yamaguchi Prefecture
Hōfu Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°3′N 131°34′E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku (San'yō)
Prefecture	Yamaguchi Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Yutaka Ikeda
Area
• Total	188.59 km^2 (72.82 sq mi)
Population  (September 30, 2016)
• Total	117,387
• Density	622.44/km^2 (1,612.1/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	7-1, Kotobukichō, Hōfu-shi, Yamaguchi-ken 747-8501
Website	www.city.hofu.yamaguchi.jp
Symbols Flower Scarlet Sage Tree Sangoju (Viburnum odoratissimum var. awabuki)

As of September 30, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 117,387 and a population density of 622.44 people per km². The total area is 188.59 km².

History

Hōfu (防府) means "the capital (国府) of Suō Province (周防国)". The eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture was formerly called Suō Province.

The city was founded on August 25, 1936.[1] The city's change over the past fifty years is shown in the animated film Mai Mai Miracle, with its story taking place in the year of 1955 (with flashbacks going 1,000 years further back).[2]

Mazda maintains a large automobile factory in Hōfu.[3]

Education

• Yamaguchi Junior College (private junior college)

Main sightseeing spots

• Hōfu Tenman-gū

Sports

• Hofu Keirin venue[4]

Sister Cities

• Akitakata, Hiroshima, Japan since July 16, 1971[5]
• Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, South Korea since October 29, 1991[6]
• Monroe, Michigan, United States, since May 29, 1993[7]

Notable people

• Taneda Santōka

References

1. "市の概要・市章(Japanese)".
2. Stills from the film juxtaposed with modern photos(in Japanese)
3. "Offices Archived October 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Mazda. Retrieved on October 29, 2009.
4. http://www.hofukeirin.jp/
5. "防府市の姉妹都市（安芸高田市）(Japanese)".
6. "防府市の姉妹都市（春川市・冬のソナタのロケ地）(Japanese)".
7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Twin towning with Monroe, Michigan

External links

• Hōfu City official website (in Japanese) - Google translation embedded
• Hōfu City official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index) (in English)
• Oidemase Hōfu website (in Japanese)
• Geographic data related to Hōfu at OpenStreetMap