Ashiya, Hyōgo


Ashiya is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, between the cities of Nishinomiya and Kobe. The city was founded on November 10, 1940.
, the city has an estimated population of 94,474.

History

Ashiya was established in 1871 as a township in Hyōgo Prefecture. In the early 1900s, it was designated as an urban planning area. This led to the building of large single-family homes with tennis courts, swimming pools, and tea houses, etc. along the hills overlooking Osaka Bay.
In 1945, the City of Ashiya prohibited the operation of pachinko parlors, gambling and entertainment facilities as well as small factories. Those laws still stand and there is no other municipal government with similar regulations in Japan.
In 1991, Ashiya residents elected Harue Kitamura as the first woman to hold the office of mayor of a city in Japan. Kitamura was mayor when Ashiya suffered major damage during the Kobe earthquake on January 17, 1995.

Neighboring municipalities

Persons of note associated with Ashiya include Jirō Shirasu, Ryōji Noyori, Takashi Asahina, Junichirō Tanizaki, Haruki Murakami, Yuriko Koike, Yōko Ogawa, Tsumasaburō Bandō, Morinosuke Kawaguchi, Tsuruko Yamazaki,, Takuya Kuroda and professional sumo wrestler Takakeishō Mitsunobu.
The city is the main setting in Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's novel Sasameyuki.
A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright sits on a hill overlooking Hankyu Ashiyagawa Station and Osaka Bay. It was completed in 1924 as a residence for the Yamamura family, founders of the famous sake company "Sakuramasamune". It is now known as the Yodokō Guest House and is open for tours. Ashiya also features the house of Hiroko Koshino designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Tadao Ando.

Transport

The first railway line to the city was completed in 1905.
Central Ashiya is served by JR West Ashiya Station. Hanshin Electric Railway Ashiya Station and Uchide Station serve the southern part of the city, while Hankyu Railway Ashiyagawa Station is located in the quieter northern area.

Sister city

A sister city agreement was signed between Ashiya and Montebello, California on May 24, 1961. Student Ambassadors are chosen to travel to Montebello every year since 1964.