Yūki, Ibaraki


Yūki is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an estimated population of 51,429, and a population density of 782 persons per km². Its total area is. Yūki is famous for Yūki-tsumugi traditional Japanese weavings including cloth and paper, and has a rich religious history with many older Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. There is a relatively large population of people of Brazilian, Filipino, Peruvian, and mixed descent.

Geography

Yūki is located in far western Ibaraki Prefecture, bordered by Tochigi Prefecture to the west. The Kinugawa River flows through the city.

Surrounding municipalities

The area of Yūki was an important center for the production of cotton, flax and woven goods from the Nara period. From the Kamakura period onwards, the area was controlled by the Yūki clan, who developed a castle town around Yūki Castle. This subsequently became the center of Yūki Domain which was ruled by 10 generations of a junior branch of the Mizuno clan under the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period.
The town of Yūki was created with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On March 15, 1954 Yūki merged with the neighboring villages of Yamakawa, Kinugawa, Egawa and Kamiyamakawa and was elevated to city status.

Economy

Yūki has an industrial park, however, the local economy remains based on agriculture and food processing.

Education

Yūki has nine elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools.

Transportation

Railway