Yachiyo, Chiba


Yachiyo is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
As of December 1, 2015, the city has an estimated population of 191,853, and a population density of 3,730 persons per km². The total area is.

Geography

Yachiyo is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture on the Shimōsa Plateau. The Shin River, in length, flows through Yachiyo and forms the upper part of the Inba Discharge Channel. Pollution is problematic along the river. Phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen drain from vegetable farms along the length of the river. A walking path was built by the city of Yachiyo, and features a pedestrian suspension bridge with an observation platform.

Neighboring municipalities

Chiba Prefecture

Early history

Yachiyo has been inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period, and archaeologists have found stone tools dating to over 30,000 years ago. The Chiba clan controlled the area of present-day Yachiyo from the late Heian period to the early Muromachi period. In the Sengoku period, the area came under the control of the Murakami clan.

Edo period

During the Edo period the area was divided between tenryō territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate and areas controlled under the Sakura Domain. It developed as a post town on the pilgrimage route to the temples at Narita.

Modern history

After the Meiji Restoration, the villages of Owada in Chiba District and Aso in Inba District, Chiba Prefecture were founded on April 1, 1889. However, much of the area of these villages was already under the control of the Imperial Japanese Army, who had established a training school in 1876 for infantry maneuvers. The school remained an active military installation until 1945. Yachiyo Town was created by the merger of Owada Town with Aso and Mutsu villages in 1954. Yachiyo was elevated to city status on January 1, 1967.

Economy

Yachiyo is a regional commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba and Tokyo. There is some residual agriculture, with rice and nashi pears grown. Pearl Musical Instrument Company is located within Yachiyo.

Education

Universities

Railway