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Kan'onji, Kagawa

Coordinates: 34°7′38″N 133°39′41″E / 34.12722°N 133.66139°E / 34.12722; 133.66139
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Kan'onji
観音寺市
Kan'onji City
Sand Coin Effigy (Zenigata suna-e) in Kotohiki Park
Sand Coin Effigy (Zenigata suna-e) in Kotohiki Park
Flag of Kan'onji
Official seal of Kan'onji
Map
Location of Kan'onji in Kagawa Prefecture
Location of Kan'onji
Kan'onji is located in Japan
Kan'onji
Kan'onji
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°7′38″N 133°39′41″E / 34.12722°N 133.66139°E / 34.12722; 133.66139
CountryJapan
RegionShikoku
PrefectureKagawa
Government
 • MayorAkihiro Saeki (since November 20, 2021)
Area
 • Total117.84 km2 (45.50 sq mi)
Population
 (October 1, 2022)
 • Total57,921
 • Density490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall addressSakamoto-cho 1-1-1, Kan-onji-shi, Kagawa-ken 768-8601
Kan'onji City Hall
View of Kan'onji, 2021
Aerial view of Kan'onji city center

Kan'onji (観音寺市, Kan'onji-shi) is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2022, the city had an estimated population of 57,921 in 25510 households and a population density of 490 persons per km².[1] The total area of the city is 117.84 square kilometres (45.50 sq mi).

Geography

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Kan'onji is located at the western end of Kagawa Prefecture. It faces the Seto Inland Sea to the west and borders Tokushima Prefecture across the Sanuki Mountains to the south. The city includes Ibuki island in the Seto Inland Sea between Shikoku and Honshu. Some coastal parts of the city are within the borders of the Setonaikai National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities

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Ehime Prefecture

Kagawa Prefecture

Tokushima Prefecture

Climate

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Kan'onji has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kan'onji is 15.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1439 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.9 °C.[2]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Kan'onji has been gradually declining in recent decades.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 54,251—    
1930 58,228+7.3%
1940 58,708+0.8%
1950 78,356+33.5%
1960 73,186−6.6%
1970 66,653−8.9%
1980 68,435+2.7%
1990 68,436+0.0%
2000 66,555−2.7%
2010 62,690−5.8%
2020 57,438−8.4%

History

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The area of Kan'onji was part of ancient Sanuki Province and has been inhabited since prehistoric times. A number of burial mounds from the Kofun period have been identified, including the Ōnohara Kofun cluster. Historical documents indicate that the Shinto shrine Kotohiki Hachiman-gū was founded in 703 and that the Buddhist temple of Kannon-ji (from which the city derives its name) was founded by the Kūkai in 803. During the Edo Period, the city area was part of the holdings of Marugame Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Kan'onji was established within Toyota District with the creation of the modern municipalities system on December 16,1878. It was elevated to town status on February 15, 1890. In 1899, Toyota district was merged with Mino District to form Mitoyo District, Kagawa. Kan'onji was elevated to city status on January 1, 1955. On October 11, 2005, the towns of Ōnohara and Toyohama (both from Mitoyo District) merged with Kan'onji.

Government

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Kan'onji has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Kan'onji contributes three members to the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kagawa 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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The economy of Kan'onji is primarily food-related, with the city being the largest producer of lettuce in Japan. Commercial fishing, especially for sardines, and food-processing, notably the frozen food industry, is also prominent.

Education

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Kan'onji has ten public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government, and one private middle school. The city has two public high schools operated by the Kagawa Prefectural Board of Education.The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

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Railways

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Shikoku Railway Company - Yosan Line

Highways

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Sister cities

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Local attractions

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Noted people from Kan'onji

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References

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  1. ^ "Kan'onji city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ Kan'onji climate data
  3. ^ Kan'onji population statistics
  4. ^ "Sister Cities". appleton.org. Retrieved August 30, 2020.