Date, Fukushima

Date(伊達市, Date-shi; [date]) is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2026[update], the city had an estimated population of 55,004 in 23,314 households and a population density of 219 persons per km2. The total area of the city was 265.10 square kilometres (102.36 sq mi).

Geography

Date occupies the eastern half of the Fukushima Basin in northern Fukushima prefecture, with Miyagi Prefecture on its northern border. The area was once noted for sericulture but transitioned to fruit cultivation during the Taishō period. It is currently organized into the five former towns of Date, Hobara, Yanagawa, Ryozen, and Tsukidate, each of which retain numerous unique traditions and events. Hobara is the central area, where the municipal government is based.

• Rivers: Abukuma River, Hirose River

Neighboring municipalities

Fukushima Prefecture

• Fukushima
• Iitate
• Kawamata
• Kunimi
• Koori
• Sōma

Miyagi Prefecture

• Marumori
• Shiroishi

Climate

Date has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Date is 12.8 °C (55.0 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,227 mm (48.3 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.5 °C (77.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.4 °C (34.5 °F).

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Date has declined over the past 70 years.

History

A whole body skeleton of Paleoparadoxia was excavated in Yanagawa on August 21, 1984. The skeleton is named the “Yanagawa Specimen”. The first humans to live within the bounds of present-day Date City are thought to have arrived during the Paleolithic Period. The area was part of ancient Mutsu Province. Towards the end of the Heian Period, Shinobu-gun (present day Fukushima City) and Date-gun (encompassing not only present day Date, but also Koori Town to the North and Kawamata Town to the South) were awarded to Date Tomomune. Tomomune founded the Date clan in present-day Hobara. The 17th lord of the Date Clan, Date Masamune lost control of the area and went on to found the Sendai Clan and the City of Sendai. The clan continued to rule over the Sendai Domain during the Edo period. However, under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate, most of the area of Date was initially part of Yonezawa Domain, followed by Fukushima Domain and Yanagawa Domain before becoming tenryō territory under direct control of the shogunate. It was not part of the Date Clan's territories. After the Meiji Restoration, the area was organized as part of Nakadōri region of Iwaki Province.

As of 1889, at the time of the establishment of the modern municipalities system, the area consisted of 21 towns and villages. Between the years 1955 and 1960, these were consolidated into the five towns of Date (formerly the villages of Nagaoka and Fushiguro), Hobara (formerly the town of Hobara and the villages of Ooda, Kamihobara, Hashirazawa, and Tominari), Ryōzen (formerly the villages of Ryozen, Kakeda, Oguni, and Ishido), Tsukidate (formerly the villages of Ote and Otegawa), and Yanagawa (formerly the town of Yanagawa and the villages of Awano, Sekimoto, Shirane, Ooeda, Isazawa, Tomino, and Yamafunyuu), which merged to create the modern city of Date on January 1, 2006.

Date is about 60 kilometres (37 miles) north-west of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the nuclear accident that followed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Although outside the nuclear accident exclusion zone, the levels of radiation in the city caused residents, and especially children, to remain indoors.

In 2016 an anime was produced in promotion of the city. Masamune Datenicle (政宗ダテニクル) features a young Date Masamune who meets a dragon deity that gives him the ability to call upon former leaders of the Date Clan.

Government

Date has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members. Date, together with the three municipalities of Date District, collectively contribute three members to the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Fukushima 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Date is primarily agricultural, with an emphasis on rice and horticulture. The area is noted for its peaches and dried persimmons.

Taiyo Yuden operates a metal power inductor production plant in the Yanagawa Industrial Zone in Date, Fukushima, which also produced CD, DVD and Blu-ray discs in the past.

Peaches

Date City's location in central Fukushima (Nakadōri), in the middle of Fukushima Basin, helps in the cultivation of peaches. The most common varieties grown in the area are Akatsuki, Kawanakajima, and Yuuzora.

Dried Persimmons

As sericulture lost its place in the area during the Taisho period, the former village of Isazawa in Yanagawa replaced it with the production of dried persimmons, among other industries. Dried persimmons had been produced in the area since the Edo Period. However, the addition of sulfur fumigation as was used in the production of raisins in the United States, allowed for a much sweeter product. Whereas traditional dried persimmons, hoshigaki, have a tough skin and are almost black in color, those created with the additional step of sulfur fumigation, called anpogaki or tsurushigaki, are soft and bright orange.

Although the production of anpogaki was halted for three years after the 2011 disaster, Date City's persimmon orchards have since been decontaminated and testing machines have been installed, ensuring the safety of the final product.

Education

Date City has twelve public elementary schools, six public junior high schools, one public high school, and one private high school:

Festivals

Summer

Hobara

• Hobara Summer Festival

Held every year early to mid August, and features the Hobara Yoitoko Dance and Bon dance. Other specifics vary by year, but often include food stands from local vendors, various performances, and the Momo-Olympics where visitors can participate in various games to win prizes.

Tsukidate

• Otehime-no-sato Summer Festival

Held around mid-August, this festival feature fireworks, foodstalls and lanterns.

Autumn

Hobara

• Amaterasu Shinmeigu Shrine Autumn Festival

Held mid-October, local taiko groups form their own Taiko floats to perform around Jinya Street.

Ryōzen

• Ryōzen Shrine Fall Festival

Winter

Hobara

• Tsutsuko-biki Festival

Begun over 300 years ago, this festival is held every year at Itsukushima Shrine on the first Sunday of March. The main event is a three-way tug of war by men dressed solely in fundoshi and zori. After the winning team is decided, the men work together to lift and drop the heavy bundle repeatedly. This movement causes the hot mochi rice inside to form mochi, which is then passed out to the audience.

Spring

Hobara

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Main Line

• Date

AbukumaExpress – Abukuma Express Line

• Takako - Kamihobara - Hobara - Ōizumi - Niida - Nitta - Yanagawa - Yanagawa Kibōnomori Kōen-mae - Tomino - Kabuto

Highway

• Tōhoku-Chūō Expressway
• National Route 4
• National Route 115
• National Route 349
• National Route 399

Local attractions

• Mount Ryōzen, National Historic Site and National Place of Scenic Beauty
• Miyawaki temple ruins, National Historic Site
• Former Kameoka Family Home
• Ryōzen Shrine
• Takako Ni-juu Kyou
• site of Takakogaoka Castle, the original home of the Date Clan
• Takako Lake, one of Takako Ni-juu Kyou
• site of Yanagawa Castle, constructed by the Date Clan and once home to Date Masamune
• Yanagawa Hachiman Shrine, where Date Masamune prayed for victory in battle

Notable people from Date

• Saitou Hikonai (斎藤彦内, 1709-1750) was a farmer and the leader of a peasants' revolt.
• Yahei Miura (弥平三浦, 1895-1971) was a long-distance runner and Olympic athlete.
• Seishiro Okazaki (January 28, 1890 – July 12, 1951) was a Japanese American healer, martial artist, and the founder of Danzan-ryū jujitsu. Born in the former village of Kakeda, he immigrated to Hawaii in 1906.

International relations

• United States Sister cities with Revere, MA, United States, since August 2016
• Guyana 2020 Tokyo Olympics "Arigatou" Host Town for the Republic of Guyana as of August, 2019

Notes

External links

• Media related to Date, Fukushima at Wikimedia Commons
• (in Japanese)
• Date City Commerce and Tourism Association Portal Site, (in Japanese)