Hadano, Kanagawa

Hadano is located in the foothills of the Tanzawa Mountains in west-central Kanagawa Prefecture and is approximately 12.8 kilometers north-to-south by 13.6 kilometers east-to west. About half of the city area is within the borders of the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park.

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Hadano grew rapidly during the late 20th century and has plateaued in the 21st.

The name "Hadano" appears as a geographic term in the Heian period Wamyō Ruijushō, as "Hatano", and there has been scholarly speculation as to possible connections with the Nara period Hata clan. From the late Heian period until the Kamakura period, the area was divided into shōen controlled by descendants of Fujiwara no Hidesato, including the Sengoku-period daimyō, the Hatano clan. During the Edo period, it was nominally part of Odawara Domain, although large portions were tenryō territory controlled by the shōgun in Edo through various hatamoto.

After the Meiji Restoration and with the establishment of the district system in 1878, the area came under the control of Ōsumi District (大住郡, Ōsumi-gun) and became Hadano town on 1 April 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. On 26 March 1896, Ōsumi District and Yurugi District were merged to form Naka District. The town began to experience rapid growth after the opening of the Odakyu Electric Railway in 1927. Hadano became a city on 1 January 1955, through the merger of former towns of Hadano and Minamihadano with the villages of Kitahadano and Higashihadano. The new city annexed neighboring the village of One, and the village of Kamihatano (from Ashigarakami District) later the same year, and annexed the town of Nishihadano in 1964.

Hadano has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 24 members. Hadano contributes two members to the Kanagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kanagawa 17th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Hadano was a regional commercial center during the Edo period following the introduction of tobacco cultivation to the area. The curtains closed on the industry's 300-year history in 1984, and the local farmers have largely converted to production of green tea and ornamental flowers. A former tobacco-trading center and processing plant belonging to Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation (now Japan Tobacco) has been replaced by a large shopping mall.

Hadano has 13 public elementary schools and nine public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has three public high schools operated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education, and the prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped. A private junior college, the Sophia Junior College is located within Hadano.

• Tanzawa Mountains
• Tsurumaki Hot Spring
• Mount Ōyama
• Hadano Castle ruins
• Sakuradote Kofun Park

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• Official website (in Japanese)