Kōka, Shiga

Kōka (甲賀市, Kōka-shi) is a city in southern Shiga Prefecture, Japan. (The word 'Kōka' is often rendered as 'Koga' in English, especially when referring to the "Koga Ninja".) As of 30 September 2021, the city had an estimated population of 89,619 in 36708 households and a population density of 190 persons per km².[1] The total area of the city is 481.62 square kilometres (185.95 sq mi).

Kōka
甲賀市
Kōka City Hall
Kōka City Hall
Flag of Kōka
Official seal of Kōka
Location of Kōka in Shiga Prefecture
Location of Kōka in Shiga Prefecture
Kōka is located in Japan
Kōka
Kōka
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°58′N 136°10′E
CountryJapan
RegionKansai
PrefectureShiga
Government
  MayorHiroki Iwanaga
Area
  Total481.62 km2 (185.95 sq mi)
Population
 (September 30, 2021)
  Total89,619
  Density190/km2 (480/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address6053, Minakuchi, Minakuchichō, Kōka-shi, Shiga-ken
528-8502
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdCommon kingfisher
FlowerSasayuri (Lilium japonicum)
TreeCryptomeria
Kōka "ninja house"
Shigaraki ware ceramics

Geography

Kōka occupies the entire southern end of Shiga Prefecture, and is thus long east-to-west. At the eastern end of Kōka, the southern ridge of the Suzuka Mountains with one elevation of 1000 meters runs from northeast to southwest, forming the boundary with Mie Prefecture. The highest altitude point in Kōka is Mount Amagoi in this range.

Neighboring municipalities

Shiga Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

Climate

Kōka has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kōka is 13.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1673 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.1 °C.[2]

Climate data for Shigaraki(elevation 265 m)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 6.5
(43.7)
7.1
(44.8)
11.0
(51.8)
17.3
(63.1)
21.8
(71.2)
25.0
(77.0)
28.8
(83.8)
30.0
(86.0)
26.0
(78.8)
20.3
(68.5)
14.9
(58.8)
9.5
(49.1)
18.2
(64.7)
Average low °C (°F) −3.5
(25.7)
−3.4
(25.9)
−1.1
(30.0)
3.4
(38.1)
9.1
(48.4)
14.6
(58.3)
19.1
(66.4)
19.6
(67.3)
15.9
(60.6)
8.5
(47.3)
2.4
(36.3)
−1.9
(28.6)
6.9
(44.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55.2
(2.17)
70.7
(2.78)
121.3
(4.78)
111.5
(4.39)
152.4
(6.00)
207.6
(8.17)
204.4
(8.05)
143.7
(5.66)
168.4
(6.63)
120.1
(4.73)
75.2
(2.96)
53.6
(2.11)
1,484.1
(58.43)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 9.1 10.1 13.1 10.9 11.2 13.0 12.8 9.3 11.4 9.8 8.3 8.2 127.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 101.2 100.9 133.6 166.3 164.5 127.6 136.5 173.8 135.4 136.6 122.1 115.9 1,614.4
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
Climate data for Tsuchiyama (elevation 248 m)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 6.3
(43.3)
6.8
(44.2)
10.7
(51.3)
16.9
(62.4)
21.2
(70.2)
24.6
(76.3)
28.5
(83.3)
29.8
(85.6)
25.9
(78.6)
20.3
(68.5)
14.8
(58.6)
9.3
(48.7)
17.9
(64.3)
Average low °C (°F) −1.9
(28.6)
−1.8
(28.8)
0.6
(33.1)
5.6
(42.1)
10.9
(51.6)
15.9
(60.6)
20.3
(68.5)
21.3
(70.3)
17.5
(63.5)
10.6
(51.1)
4.5
(40.1)
−0.1
(31.8)
8.6
(47.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 60.0
(2.36)
74.4
(2.93)
113.8
(4.48)
114.9
(4.52)
159.0
(6.26)
205.4
(8.09)
212.1
(8.35)
193.5
(7.62)
208.8
(8.22)
124.4
(4.90)
80.6
(3.17)
56.7
(2.23)
1,603.6
(63.13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.6 10.9 12.6 11.0 11.6 13.6 13.7 10.4 11.8 10.0 8.4 9.4 134
Mean monthly sunshine hours 90.9 98.2 137.0 167.1 165.8 128.3 139.4 177.2 132.7 140.2 125.0 108.9 1,610.7
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Kōka has recently plateaued after several decades of growth.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 59,455    
1930 60,876+2.4%
1940 61,133+0.4%
1950 75,407+23.3%
1960 70,755−6.2%
1970 67,762−4.2%
1980 75,203+11.0%
1990 82,668+9.9%
2000 92,482+11.9%
2010 92,704+0.2%
2020 88,358−4.7%

History

Kōka is part of ancient Ōmi Province. During the Sengoku period, the area was an ikki and effectively self-governed by local ninja families. In the Edo period it became a center for the Kōga-ryū school of ninjutsu, in rivalry with Iga-ryū.[4] The area was on the route of the Tōkaidō highway connecting Kyoto with Edo and the eastern provinces of Japan. Minakuchi-juku was both a post station and also a castle town for Minakuchi Domain, which ruled over parts of the area of Kōka during the Edo period. The village of Minakuchi was established on April 1, 1889 within Kōka District, Shiga with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on August 18, 1894. On October 1, 2004, Minakuchi merged with the towns of Kōka, Kōnan, Shigaraki and Tsuchiyama (all from Kōka District) to form the city of Kōka.

Government

Kōka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 24 members. Kōka contributes three members to the Shiga Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Shiga 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Kōka is traditionally known for its production of ceramics, most notably Shigaraki ware, as well as agriculture and forestry. Light manufacturing is concentrated to pharmaceuticals.

Education

Kōka has 21 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government and one middle school operated by the Shiga Prefectural Department of Education. The prefecture also operates four public high schools.

Transport

Shuriken theme at one of the train stations in Kōka, 2011

Railway

JR WestKusatsu Line

Ohmi RailwayMain Line

Shigaraki Kōgen Railway - Shigaraki Line

Highway

Sister city relations

Local attractions

Noted people

References

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