Fukui (city)

Fukui (福井市, Fukui-shi) is the capital city of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 July 2018, the city had an estimated population of 264,217, and a population density of 69.2 persons per km2, in 102,935 households.[1] Its total area is 536.41 square kilometres (207.11 sq mi). Most of the population lives in a small central area; the city limits include rural plains, mountainous areas, and suburban sprawl along the Route 8 bypass.

Fukui
福井市
Core city
Seen from Mt.Asuwa Fukui City Skyline distant view
Fukui CastleIchijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins
Asuwa JinjyaFukui City Water Service Memorial
Cherry trees along the Asuwa RiverEchizen-Kaga Kaigan Quasi-National Park
Flag
Seal
Location of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture
Fukui
 
Coordinates: 36°3′50.6″N 136°13′10.5″E
CountryJapan
RegionChūbu (Hokuriku)
PrefectureFukui
Government
 • - MayorShin'ichi Higashimura
Area
 • Total536.41 km2 (207.11 sq mi)
Population
 (July 1, 2017)
 • Total264,217
 • Density490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number0776-20-5111
Address3-10-1 Ōte, Fukui-shi, Fukui-ken 910-8511
ClimateCfa
Websitewww.city.fukui.lg.jp
Symbols
FlowerHydrangea
TreePine

Overview

Cityscape
  • Fukui Station（2018）
  • Downtown of FukuiCity（2018）
  • FukuiCity Aerial（2014）
  • Skyline of FukuiCity（2013）

Geography

Fukui is located in the coastal plain in north-central part of the prefecture. It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Ryōhaku Mountains to the east. The Kuzuryū River flows through the city.

Climate

Fukui has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high throughout the year, and is especially heavy in December and January.

Climate data for Fukui (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1897−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.9
(67.8)		 21.8
(71.2)		 26.2
(79.2)		 32.0
(89.6)		 34.5
(94.1)		 36.4
(97.5)		 38.6
(101.5)		 38.5
(101.3)		 37.7
(99.9)		 32.3
(90.1)		 27.5
(81.5)		 24.6
(76.3)		 38.6
(101.5)
Average high °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1)		 7.8
(46.0)		 12.2
(54.0)		 18.3
(64.9)		 23.3
(73.9)		 26.5
(79.7)		 30.4
(86.7)		 32.2
(90.0)		 27.7
(81.9)		 22.1
(71.8)		 16.0
(60.8)		 9.8
(49.6)		 19.4
(66.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.2
(37.8)		 3.7
(38.7)		 7.2
(45.0)		 12.8
(55.0)		 18.1
(64.6)		 22.0
(71.6)		 26.1
(79.0)		 27.4
(81.3)		 23.1
(73.6)		 17.1
(62.8)		 11.3
(52.3)		 5.9
(42.6)		 14.8
(58.6)
Average low °C (°F) 0.5
(32.9)		 0.3
(32.5)		 2.8
(37.0)		 7.8
(46.0)		 13.4
(56.1)		 18.2
(64.8)		 22.7
(72.9)		 23.7
(74.7)		 19.4
(66.9)		 13.1
(55.6)		 7.3
(45.1)		 2.7
(36.9)		 11.0
(51.8)
Record low °C (°F) −15.1
(4.8)		 −14.3
(6.3)		 −9.9
(14.2)		 −2.6
(27.3)		 1.3
(34.3)		 7.3
(45.1)		 12.8
(55.0)		 13.4
(56.1)		 7.7
(45.9)		 0.5
(32.9)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 −11.2
(11.8)		 −15.1
(4.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 284.9
(11.22)		 167.7
(6.60)		 160.7
(6.33)		 137.2
(5.40)		 139.1
(5.48)		 152.8
(6.02)		 239.8
(9.44)		 150.7
(5.93)		 212.9
(8.38)		 153.8
(6.06)		 196.1
(7.72)		 304.0
(11.97)		 2,299.6
(90.54)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 85
(33)		 58
(23)		 14
(5.5)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 31
(12)		 186
(73)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) 24.3 20.0 17.4 13.3 12.0 11.9 13.5 9.9 12.4 13.4 17.5 23.5 189.2
Average relative humidity (%) 82 78 71 68 68 74 76 73 76 76 78 81 75
Mean monthly sunshine hours 65.4 88.4 136.3 172.3 191.1 146.8 155.4 205.7 151.2 154.4 114.4 72.2 1,653.7
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[2]
Climate data for Koshino, Fukui City (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.8
(67.6)		 21.4
(70.5)		 24.4
(75.9)		 30.5
(86.9)		 33.6
(92.5)		 34.7
(94.5)		 38.2
(100.8)		 37.6
(99.7)		 36.6
(97.9)		 31.1
(88.0)		 26.1
(79.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 38.2
(100.8)
Average high °C (°F) 8.1
(46.6)		 8.5
(47.3)		 11.9
(53.4)		 17.2
(63.0)		 22.0
(71.6)		 25.0
(77.0)		 29.3
(84.7)		 30.9
(87.6)		 26.8
(80.2)		 21.5
(70.7)		 16.4
(61.5)		 11.1
(52.0)		 19.1
(66.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.5
(41.9)		 5.5
(41.9)		 8.2
(46.8)		 13.1
(55.6)		 17.8
(64.0)		 21.3
(70.3)		 25.7
(78.3)		 27.2
(81.0)		 23.4
(74.1)		 18.3
(64.9)		 13.3
(55.9)		 8.2
(46.8)		 15.6
(60.1)
Average low °C (°F) 2.9
(37.2)		 2.7
(36.9)		 4.8
(40.6)		 9.2
(48.6)		 14.0
(57.2)		 18.3
(64.9)		 22.8
(73.0)		 24.3
(75.7)		 20.6
(69.1)		 15.6
(60.1)		 10.4
(50.7)		 5.5
(41.9)		 12.6
(54.7)
Record low °C (°F) −3.8
(25.2)		 −4.7
(23.5)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 0.6
(33.1)		 6.9
(44.4)		 10.1
(50.2)		 16.2
(61.2)		 17.6
(63.7)		 13.6
(56.5)		 6.9
(44.4)		 1.5
(34.7)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 −4.7
(23.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 218.4
(8.60)		 139.8
(5.50)		 156.6
(6.17)		 143.0
(5.63)		 157.6
(6.20)		 157.8
(6.21)		 225.7
(8.89)		 146.7
(5.78)		 230.2
(9.06)		 166.1
(6.54)		 173.6
(6.83)		 253.8
(9.99)		 2,169.4
(85.41)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 23.6 18.3 15.5 12.0 11.3 11.3 12.4 8.7 11.8 11.8 15.7 23.0 175.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 46.2 72.7 132.9 176.3 194.2 145.9 163.9 215.4 150.4 138.8 96.7 53.8 1,587.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4]

Neighbouring municipalities
Fukui Prefecture
  • Sakai
  • Ōno
  • Katsuyama
  • Sabae
  • Ikeda
  • Eiheiji
  • Echizen (town)

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Fukui has remained relatively steady over the past 40 years.

Census data
YearPop.±%
1873 39,784—    
1970 231,901+482.9%
1980 259,638+12.0%
1990 270,911+4.3%
2000 269,557−0.5%
2010 266,796−1.0%
2020 262,328−1.7%
Source: Fukui population statistics, Japanese Imperial Commission (1873)

History

Origins

Fukui was part of ancient Echizen Province.

Sengoku Period

In 1471, Asakura had displaced the Shiba clan as the shugo military commander of Echizen Province.[5] The same year, Asakura Toshikage (1428–1481) fortified the Ichijōdani by constructing hilltop fortifications on the surrounding mountains and constructing walls and gates to seal off the northern and southern end of the valley. Within this area, he contracted a fortified mansion, surrounded by the homes of his relatives and retainers, and eventually by the residences of merchants and artisans, and Buddhist temples. He offered refuge to people of culture or skills from Kyoto attempting to escape the conflict of the Ōnin War, and the Ichijōdani became a major cultural, military, and population center, and by the time of Asakura Takakage (1493–1548) it had a peak population of over 10,000 inhabitants. Yoshikage succeeded his father as head of the Asakura clan and castle lord of Ichijōdani Castle in 1548.[6][7]

The Asakura maintained good relations with the Ashikaga shogunate, and thus eventually came into conflict with Oda Nobunaga. Following Nobunaga's capture of Kyoto, Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki appointed Asakura Yoshikage as regent and requested aid in driving Nobunaga out of the capital.[8] As a result, Nobunaga launched an invasion of Echizen Province. Due to Yoshikage's lack of military skill, Nobunaga's forces were successful at the Siege of Kanegasaki and subsequent Battle of Anegawa in 1570, leaving the entire Asakura Domain open to invasion.[5][9][10]

Ichijōdani was razed to the ground by Nobunaga during the 1573 Siege of Ichijōdani Castle.[11]

Kitanosho Castle is known, though that it was built by Shibata Katsuie in 1575. Also, it appears that the tenshu (keep) was nine stories high, making it the largest of the time.

  • Asakura Yoshikage
  • Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins
  • Shibata Katsuie
  • Kitanosho Castle（Sibata Jinja）

Edo Period

Castle town and centre of Fukui Domain during the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. Fukui Domain played a key role in the Meiji restoration. The modern city of Fukui was founded with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

  • Yūki Hideyasu
  • Fukui Castle

Meiji, Taisho & Showa Period

During the pre-war period, Fukui grew to become an important industrial and railroad centre. Factories in the area produced aircraft parts, electrical equipment, machine motors, various metal products and textiles.

Fukui was largely destroyed on June 19, 1945 during the Bombing of Fukui during World War II. Of the city's 1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2) at the time, 84.8% of Fukui was destroyed, per the United States Army Air Forces's Strategic Bombing Survey.

  • Fukui District Court
  • Fukui City Water Service Memorial
  • Fukui Prefectural Office Building (1923)

Modern Fukui

Fukui was again devastated by a major earthquake in 1948.

On February 1, 2006, the town of Miyama (from Asuwa District), the town of Shimizu, and the village of Koshino (both from Nyū District) were merged into Fukui.

Fukui's city status was designated a core city on April 1, 2019.[12]

Government
Fukui City Hall

Fukui has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 32 members. The city also contributes 12 members to the Fukui Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Fukui forms part of Fukui 1st district, a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan.

External relations
Fukui International Activities Plaza

International

Fukui is twinned with:[13]

Sister Cities
CityCountryStatesince
New Brunswick United States New Jersey May, 1982
Fullerton United States California November, 1989
Friendship Cities
CityCountryStatesince
Hangzhou China Zhejiang November, 1989
Suwon South Korea Gyeonggi April, 2001

National
Sister Cities
CityPrefectureregionsince
Kumamoto Kumamoto Kyūshū region November, 1994
Friendship cities
CityPrefectureregionsince
Yūki Ibaraki Kantō region April, 2002
Partnership cities
CityPrefectureregionsince
Nagano Nagano Chūbu region August 9, 2013

Economy
Fukui Prefecture Agricultural Cooperatives
Fisheries Cooperative Association of FukuiCity

The economy of Fukui is mixed. The city is a regional commercial and finance centre; however, manufacturing, agriculture and commercial fishing also are contributors to the local economy.

Agriculture
Japan Agricultural Cooperatives（JA）
  • Fukui Prefecture Agricultural Cooperatives（JA FukuiPrefecture）

Fishing industry
Japan Fisheries cooperative（JF）
  • FukuiCity Fisheries cooperative（JF FukuiCity）

Manufacturing industry

Fukui is home to several companies, including:

  • Matsuura Machinery, an international heavy machinery manufacturing company[14]
  • Morinaga Hokuriku Dairy, a dairy products subsidiary of Morinaga Milk Industry
  • Kumagai Gumi, a large general construction company, was founded and has its registered head office in the city.[15]

Service industry
  • Emori Shoji, a trading house with strong ties to China
  • Keifuku Bus

Education
University of Fukui

Universities and colleges
  • Fukui Prefectural University
  • University of Fukui
  • Fukui University of Technology
  • Jin-ai Women's College
  • Fukui College of Health Sciences

Secondary schools
  • Fujishima Senior High School
  • Koshi Senior High School
  • Fukui Commercial Senior High School
  • Usui Senior High School
  • Asuwa Senior High School
  • Michimori Senior High School
  • Kagaku-Gijutsu Senior High School
  • Fukui Norin Senior High School
  • Hokuriku Senior High School
  • Fukui University of Technology - Fukui Senior High School
  • Jin-ai Girl's Senior High School
  • Keishin Senior High School
  • Fukui Minami Senior High School

Other schools
  • Fukui Prefectural School for the Blind
  • Fukui Prefectural School for the Deaf
  • A North Korean school: Hokuriku Korean Elementary and Junior High School (北陸朝鮮初中級学校).[16]

Transport
Fukui Station
Fukui Railway Fukubu Line
Fukui-kita IC
（Hokuriku Expressway）
Port of Takasu

High-speed rail
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Hokuriku Shinkansen： (under construction)

Conventional lines
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
  • Hokuriku Main Line：Echizen-Hanandō - (Minami-Fukui Freight Terminal) - Fukui - Morita
  • Etsumi-Hoku Line (Kuzuryū Line)：Echizen-Hanandō - Rokujō - Asuwa - Echizen-Tōgō - Ichijōdani - Echizen-Takada - Ichinami - Kowashōzu - Miyama - Echizen-Yakushi - Echizen-Ōmiya - Hakariishi
Fukui Railway
  • Fukubu Line：Sanjūhassha - Taichō no Sato - Asōzu - Harmony Hall - Seimei - Ebata - Bell-mae - Hanandō - Sekijūjimae - Shokokaigisho-mae - Asuwayama-Koenguchi - Fukui Castle Ruins-daimyomachi - Jin'ai Joshikōkō - Tawaramachi
Echizen Railway
  • Mikuni Awara： Fukui - Shin-Fukui - Fukuiguchi - Matsumoto Machiya - Nishi-Betsuin - Tawaramachi - Fukudaimae-Nishi-Fukui - Nikkakagaku-Mae - Yatsushima - Nittazuka - Nakatsuno - Jin'ai Ground-Mae - Washizuka-Haribara
  • Katsuyama Eiheiji Line： Fukui - Shin-Fukui - Fukuiguchi - Echizen-Kaihotsu - Echizen-Shinbo - Oiwakeguchi - Higashi-Fujishima - Echizen-Shimabashi

Expressways
  • Hokuriku Expressway

Japan National Route
  • National Route 8
  • National Route 158
  • National Route 305
  • National Route 364
  • National Route 416

Sea Port
  • Port of Takasu

Visitor attractions
Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins
  • Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins, one of the most important cultural heritage sites in Japan
  • Yōkōkan Garden
  • Fukui Castle
  • Fukui Fine Arts Museum
  • Kitanosho Castle
  • Asuwa River
  • Harmony Hall Fukui
  • Fukui International Activities Plaza
  • "Yoroppaken", creator of Fukui's trademark dish, sauce katsudon (ソースカツ丼)
  • Peace Pagoda, the second of its kind in the world, inaugurated in 1959
  • Yōkōkan Garden
  • The Yōkōkan Kantei
  • Fukui Castle
  • Fukui District Court
  • Fukui International Activities Plaza
  • Harmony Hall Fukui
  • Koshino beach

Culture

Baseball
  • Fukui Wild Raptors（BC.League）

Handball
  • Hokuriku Electric Power Company Blue Thunder（JHL）

Soccer
  • Fukui United FC（Hokushinetsu Football League）
  • Fukui Phoenix Stadium
  • Fukui Prefectural Gymnasium
  • Technoport Fukui Stadium
  • Fukui Prefectural sports Park（9.98 Stadium）
  • Fukui Velodrome

References
  1. Official home page
  2. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  3. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  4. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  5. "Asakura Yoshikage". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  6. "朝倉 義景" [Asakura Yoshikage]. Nihon Jinmei Daijiten (日本人名大辞典) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  7. "朝倉 義景" [Asakura Yoshikage]. Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  8. "朝倉 義景" [Asakura Yoshikage]. Kokushi Daijiten (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 683276033. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  9. "朝倉義景" [Asakura Yoshikage]. Dijitaru Daijisen (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. OCLC 56431036. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
  10. Turnbull, Stephen (1987). Battles of the Samurai. Arms and Armour Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0853688266.
  11. "Ichijodani Asakura Family Site Museum". Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  12. "平成31年4月 中核市『福井市』誕生！". Official website of Fukui. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  13. "市政情報". city.fukui.lg.jp (in Japanese). Fukui. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  14. "Company Profile". Matsuura Machinery. Retrieved on May 7, 2019.
  15. "Corporate Profile Archived 2017-12-09 at the Wayback Machine." Kumagai Gumi. Retrieved on August 31, 2017."
  16. "Archived copy". www.hks35.ac.jp. Archived from the original on 21 November 2003. Retrieved 11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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