Mihara, Hiroshima

Mihara is located in south-central Hiroshima Prefecture. It faces the Seto Inland Sea to the south, and part of the coastline forms part of the Setonaikai National Park. The origin of the name of "Mihara" is from the alluvial fans of Yubara, Komagahara, and Konishihara Rivers. The Numata River, a second-class river that originates from the Kamo plateau of Higashihiroshima City, flows through the center of the city, and the central urban area flourishes at its mouth. Most of the current central city area is reclaimed land, and steep mountains approach the coastline, while the northern part is a highland area with an elevation of 400 meters or more at the southern tip of Kibi Plateau, and the western part is mostly hilly.

Hiroshima Prefecture

• Higashihiroshima
• Onomichi
• Sera
• Takehara

Mihara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by cool to mild winters and hot, humid summers. The average annual temperature in Mihara is {{convert|14.2|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|1374.6|mm}} with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{convert|25.9|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{convert|2.9|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Mihara was {{cvt|36.3|C}} on 24 July 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-9.4|C}} on 16 January 2011.

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Hiroshima Airport, Mihara (2003−2020 normals, extremes 2003−present)

|Jan record high C = 14.6

|Feb record high C = 19.3

|Mar record high C = 22.0

|Apr record high C = 27.3

|May record high C = 29.4

|Jun record high C = 32.1

|Jul record high C = 36.3

|Aug record high C = 35.8

|Sep record high C = 34.9

|Oct record high C = 28.7

|Nov record high C = 24.9

|Dec record high C = 19.6

|Jan record low C = -9.4

|Feb record low C = -8.3

|Mar record low C = -4.7

|Apr record low C = -0.6

|May record low C = 3.5

|Jun record low C = 10.7

|Jul record low C = 15.4

|Aug record low C = 15.8

|Sep record low C = 10.9

|Oct record low C = 4.1

|Nov record low C = -2.2

|Dec record low C = -7.2

|Jan high C = 7.2

|Feb high C = 8.5

|Mar high C = 12.2

|Apr high C = 17.7

|May high C = 22.6

|Jun high C = 25.2

|Jul high C = 28.6

|Aug high C = 30.4

|Sep high C = 26.6

|Oct high C = 21.2

|Nov high C = 15.3

|Dec high C = 9.3

|Jan mean C = 2.9

|Feb mean C = 3.9

|Mar mean C = 7.2

|Apr mean C = 12.6

|May mean C = 17.6

|Jun mean C = 21.0

|Jul mean C = 24.6

|Aug mean C = 25.9

|Sep mean C = 22.3

|Oct mean C = 16.7

|Nov mean C = 11.0

|Dec mean C = 5.2

|Jan low C = -0.9

|Feb low C = -0.1

|Mar low C = 2.5

|Apr low C = 7.8

|May low C = 13.1

|Jun low C = 17.5

|Jul low C = 21.6

|Aug low C = 22.7

|Sep low C = 19.0

|Oct low C = 13.1

|Nov low C = 7.2

|Dec low C = 1.4

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 33.4

|Feb precipitation mm = 53.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 88.0

|Apr precipitation mm = 115.3

|May precipitation mm = 133.4

|Jun precipitation mm = 189.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 240.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 140.6

|Sep precipitation mm = 152.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 105.6

|Nov precipitation mm = 64.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 57.2

|year precipitation mm = 1374.6

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 4.8

|Feb precipitation days = 7.4

|Mar precipitation days = 9.0

|Apr precipitation days = 9.3

|May precipitation days = 8.7

|Jun precipitation days = 10.4

|Jul precipitation days = 10.9

|Aug precipitation days = 7.7

|Sep precipitation days = 8.7

|Oct precipitation days = 6.9

|Nov precipitation days = 6.1

|Dec precipitation days = 6.4

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=67&block_no=1472&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = May 14, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=67&block_no=1472&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = May 14, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data, the population of Mihara in 2020 is 90,573 people. Mihara has been conducting censuses since 1960.

{{Historical populations

| 1950 | 111480

| 1955 | 112720

| 1960 | 109641

| 1965 | 108059

| 1970 | 106376

| 1975 | 107602

| 1980 | 109236

| 1985 | 111108

| 1990 | 110524

| 1995 | 108617

| 2000 | 106229

| 2005 | 104196

| 2010 | 100449

| 2015 | 96194

| 2020 | 90573

|align = none

| footnote = Mihara population statistics[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/japan/hiroshima/ Mihara population statistics]

}}

The Mihara area is part of ancient Aki Province and has been settled since prehistoric times. The area has many burial mounds from the Kofun period. During the Sengoku Period, Mihara developed as a jōkamachi around Mihara Castle, the stronghold of Kobayakawa Takakage from 1582. Following the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, Fukushima Masanori was granted Aki Province, which he ruled from Hiroshima Castle; Mihara Castle has retained as a branch castle. In 1619, his holdings were divided between Fukuyama Domain and Hiroshima Domain, with Mihara becoming part of the holdings of the Asano clan of Hiroshima. Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Mihara was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Mihara merged with the town of Itozaki and several neighboring villages to become the city of Mihara on November 15, 1936.

On March 22, 2005, the town of Daiwa (from Kamo District), the town of Kui (from Mitsugi District), and the town of Hongō (from Toyota District) were merged into Mihara.

Mihara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 25 members. Mihara, collectively with the town of Sera, contributes three members to the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly.

In terms of national politics, Mihara is part of the Hiroshima 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.{{Cite web |date=2022-11-28 |title=公職選挙法の一部を改正する法律 |url=https://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_housei.nsf/html/housei/21020221128089.htm |access-date=2025-02-04 |publisher=Shugiin}}

Mihara is a key point of transportation in Hiroshima Prefecture, with major transportation infrastructure, such as the Sanyo Shinkansen, Sanyo Main Line, Mihara Port, Hiroshima Airport, and Sanyo Expressway. The city is a center for heavy industry, with metallurgical and chemical-related companies in the coastal areas, and electronic equipment-related companies in the inland industrial parks. In terms of agriculture, citrus fruits are grown in coastal areas, and paddy rice and fruit trees are cultivated in mountainous areas.

Mihara has 20 public elementary schools, and ten public junior high schools operated by the city government, and three public high schools operated by the Hiroshima Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the disabled. There is also one national elementary school, one national junior high schools. two private junior high schools and two private high schools.

The Prefectural University of Hiroshima has a campus in Mihara.

• Hiroshima Airport

{{ric|JR West|Sanyo Shinkansen|name=}} JR West – San'yō Shinkansen

• {{STN|Mihara|x}}

File:JR logo (west).svg JR West (JR West) - San'yō Main Line

• {{STN| Itozaki|x}} - {{STN|Mihara|x}} - {{STN|Hongō|x|Hiroshima}}

File:JR logo (west).svg JR West (JR West) - Kure Line

• {{STN|Mihara|x}} - {{STN|Sunami|x}} - {{STN| Akisaizaki|x}}

• File:JP Expressway E2.svg San'yō Expressway
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|2}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|185}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|432}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|486}}

• Mihara Port
• Onomichi-itozaki Port
• Sagi Port
• Sunami Port

• {{flagicon|New Zealand}} – Palmerston North, New Zealand
• {{flagicon|Japan}} – Yugawara, Kanagawa, Japan

File:やっさ祭り2.jpg

• Mihara Castle, National Historic Site
• Niitakayama Castle - A castle ruin, one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles.{{cite web|url= http://jokaku.jp/japan-top-100-castles/best-100-castles-of-japan-2nd-selection/ |title=続日本100名城 |publisher=日本城郭協会|language=ja|access-date=25 July 2019}}
• Takayama Castle

• Buttsū-ji – Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage #12
• Daizen-ji

• Mitsugi-hachimangu

• Mihara Shinmeiichi Festival
• Mihara Yassa Matsuri
• Satsuki Matsuri

• Kobayakawa Takakage
• Fukushima Masanori
• Lady Kasuga
• Inaba Masanari

• Keiko Ikeda, former Japanese gymnast and Bronze medalist of 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
• Ryuji Imada, professional golfer
• Yoshihisa Ishida (石田義久), shot putter
• Masatoshi Kawahara, manga artist
• Leyona, singer and songwriter
• Choji Murata (村田兆治), baseball player
• Hisatoshi Shintaku, long-distance runner
• Toshiko Shirasu-Aihara, former Japanese gymnast and Bronze medalist of 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
• Satoshi Urushihara, manga artist

A small island off the coast of Sagishima, called Sukune, was the location of Kaneto Shindo's film The Naked Island released in 1960.{{cite web|url=http://mihara-kankou.com/kanko/mihara_sagishima.html |title=A tourist guide to Sagishima |language=Japanese |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606204136/http://mihara-kankou.com/kanko/mihara_sagishima.html |archivedate=2012-06-06 }} Director Shindo and his wife Nobuko Otowa both had their ashes scattered on the island.{{cite news|url=http://www.asahi.com/showbiz/nikkan/NIK201206010006.html|publisher=Nikkan Sports|title=Shindo Kaneto Kantoku "Hadaka no Shima" Sankotsu e}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• [http://www.city.mihara.hiroshima.jp Mihara City official website] {{in lang|ja}}

{{Hiroshima}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Hiroshima Prefecture

Category:Mihara, Hiroshima

Category:Port settlements in Japan

Category:Populated coastal places in Japan