Naruto, Tokushima

Naruto is located in the northeastern tip of Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It is bordered by the Seto Inland Sea to the north and the Kii Channel to the east and faces Awaji Island across the Naruto Strait, which is famous for its whirlpools. The city is located in the easternmost part of the Sanuki Mountains.

Kagawa Prefecture

• Higashikagawa

Tokushima Prefecture

• Itano
• Kitajima
• Matsushige

Naruto has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Naruto is 16.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1637 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 6.3 °C.[https://en.climate-data.org/asia/japan/tokushima-prefecture/naruto-3794/ Naruto climate data] Due to the Seto Inland Sea climate, rainfall is low despite being in Tokushima Prefecture.On August 6, 1923, a temperature of 42.5 °C, which was the highest recorded temperature in Japan for many decades, was unofficially recorded in Naruto.

Per Japanese census data,[https://www.citypopulation.de/php/japan-tokushima.php Naruto population statistics] the population of Naruto has remained relatively steady over the past 50 years. In the quinquennial census of June 1, 2019, the city had a population of 56,222 (2005: 63,200).{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.go.jp/data/kokusei/2010/jinsoku/zuhyou/jinsoku.xls |title=2010 census |publisher=Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications |access-date=29 April 2011}}

{{Historical populations

| 1920 | 50574

| 1930 | 53390

| 1940 | 52084

| 1950 | 68080

| 1960 | 62827

| 1970 | 60634

| 1980 | 63423

| 1990 | 64575

| 2000 | 64620

| 2010 | 61522

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

As with all of Tokushima Prefecture, the area of Naruto was part of ancient Awa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tokushima Domain ruled by the Hachisuka clan from their seat at Tokushima Castle. The villages of Seto (瀬戸村), Naruto (鳴門村), Muya (撫養村), and Satoura (里浦村) were established within Itano District, Tokushima with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. Seto became a town on November 1, 1938, Naruto on April 1, 1940, and Muya on March 15, 1947. The four municipalities merged on March 15, 1947, to form the city of Narunan (鳴南市), which was renamed Naruto two months later on May 15, 1947.

Naruto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Naruto contributes three members to the Tokushima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Tokushima 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Naruto has a mixed economy of agriculture, commercial fishing, food processing and pharmaceuticals. In the past, the salt industry was thriving. Naruto was the origin of the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Group and the Naruto Salt Industry, both of which still have a number of facilities in the city.

Naruto has 13 public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Tokushima Prefectural Department of Education. The Naruto University of Education is located in the city.

22 px Shikoku Railway Company – Kōtoku Line

• {{STN|Ikenotani|x}} - {{STN|Bandō|x}}

22 px Shikoku Railway Company – Naruto Line

• {{STN|Ikenotani|x}} - {{STN|Awa-Ōtani|x}} - {{STN|Tatsumichi|x}} - {{STN|Kyōkaimae|x}} - {{STN|Konpiramae|x}} - {{STN|Muya|x}} - {{STN|Naruto|x}}

• File:JP Expressway E11.svg Tokushima Expressway
• File:JP Expressway E28.svg Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|11}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|28}}

• {{flagicon|GER}} Lüneburg, Germany, since 1974
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Qingdao, China, friendship city since 1999
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China, friendship city since 2011
• {{flagicon|BAN}} Narayanganj, Bangladesh, since 2023

• Bandō prisoner-of-war camp, National Historic Site
• Gokuraku-ji, 2nd temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage
• Naruto whirlpools{{cite web |url=http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/tokushima/naruto.html |title=Naruto |publisher=Japan National Tourism Organization |access-date=29 April 2011}}
• Ōasahiko Jinja, ichinomiya of Awa Province
• Ōnaruto Bridge
• Ōtsuka Museum of Art{{cite web |url=http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/attractions/facilities/art_museums/83dn3a000000hd27.html |title=Otsuka Museum of Art |publisher=Japan National Tourism Organization |access-date=29 April 2011}}
• Ryōzen-ji, 1st temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage
• Tōrin-in

File:Big Naruto Bridge04n3872.jpg|Ōnaruto Bridge

File:The Otsuka Museum of Art20s3203-B-T.jpg|Ōtsuka Museum of Art

File:140712 Baruto-no-niwa in Bando Naruto Tokushima pref Japan02n.jpg|The museum of the history of Bandō prisoner-of-war camp "Baruto-no-niwa"

File:Naruto Whirlpools taken 4-21-2008.jpg|Naruto whirlpools

Naruto has the home stadium of professional football team Tokushima Vortis and of baseball team Tokushima Indigo Socks.

• Ōtani-yaki

• Akihito Shimizu, Japanese sport shooter

{{reflist}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• {{Osmrelation-inline|4058118}}
• {{Official website|http://www.city.naruto.tokushima.jp|Naruto City official website}} {{in lang|ja}}
• {{Official website|http://www.city.naruto.tokushima.jp/contents/foreign/english/index.html|Naruto City official website}} {{in lang|en}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100904125626/http://www.domo.com/kitaro/kukai.php Kitaro Shikoku Peace Bell Project]

{{Tokushima}}

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Category:Cities in Tokushima Prefecture

Category:Populated coastal places in Japan