Kōka, Shiga

Coordinates: 34°58′N 136°10′E / 34.967°N 136.167°E / 34.967; 136.167
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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 / 34.967°N 136.167°E / 34.967; 136.167
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

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).

Geography[edit]

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[edit]

Shiga Prefecture

Kyoto Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

Climate[edit]

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
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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

Railway[edit]

JR WestKusatsu Line

Ohmi RailwayMain Line

Shigaraki Kōgen Railway - Shigaraki Line

Highway[edit]

Sister city relations[edit]

Local attractions[edit]

Noted people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kōka city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ Kōka climate data
  3. ^ Kōka population statistics
  4. ^ Ancient Warfare : Shinobi Ninjas and Kung Fu Shaolin Monks FULL DOCUMENTARIES. April 20, 2015 – via YouTube.

External links[edit]