Itami (Japanese: 伊丹市, romanized: Itami-shi, lit. 'Itami City') is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2018,[update] the city had an estimated population of 197,335 and a population density of 7,865/km2 (20,370/sq mi).[1][2] The total area is 25.09 km2 (9.69 sq mi).[1][2] Itami sits on the Hankyū Itami Line and the JR Takarazuka Line (also known as the Fukuchiyama Line).
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Itami
伊丹市 | |
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City | |
![]() Flag ![]() Chapter | |
![]() Location of Itami in Hyōgo Prefecture | |
![]() ![]() Itami Location in Japan | |
Coordinates: 34°47′N 135°24′E[1] | |
Country | Japan |
Region | Kansai |
Prefecture | Hyōgo Prefecture |
Government | |
• Mayor | Yasuyuki Fujiwara |
Area | |
• Total | 25.09 km2 (9.69 sq mi) |
Population (1 May 2018) | |
• Total | 197,335[2] |
• Density | 7,865/km2 (20,370/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
City hall address | 1-1 Senzo, Itami-shi, Hyōgo-ken 664-8503 |
Website | www |
Symbols | |
Bird | Mallard (male)[3] |
Flower | Azalea |
The hilly area is called the Itami plateau, between the Ina River and the Muko River in the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture.[1] Rice cultivation was done in the area from ancient times.
Itama has also been called Inano because from the southern part of Itami to the northern part of Amagasaki, there are burial mounds called kofun (古墳, lit. ''ancient tomb''), such as the Gogadzuka Kofun (御願塚古墳)[4] and Kashiwagi Kofun, which were built during the Kofun period. Many waka (和歌) that wrote "Inano" can be found in the waka collection woven from the Nara period to the Heian period. Among the most famous are the waka written by Daini no Sanmi (大弐三位). In the northern part of Itami, there is a historic site of a Buddhist temple, called the Itami Ruined Temple Site, from the Nara period to the Kamakura period.
The center of Itami became a wealthy town by the middle of Sengoku period. It was named Itami-go (lit. ''town of Itami'') and known as the only Japanese town within a castle, since Japanese castles were usually located far from domestic areas. Itami-go was a part of Castle Arioka, which Araki Murashige ruled under Oda Nobunaga. After the uprising and defeat of Araki, the castle was torn down.
Today's city was established on 10 November 1940. Great portions of the city were damaged in the Great Hanshin–Awaji earthquake of 1995, but were quickly rebuilt.
Most of Osaka International Airport is located in Itami (hence its common name "Itami Airport"); it is Osaka's primary domestic airport, after all international flights and some domestic flights shifted to Kansai International Airport in 1994. Despite the airport's association with Itami, the terminal complex is located in the neighboring city of Toyonaka and the Itami city center is connected to the airport only by a long tunnel that passes beneath the runway and tarmac.
The city is also famous for Koyaike Park,[1] which features a large model of the Japanese archipelago set in a circular pond. The park is a frequent sight for passengers on flights into Itami Airport. Moreover, Itami is one of the important sake-brewing cities in Japan.[1] Itami City states that it was a place where sake, particularly seishu (清酒), was invented.[1]
Itami is located in the southeast of Hyōgo prefecture, with the Ina River east and the Muko River west.[1] The city area is a flat, undulating gentle terrain throughout.[1] JR West Japan JR Takarazuka Line (also known as the Fukuchiyama Line) and Hankyū Itami Line traverse north and south. It is roughly 10 km (6.2 mi) from Osaka and contacts Kawanishi in the north, Takarazuka in the northwest, Nishinomiya and Amagasaki in the southwest, and Ikeda and Toyonaka in the east.[1] In Hyōgo prefecture, the population density is the second highest following Amagasaki in the south neighbor.
The history of sake brewing in Itami is very old, having been done since the Muromachi period. In the Itami area, a method of brewing clear and colorless Japanese rice wine, now known as sake, was discovered.[1] In the Edo period, the sake brewed in Itami was popular.[1] Sake remains a significant contributor to the local economy.[1]
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There is a North Korean school in Itami: Itami Korean Elementary School (伊丹朝鮮初級学校).[5]
The following is a list of major landmarks in Itami:
たみまるの特徴・設定[:] カモ科の水鳥「マガモ」の雄がモチーフ。 [Characteristics and setting of Tamimaru: The motif of the male of the water bird 'Mallard' of the duck family.]
Kakimori* Bunko is a museum-library for the Kakimori Collection, one of the world's three** major collections of haiku poetry and painting. It was founded in November 1984. The collection itself was assembled by the late Professor Rihei Okada (1892–1982), an honorary citizen of Itami and authority on Japanese classical literature.
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