Tsu, Mie


Tsu is the capital city of Mie Prefecture, Japan.
As of August 2015, the city had an estimated population of 279,304 and a population density of 393 persons per km2. The total area was.

Geography

Tsu is located in east-central Kii Peninsula, in central Mie Prefecture. It stretches the width of Mie Prefecture, and is bordered by Ise Bay on the Pacific Ocean to the east, and Nara Prefecture to the west. Parts of the city are within the limits of the Murō-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park.

Neighboring municipalities

Tsu has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from May to September.

History

Tsu originally developed as a port town known as Anotsu in the Nara and Heian periods. The port was destroyed by a tsunami in the 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake. The town was rebuilt as a castle town and a post station by the Tōdō clan, daimyō of Tsu Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. During the Edo period, it became a popular stopping point for travelers to Ise shrine, about 40 km to the southeast.

Following the Meiji Restoration, it became the capital of Mie Prefecture in 1871. With the establishment of municipalities on April 1, 1889, Tsu was one of the original 31 cities to be proclaimed.
During World War II, Allied air raids on July 24 and July 28, 1945, destroyed most of the city and killed 1,239 people
On January 1, 2006, the neighboring city of Hisai, the towns of Anō, Geinō and Kawage, and the village of Misato, the towns of Hakusan, Ichishi and Karasu, and the village of Misugi were merged into Tsu. As a result of the merger, the city became the second largest in Mie by population behind Yokkaichi, and the largest in Mie by area ahead of Matsusaka.

Economy

, a confectionery company, and ZTV, a cable television operator, are headquartered in Tsu.

Education

Colleges and universities

Rail

Tsu is famous for its Tōjin Odori, a festival commemorating the arrival of the Joseon Tongsinsa delegation from Korea during the feudal period. There are two other cities that celebrate Tōjin Odori: Suzuka city in Mie Prefecture and Ushimado-chō in Okayama Prefecture.
The ruins of Tsu Castle have been made into a downtown city park.
Kitabatake Shrine and Yūki Shrine are notable local Shinto shrines.

Notable people