Sado, Niigata
From Free net encyclopedia
| Sado City (佐渡市) | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chubu region |
| Prefecture | Niigata Prefecture |
| Area | 854.97 km² |
| Population | 69,546 as of March 1, 2005 |
| Density | 81.34 per km² |
| City symbols | |
| Tree | Thujopsis |
| Flower | Liquorice |
| Bird | Ibis |
| Fish | Yellowtail |
| Sado City Hall | |
| Address | 〒952-1292 |
| Niigata-ken, Sado-shi, Chigusa 232 banchi | |
| Phone | 0259-63-3111 |
| External link | City Hall link |
| Coordinates | Template:Coor dms |
- This article addresses both the city of Sado and Sado Island
Sado (佐渡市, -shi) is a city located on Sado Island (佐渡島 or 佐渡ヶ島, both Sadogashima) in the Chubu region of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Since 2004 the city comprises the entire island, although not all of the 854.6 square kilometer landscape is urbanized. Sado is the sixth largest area island in Japan following Okinawa Island, excluding the Northern Territories.
As of the year 2000 census, the island had 72,173 citizens. The island of Sado has seen a steady decline in population since 1960 when the population was 113,296. Similar trends have been common in other remote locations of Japan after World War II as younger generations move to more urban areas. 32.1% of the island population is over 65 years old, which is a larger ratio than the national average. Over 65 is the only increasing age demographic.
Politically, the city was established on March 1, 2004 in a merger of all cities, towns, and villages on the island: Ryōtsu, Aikawa, Sawata, Kanai, Niibo, Hatano, Mano, Ogi, Hamochi, and Akadomari.
The island has an unhappy but interesting history. It became a place of banishment for difficult or inconvenient Japanese figures. Exile to Sado's harsh winters was a serious punishment, second only to the death penalty, and people were not expected to return. The former Emperor Juntoku was sent to Sado after his role in the Jokyu Disturbance of 1221. The Emperor spent twenty years on the island. The rogue Buddhist monk Nichiren Daishonin was sent to Sado for three years before his 1274 pardon, and the No dramatist Zeami Motokiyo on unspecified charges in 1434.
Sado experienced an economic boom during the Edo era when gold was found at Aikawa. A major source of revenue for the Tokugawa shogunate, the mines were worked in horrific conditions by what amounted to slave labor, consisting of convicts, orphans, and homeless people rounded up from the mainland. Some of these mines are now "filled with animatronic figures showing the misery of life in the mines", according to Wikitravel.
The island formed Sado Province, separate from Echigo Province on Honshu, until the last 19th century, but is now a part of Niigata Prefecture.
Today's Sado is a pleasant summer getaway of green, rolling hills and quaint fishing ports, with a permanent population of just 70,000. The northern half of the island has the mountains, the O-Sado range, with peaks Mt. Kinpoku, Mt. Myoken, Mt. Donden and a network of footpaths. On the O-Sado Skyline road there's a point called Haku-un-dai ("White Cloud Heights"), a vantage point that offers a spectacular view of the entire island.
There's a yearly arts festival run by the taiko group Kodō since 1988. The group lives on the island year-round, reportedly in spartan conditions, preparing for the annual show. Attendance is restricted to 1000 visitors, and these tickets are highly sought.
External links
- Sado Island as host to "Earth Celebration"
- site of the city of sado
- Sado City (in Japanese)
- Wikitravel: Sado Island
- map
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