Iga, Mie Prefecture, Kansai Region, Japan

🇯🇵 ga (伊賀市, Iga-shi) is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 August 2021, the city had an estimated population density of 160 persons per km². The total area of the city is 558.23 square km (215.53 sq mi).

Geography Iga is located in north-western Mie Prefecture. The north-eastern part of the city is in the Suzuka Mountains, and the north-western part is in the Shigaraki Plateau. The south-western of the city is the Yamato Highlands, and the south-eastern portion is a basin surrounded by the Nunobiki Mountains. The area is very hilly. Since it is on the upper reaches of the Kizu River, which belongs to the Yodo River system, and borders on Shiga, Nara, and Kyoto prefectures, although Mie prefecture is classified as part of the Tōkai region, the Iga region, including Nabari city, is designated as part of the Kansai region.

Neighboring municipalities Mie Prefecture • Kameyama • Tsu • Nabari; Shiga Prefecture • Kōka; Kyoto Prefecture • Minamiyamashiro; Nara Prefecture • Nara • Yamazoe.

Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Iga has remained relatively constant over the past 60 years.

History The area around the modern city of Iga corresponds to a portion of ancient Iga Province. The area was noted in the Sengoku period as one of the centres for ninjutsu. From around the 1460s until 1581, the province of Iga was an effectively autonomous confederation governed by a council of local ninja families. The town developed in the Edo period under the Tokugawa Shogunate as a castle town under Iga Ueno Castle. Iga is known as the birthplace of the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō and the home of the ninja Hattori Hanzō.

The town of Ueno was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to city status on September 10, 1941. On November 1, 2004 Ueno merged with the towns of Iga and Ayama, the villages of Shimagahara and Ōyamada (all from Ayama District); and the town of Aoyama (from Naga District) to form the city of Iga.

Government Iga has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Iga contributes two members to the Mie Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Mie 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy Iga is traditionally known as a centre for Kumihimo, a traditional braiding art, with several artisans still in activity. The city is a regional commercial centre and the local economy is dominated by agriculture and seasonal tourism. Since Iga is geographically located between Osaka and Nagoya, the number of factories located along the Meihan National Highway is increasing, especially due to the convenience of logistics.

Education Iga has 19 public elementary schools and ten public middle schools operated by the city government and three public high schools operated by the Mie Prefectural Department of Education. The city also has two private high schools and one combined private middle/high school.

International schools • Colégio Positivo - Brazilian primary school, founded in 2013.

Transport: Rail JR West – Kansai Main Line • Tsuge - Shindō - Sanagu - Iga-Ueno - Shimagahara; JR West – Kusatsu Line • Tsuge; Kintetsu Railway – Osaka Line • Iga-Kambe - Aoyamachō - Iga-Kōzu - Nishi-Aoyama; ■ Iga Railway – Iga Line • Iga-Ueno - Nii - Nishi-Ōte - Uenoshi - Hirokōji - Kayamachi - Kuwamachi - Idamichi - Ichibe - Inako - Maruyama - Uebayashi - Hido - Iga-Kambe.

Transport: Road • Meihan Expressway • National Route 25 • National Route 163 • National Route 165 • National Route 368 • National Route 422.

Local attractions Two of Iga's main tourist attractions are the Iga Ueno Castle and the Iga-ryū Ninja Museum (the area around the city being the historical home of the famous Iga Ninja). There is also an annual Iga Ueno Ninja Festa ninja festival (April 1 to May 6).

Other not so well known attractions include: • Otogitoge Pass is one pass that Tokugawa Ieyasu passed over as he hurriedly crossed Iga to return to Okazaki, helped along by the people of Iga and Koka, during the Honnoji War. • Momochi Fortress is the fortress of Momochi Tanbanomikami, who is said to be one of the three great ninja, and nearby is Seiunzenji, where his grave is located. • Sainenji Temple is a Jodoshu (Pure Land) temple and is the burial place of Fujibayashi Samujiyasutake, the author of one of the great books of ninjutsu, "Bansenshukai". • Fujiwara no Chikata Kutsu is the castle of Fujiwara no Chikata who appears in the Taiheiki, or Records of Great Peace. • A statue of Sonic the Hedgehog which was erected in the 1990s for a Sega World location in Kadoma. The statue's owner died, and it is now owned by their children. It was deteriorating until 2020, when the owners finally restored it. • One of the last operational examples of a first generation Yamaha Music Siren is located on top of the Iga City Hall and can be heard playing music at set times throughout the day. The siren uses a system of dampers around ten choppers, each with different sized holes, in order to produce music. Due to Yamaha ending support for all models of the Music Siren, it has become extremely difficult to find examples still in operation.