Maizuru, Kyōto Prefecture, Kansai Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Maizuru (舞鶴市, Maizuru-shi) is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, on an inlet of the Sea of Japan. The city was founded in 1943.

Geography Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Prefecture, facing scenic Maizuru Bay on the Sea of Japan to the north and Fukui Prefecture to the east.

Neighboring municipalities Kyoto Prefecture • Ayabe • Miyazu • Fukuchiyama; Fukui Prefecture • Takahama.

History The area of Maizuru has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and numerous traces of Jomon and Yayoi period settlements have been discovered by archaeologists. The Yura River valley in particular was densely populated, and many kofun burial mounds have been found. The area became part of Tango Province in the Nara period. During the Muromachi period, the Isshiki clan ruled as shugo of the province, but were replaced in the Sengoku period with the Hosokawa clan, who constructed Tanabe Castle, whose nickname "Maizuru Castle" was later adopted as the name of the city. Following the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the entire province of Tango to Kyōgoku Takatomo, who established Miyazu Domain. To ensure the succession of his line, Kyōgoku Takatomo gave 35,000 koku of his holdings to his third son, Kyōgoku Takamitsu, and established a cadet branch of the clan at Tango-Tanabe Domain, based at Maizuru Castle. The Kyōgoku were replaced by a cadet branch of the Makino clan,who ruled until the Meiji restoration in 1871. The town of Maizuru was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The same year, the Maizuru Naval District was created and the associated Maizuru Naval Arsenal for ship basing, construction, and repair was created in 1901. In the Russo-Japanese War, many warships were based there, due to its proximity to the Sea of Japan. Maizuru was raised to city status on August 1, 1938.

After the Second World War, Maizuru was a key port for returning Japanese servicemen and detainees from continental Asia for over 13 years. Today, JMSDF Maizuru Naval Base is a key district headquarters for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Government Maizuru has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 26 members. Maizuru contributes two members to the Kyoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kyoto 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy Maizuru has a mixed economy, with commerce, agriculture, forestry, tourism and commercial fishing all playing major roles. Industry, centered on wood processing and shipbuilding, have declined severely due to overseas competition, but Japan Marine United, a large shipbuilding corporation, has one of its main shipyards in Maizuru.

Education: Universities • National Institute of Technology, Maizuru campus • Kyoto University - Maizuru Fisheries Research Station • Japan Coast Guard School

Primary and secondary education Maizuru has 20 public elementary schools and seven public middle schools operated by the town government and two public high schools operated by the Kyoto Prefectural Department of Education. There is also one private high school.

The community previously had a North Korean school, Maizuru Korean Elementary and Junior High School (舞鶴朝鮮初中級学校).

Transport: Rail JR West – Maizuru Line • Magura - Nishi-Maizuru - Higashi-Maizuru; JR West – Obama Line • Matsunoodera - Higashi-Maizuru; Kyoto Tango Railway – Miyazu Line • Nishi-Maizuru - Shisho - Shinonome - Tango-Kanzaki

Transport: Road • Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway • Kyoto Jūkan Expressway • National Route 27 • National Route 175 • National Route 177 • National Route 178.

Local attractions Maizuru is dotted with sightseeing spots. There is Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum, a commemorative hall which documents the return of half a million servicemen and detainees from Soviet internment, and an observatory which overlooks the Rias seashore of the Maizuru Bay.