Sagae, Yamagata Prefecture, Tōhoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Sagae (寒河江市) is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Sagae is located in the Yamagata Basin in the geographic centre of Yamagata Prefecture. The Asahi Mountains and Dewa Mountains form its western border, and the Mogami River forms the eastern border of the city.

Neighboring municipalities: • Yamagata Prefecture ◦ Murayama ◦ Tendo ◦ Kahoku ◦ Ōe ◦ Nishikawa ◦ Nakayama ◦ Ōkura.

The area of present-day Sagae was part of ancient Dewa Province, and has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous archaeological findings from the Japanese Paleolithic through the Kofun periods. In the late Heian through Kamakura periods, it was a shōen under the control of the Ōe clan. The Ōe were destroyed by the Mogami clan in the Sengoku period, who were in turn destroyed by the Tokugawa shogunate in the early Edo period. The territory was administered as tenryō under direct control of the shogunate until the Meiji Restoration, and was briefly a battleground in the Boshin War. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Nishimurayama District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Sagae was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system, and was raised to town status on January 7, 1893. It became a city on August 1, 1954.

Economy The economy of Sagae is primarily based on agriculture and food processing, including make sake breweries.

Education Sagae has ten public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education.

Transport: Rail East Japan Railway Company - Aterazawa Line • Minami-Sagae - Sagae - Nishi-Sagae - Uzen-Takamatsu - Shibahashi

Transport: Road • Yamagata Expressway: Sagae interchange; Sagae parking area (ETC exit gate) • National Route 112 • National Route 287 • National Route 347 • National Route 458

Local attractions • Sagae is famous for its Cherryland tourist attraction. Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries in Japan. • Jion-ji temple, National Historic Site