Taiwa, Miyagi Prefecture, Tōhoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Taiwa (大和町, Taiwa-chō) is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The town had an estimated population density of 130 persons per km² in 12,016 households. The total area of the town is 225.49 square km (87.06 sq mi).

Geography Taiwa is located in central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered to the south by the metropolis of Sendai. Much of the area of the town is forested.

Neighboring municipalities Miyagi Prefecture • Sendai • Tomiya • Ōsaki • Ōsato • Shikama • Rifu.

History The area of present-day Taiwa was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people. Numerous kofun were built in the area during the Kofun period. During later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate. Yoshioka-juku developed as a major post station on the Ōshū Kaidō during this time. Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Yoshioka was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system.

The town of Taiwa was created on April 20, 1955, as a result of a merger between the town of Yoshioka, and the villages of Miyatoko, Yoshida, Tsurusu, and Ochiai, all within Kurokawa District.

Government Taiwa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 18 members. Taiwa, together with the rest of Kurokawa District and the city of Tomiya collectively contributes two seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Miyagi 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy Taiwa contains a number of industrial parks, and has a strong manufacturing base.

Education • Miyagi University • Taiwa has six public elementary schools and two public high schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transport: Rail Taiwa does not have any passenger railway service.

Transport: Road • Tōhoku Expressway - Taiwa IC • National Route 4 • National Route 47 • National Route 457

Local attractions • Miyatoko Dam • Minamikawa Dam • Yoshioka Hachiman Jinja • Nanatsumori