Taiwa, Miyagi

Not to be confused with Taiwan.

Taiwa (大和町, Taiwa-chō) is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 May 2020, the town had an estimated population of 28,436, and a population density of 130 persons per km² in 12,016 households. The total area of the town is 225.49 square kilometres (87.06 sq mi).

Taiwa 大和町
Town
Nanatsu Mori Forest, Omatsuzawa, Sasakurayama, Miyatoko Dam, Minamikawa Dam
Flag Seal
Location of Taiwa in Miyagi Prefecture
Taiwa
Coordinates: 38°26′14.4″N 140°53′10.9″E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
District	Kurokawa
Area
• Total	225.49 km2 (87.06 sq mi)
Population  (May 31, 2020)
• Total	28,436
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Maple
- Flower	Azalea
Phone number	022-345-1111
Address	1-1 Yoshioka Nishi-Enoki, Taiwa-chō, Kurokawa-gun, Miyagi-ken 981-3680
Website	Official website

Taiwa Town Hall

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

• Ōsaki
• Ōsato
• Rifu
• Sendai
• Shikama
• Tomiya

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by cool summers and long cold winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Taiwa is 11.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1292 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Taiwa has grown over the past 50 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	12,960	—
1930	13,882	+7.1%
1940	14,872	+7.1%
1950	19,206	+29.1%
1960	20,163	+5.0%
1970	18,028	−10.6%
1980	18,662	+3.5%
1990	18,814	+0.8%
2000	24,419	+29.8%
2010	28,244	+15.7%
2020	28,786	+1.9%

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.

Transportation

Railway

Taiwa does not have any passenger railway service.

Highway

• Tōhoku Expressway - Taiwa IC
• National Route 4
• National Route 47
• National Route 457

Local attractions

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

External links

Media related to Taiwa, Miyagi at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)