Fukui (福井市, Fukui-shi) is the capital cityofFukui Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 March 2024[update], the city had an estimated population of 255,332 in 107,553 households.[1] Its total area is 536.41 square kilometres (207.11 sq mi)[2]and its population density is about 476 persons per km2. Most of the population lives in a small central area; the city limits include rural plains, mountainous areas, and suburban sprawl along the Route 8 bypass.
Fukui
福井市
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Location of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture
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  Fukui
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| Coordinates: 36°3′50.6″N 136°13′10.5″E / 36.064056°N 136.219583°E / 36.064056; 136.219583 | |||||||||
| Country | Japan | ||||||||
| Region | Chūbu (Hokuriku) | ||||||||
| Prefecture | Fukui | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| • - Mayor | Shigeru Saigyō (since December 2023) | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| • Total | 536.41 km2 (207.11 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population
(July 1, 2017)
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| • Total | 264,217 | ||||||||
| • Density | 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi) | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) | ||||||||
| Phone number | 0776-20-5111 | ||||||||
| Address | 3-10-1 Ōte, Fukui-shi, Fukui-ken 910-8511 | ||||||||
| Climate | Cfa | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
| Symbols | |||||||||
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| Flower | Hydrangea | ||||||||
| Tree | Pine | ||||||||
Fukui is located in the coastal plain in north-central part of the prefecture. It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Ryōhaku Mountains to the east. The Kuzuryū River flows through the city.
Fukui has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. Precipitation is high throughout the year, and is especially heavy in December and January.
| Climate data for Fukui (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1897−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.8) |
21.8 (71.2) |
26.2 (79.2) |
32.0 (89.6) |
34.5 (94.1) |
36.4 (97.5) |
38.6 (101.5) |
38.5 (101.3) |
37.7 (99.9) |
32.3 (90.1) |
27.5 (81.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
38.6 (101.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) |
7.8 (46.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
30.4 (86.7) |
32.2 (90.0) |
27.7 (81.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
9.8 (49.6) |
19.4 (66.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
7.2 (45.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
26.1 (79.0) |
27.4 (81.3) |
23.1 (73.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
11.3 (52.3) |
5.9 (42.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) |
0.3 (32.5) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.8 (46.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.7 (74.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
13.1 (55.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −15.1 (4.8) |
−14.3 (6.3) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
1.3 (34.3) |
7.3 (45.1) |
12.8 (55.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
7.7 (45.9) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−15.1 (4.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 284.9 (11.22) |
167.7 (6.60) |
160.7 (6.33) |
137.2 (5.40) |
139.1 (5.48) |
152.8 (6.02) |
239.8 (9.44) |
150.7 (5.93) |
212.9 (8.38) |
153.8 (6.06) |
196.1 (7.72) |
304.0 (11.97) |
2,299.6 (90.54) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 85 (33) |
58 (23) |
14 (5.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
31 (12) |
186 (73) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.5 mm) | 24.3 | 20.0 | 17.4 | 13.3 | 12.0 | 11.9 | 13.5 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 13.4 | 17.5 | 23.5 | 189.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 82 | 78 | 71 | 68 | 68 | 74 | 76 | 73 | 76 | 76 | 78 | 81 | 75 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 65.4 | 88.4 | 136.3 | 172.3 | 191.1 | 146.8 | 155.4 | 205.7 | 151.2 | 154.4 | 114.4 | 72.2 | 1,653.7 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Koshino, Fukui City (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.8 (67.6) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.4 (75.9) |
30.5 (86.9) |
33.6 (92.5) |
34.7 (94.5) |
38.2 (100.8) |
37.6 (99.7) |
36.6 (97.9) |
31.1 (88.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
38.2 (100.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.1 (46.6) |
8.5 (47.3) |
11.9 (53.4) |
17.2 (63.0) |
22.0 (71.6) |
25.0 (77.0) |
29.3 (84.7) |
30.9 (87.6) |
26.8 (80.2) |
21.5 (70.7) |
16.4 (61.5) |
11.1 (52.0) |
19.1 (66.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
13.1 (55.6) |
17.8 (64.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
27.2 (81.0) |
23.4 (74.1) |
18.3 (64.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) |
2.7 (36.9) |
4.8 (40.6) |
9.2 (48.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
18.3 (64.9) |
22.8 (73.0) |
24.3 (75.7) |
20.6 (69.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
5.5 (41.9) |
12.6 (54.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
0.6 (33.1) |
6.9 (44.4) |
10.1 (50.2) |
16.2 (61.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
6.9 (44.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 218.4 (8.60) |
139.8 (5.50) |
156.6 (6.17) |
143.0 (5.63) |
157.6 (6.20) |
157.8 (6.21) |
225.7 (8.89) |
146.7 (5.78) |
230.2 (9.06) |
166.1 (6.54) |
173.6 (6.83) |
253.8 (9.99) |
2,169.4 (85.41) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 23.6 | 18.3 | 15.5 | 12.0 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 12.4 | 8.7 | 11.8 | 11.8 | 15.7 | 23.0 | 175.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 46.2 | 72.7 | 132.9 | 176.3 | 194.2 | 145.9 | 163.9 | 215.4 | 150.4 | 138.8 | 96.7 | 53.8 | 1,587.3 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][5] | |||||||||||||
Fukui PrefecturePer Japanese census data, the population of Fukui has remained relatively steady over the past 40 years.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1873 | 39,784 | — |
| 1970 | 231,901 | +482.9% |
| 1980 | 259,638 | +12.0% |
| 1990 | 270,911 | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 269,557 | −0.5% |
| 2010 | 266,796 | −1.0% |
| 2020 | 262,328 | −1.7% |
| Source: Fukui population statistics, Japanese Imperial Commission [1] (1873) | ||
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2018)
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Fukui originally consisted of the old provincesofWakasa and Echizen, before the prefecture was formed in 1871.[6]
During the Edo period, the daimyō of the region was surnamed Matsudaira, and was a descendant of Tokugawa Ieyasu.[7]
In 1471, Asakura had displaced the Shiba clan as the shugo military commander of Echizen Province.[8] The same year, Asakura Toshikage (1428–1481) fortified the Ichijōdani by constructing hilltop fortifications on the surrounding mountains and constructing walls and gates to seal off the northern and southern end of the valley. Within this area, he contracted a fortified mansion, surrounded by the homes of his relatives and retainers, and eventually by the residences of merchants and artisans, and Buddhist temples. He offered refuge to people of culture or skills from Kyoto attempting to escape the conflict of the Ōnin War, and the Ichijōdani became a major cultural, military, and population center, and by the time of Asakura Takakage (1493–1548) it had a peak population of over 10,000 inhabitants. Yoshikage succeeded his father as head of the Asakura clan and castle lord of Ichijōdani Castle in 1548.[9][10]
The Asakura maintained good relations with the Ashikaga shogunate, and thus eventually came into conflict with Oda Nobunaga. Following Nobunaga's capture of Kyoto, Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki appointed Asakura Yoshikage as regent and requested aid in driving Nobunaga out of the capital.[11] As a result, Nobunaga launched an invasion of Echizen Province. Due to Yoshikage's lack of military skill, Nobunaga's forces were successful at the Siege of Kanegasaki and subsequent Battle of Anegawa in 1570, leaving the entire Asakura Domain open to invasion.[8][12][13]
Ichijōdani was razed to the ground by Nobunaga during the 1573 Siege of Ichijōdani Castle.[14]
Kitanosho Castle is known, though that it was built by Shibata Katsuie in 1575. Also, it appears that the tenshu (keep) was nine stories high, making it the largest of the time.
Castle town and centre of Fukui Domain during the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. Fukui Domain played a key role in the Meiji restoration. The modern city of Fukui was founded with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.
During the pre-war period, Fukui grew to become an important industrial and railroad centre. Factories in the area produced aircraft parts, electrical equipment, machine motors, various metal products and textiles.
Fukui was largely destroyed on June 19, 1945 during the Bombing of Fukui during World War II. Of the city's 1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2) at the time, 84.8% of Fukui was destroyed, per the United States Army Air Forces's Strategic Bombing Survey.
Fukui was again devastated by a major earthquake in 1948.
On February 1, 2006, the town of Miyama (from Asuwa District), the town of Shimizu, and the village of Koshino (both from Nyū District) were merged into Fukui.
Fukui's city status was designated a core city on April 1, 2019.[15]
Fukui has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 32 members. The city also contributes 12 members to the Fukui Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, Fukui forms part of Fukui 1st district, a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan.
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| New Brunswick |  United States
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New Jersey | May, 1982 |
| Fullerton | United States
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Zhejiang | November, 1989 |
| Suwon |  South Korea
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Gyeonggi | April, 2001 |
| City | Prefecture | region | since |
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| Kumamoto |  Kumamoto
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Kyūshū region | November, 1994 |
| City | Prefecture | region | since |
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| Yūki |  Ibaraki
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Kantō region | April, 2002 |
| City | Prefecture | region | since |
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| Nagano |  Nagano
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Chūbu region | August 9, 2013 |
The economy of Fukui is mixed. The city is a regional commercial and finance centre; however, manufacturing, agriculture and commercial fishing also are contributors to the local economy.
Fukui is home to several companies, including:
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)Shinkansen service began on 16 March 2024.[20]
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Fukui Railway
Echizen RailwayHapi Line Fukui
Service on the third-sector line formerly belonging to JR West began operations on 16 March 2024 when the Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Tsuruga.[21]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Geographic data related to Fukui (city)atOpenStreetMap