21 Facts About Kanazawa

Kanazawa is located in north-western Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan and is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and Toyama Prefecture to the east.

Kanazawa has a humid subtropical climate characterized by hot, humid summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall.

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kanazawa has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.

The area where Kanazawa is was originally known as Ishiura, whose name is preserved at the Ishiura Shrine near the Kenrokuen.

The Maeda summoned samurai retainers to live in Kanazawa and offered a set of incentives to attract the artisans and merchants needed to support the samurai population.

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Kanazawa flourished largely because of a mutually beneficial relationship between the daimyo and the chonin.

Kanazawa's growth was indicative of a larger trend in Japan from 1580 to 1700: urbanization.

Kanazawa was one of the largest cities in Japan throughout the Edo period.

Kanazawa's predecessor was Yukiyoshi Yamano who had been mayor since December 2010.

Kanazawa is a regional commercial centre and transportation hub for Ishikawa Prefecture.

Kanazawa has 58 public elementary schools operated by the city government and one public elementary school operated by the national government and one private elementary school.

Kanazawa is served by the JR West Hokuriku Main Line and the Hokuriku Railroad.

Kanazawa was one of the few major Japanese cities to be spared destruction by air raids during World War II, and as a result, much of Kanazawa's considerable architectural heritage has been preserved.

Kanazawa's Myoryuji Temple known as the Ninja-dera is an amalgamation of traditional temple architecture, hidden doors, passageways, and hidden escape routes.

The most notable example in Kanazawa is Honda-machi, where the retainers of the rich and powerful Honda family lived, in what was almost a town within a town.

When Kanazawa was finished in more or less its final form in the late 17th century, over three-quarters of it was samurai housing.

The richest and most powerful samurai in Kanazawa had their own men, often hundreds of them, who were housed in large areas that usually adjoined the main house.

When Kanazawa was ruled by the Ikko, the temples were all Jodo Shinshu, the Ikko sect.

Kanazawa had a further expansion in 1661, when many samurai who had followed their retired Lord Toshitsune to his villa at Komatsu returned after his death.

Kanazawa-haku is gold that is beaten into a paper-like sheet.

Kanazawa is known for its traditional Kaga Cuisine, with seafood a specialty.