Tome, Miyagi

Tome 登米市
City
Tome City Hall Tome City Hall
Flag of Tome Flag Official seal of Tome Seal
Location of Tome in Miyagi Prefecture Location of Tome in Miyagi Prefecture
Tome
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
Government
• -Mayor	Takahisa Fuse
Area
• Total	536.12 km2 (207.00 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	80,740
• Density	151/km2 (390/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Cryptomeria japonica
- Flower	Sakura
- Bird	Swan
Phone number	0220-22-2111
Address	2-6-1 Aza Nakae, Sanuma, Hasama-chō, Tome-shi, Miyagi-ken 987-0595
Website	Official website

Tome (登米市, Tome-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an estimated population of 80,740 and a population density of 151 persons per km². The total area was 536.12 square kilometres (207.00 sq mi). The area is noted for its rice production.

Geography

Tome is in far northeastern Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by Iwate Prefecture to the north. The Kitakami River flows through the city. The city is approximately 70 kilometers north of Sendai.

Neighboring municipalities

• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Ishinomaki
  • Kurihara
  • Ōsaki
  • Kesennuma
  • Wakuya
  • Minamisanriku
• Iwate Prefecture
  • Ichinoseki

History

The area of present-day Tome was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jomon period by the Emishi people. During the 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.

The town of Tome was established on June 1, 1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system. The modern city of Tome was established on April 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Hasama, Ishikoshi, Minamikata, Nakada, Toyoma, Towa, Toyosato, Tsuyama, and Yoneyama (all from Tome District), and the town of Tsuyama (from Motoyoshi District).

2011 earthquake and tsunami

Tome was one of several cities severely affected by an earthquake and tsunami on Friday, 11 March, 2011, with as many as 6,000 people left homeless. On 15, 2011, authorities announced that German and Swiss teams with search dogs would be deployed to the city to aid in search and recovery efforts. Other search and rescue team came from Australia and New Zealand. Early reports suggest that many residents of the nearby town of Minamisanriku, which was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami, had evacuated to Tome.

Economy

The economy of Tome is largely based on agriculture.

Education

Tome has 21 elementary schools, one combined elementary/middle school, nine middle schools, and three high schools.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Tōhoku Main Line
  • Umegasawa - Nitta - Ishikoshi
• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Kesennuma Line
  • Rikuzen-Toyosato - Mitakedō - Yanaizu - Rikuzen-Yokoyama

Highway

National highways

• Tōhoku Expressway: (Tsukidate and Wakayanagi interchanges)
• Sanriku Expressway (Monou-Toyosato and Monou-Tsuyama interchanges)
• National Route 45
• National Route 342
• National Route 346
• National Route 398
• National Route 456

Local attractions

• Toyoma Education Museum

Sister/friendship cities

International sister/friendship cities

• - Southlake, Texas, USA
• - Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
• - Huishan District, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

Noted people from Tome

• Shotaro Ishinomori – manga artist
• Katsuhiro Otomo – manga artist
• Kouzou Sasaki – politician
• Shio Satō – manga artist
• Maruyama Gondazaemon – sumo

External links

• Official website (Japanese)