Shizuoka · Designated city
Hamamatsu
浜松市はままつしHamamatsu-shiIeyasu's castle town turned city of instruments and engines
Hamamatsu is the largest city of Shizuoka Prefecture, a designated city between Lake Hamana and the Tenryū River. The base of the young Tokugawa Ieyasu, it later became a cradle of Japanese manufacturing, where Yamaha, Kawai, Suzuki and Honda have their roots, and it is known today as a city of music, eel and gyōza.
Overview
Hamamatsu lies on the Pacific coast in the west of Shizuoka Prefecture, between the brackish Lake Hamana and the wide Tenryū River. Since the merger of twelve municipalities in 2005, its territory reaches from the dunes of Nakatajima deep into the forested mountains of the Tenryū valley, making it one of the largest cities in Japan by area.
Tokugawa Ieyasu made Hamamatsu his base from 1570 to 1586, during the years of his hardest battles, and many later lords of Hamamatsu Castle went on to high office in the shogunate, earning it the name shusse-jō, the castle of promotion. The town was a post station on the Tōkaidō and a centre of cotton weaving.
From the late nineteenth century Hamamatsu's tradition of craftsmanship gave rise to world-famous companies: Yamaha Torakusu repaired an organ here in 1887 and founded the company that became Yamaha; Kawai followed with pianos; Suzuki grew from a loom maker; and Honda Sōichirō, born nearby, began his company here in 1948. The city calls itself a City of Music, hosts an international piano competition and has Japan's first public museum of musical instruments.
Landmarks
Hamamatsu Castle
浜松城Hamamatsu-jōIeyasu's castle of promotion, with rough-stacked stone walls of the late sixteenth century and a reconstructed keep.
Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments
浜松市楽器博物館Hamamatsu-shi Gakki HakubutsukanJapan's first public museum of musical instruments, with instruments from around the world.
Lake Hamana
浜名湖Hamana-koBrackish lagoon with eel farms, oyster beds, hot springs at Kanzanji and the Bentenjima torii in the water.
Nakatajima Sand Dunes
中田島砂丘Nakatajima sakyūCoastal dunes where loggerhead turtles nest and the kite battles of the Hamamatsu Festival are fought.
Ryōtan-ji
龍潭寺Ryōtan-jiFamily temple of the Ii clan in Inasa, with a garden attributed to Kobori Enshū.
Akiha Shrine
秋葉山本宮秋葉神社Akiha-san Hongū Akiha JinjaMountain head shrine of the fire-protection deity worshipped across Japan, above the Tenryū valley.
Hōkō-ji
方広寺Hōkō-jiHead temple of a Rinzai Zen branch in Okuyama, with hundreds of stone arhat statues.
Districts
Central Hamamatsu
中央区Chūō-kuThe city centre around the station, the castle park and the Act City tower.
Lake Hamana shore
浜名湖畔Hamana-ko hanResort area of Kanzanji and Bentenjima, with the flower park and eel restaurants.
Kita and Inasa
引佐InasaHills north of the lake with Ryōtan-ji, Hōkō-ji and mandarin orchards.
Tenryū
天竜TenryūMountain district of forestry, the Tenryū gorge and Akiha Shrine.
History
In 1570 Ieyasu moved from Okazaki to the castle of Hikuma, renamed it Hamamatsu and enlarged it. In 1572 he suffered a heavy defeat by Takeda Shingen at Mikatagahara just north of the town. After Ieyasu moved to Sunpu in 1586, Hamamatsu passed to a succession of lords, several of whom became senior councillors of the shogunate.
In the modern era Hamamatsu became an industrial city of textiles, musical instruments and later motorcycles and cars. It was heavily damaged by air raids and naval bombardment in 1945. The mergers of 2005 created a vast municipality, which became a designated city in 2007.
1570
Tokugawa Ieyasu makes Hamamatsu his base and renames the castle.
1572
Ieyasu is defeated by Takeda Shingen at the Battle of Mikatagahara.
1887
Yamaha Torakusu repairs a reed organ in Hamamatsu, the start of Yamaha.
1911
Hamamatsu is incorporated as a city.
1945
Air raids and naval bombardment devastate the city.
1948
Honda Motor is founded in Hamamatsu.
1958
A concrete keep is built on the castle's original stone base.
1995
The Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opens.
2005
Merger with eleven surrounding municipalities.
2007
Hamamatsu becomes a designated city.
Culture
Hamamatsu's culture is built on music and making. Instrument makers and a large community of amateur musicians give the city its identity as a City of Music, and the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition, held every three years, has launched notable careers. The Hamamatsu Festival in May, with its kite battles and illuminated floats, celebrates the birth of first sons. The city also has one of Japan's largest Brazilian communities, drawn by its factories.
Festivals
Hamamatsu Festival
浜松まつりHamamatsu MatsuriFrom 3 to 5 May: neighbourhood teams fly giant kites and try to cut each other's lines at Nakatajima; at night gilded palace floats parade through the centre.
Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
浜松国際ピアノコンクールHamamatsu Kokusai Piano KonkūruHeld every three years since 1991 at the Act City concert hall.
Hamanako fireworks
舘山寺温泉花火Kanzanji Onsen hanabiSummer fireworks over Lake Hamana at Kanzanji.
Food
Hamamatsu gyōza
浜松餃子Hamamatsu gyōzaCabbage-rich dumplings fried in a circle and served with boiled bean sprouts in the middle.
Unagi
うなぎunagiEel from Lake Hamana, where eel farming began in the late nineteenth century.
Suppon
すっぽんsupponSoft-shelled turtle, farmed at Lake Hamana and served as a hotpot.
Mikkabi mandarins
三ヶ日みかんMikkabi mikanSweet mandarins from the hills north of the lake.
Hamana oysters
浜名湖の牡蠣Hamana-ko no kakiWinter oysters from the lagoon.
Getting around
- Hamamatsu Station is on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, about 30 minutes from Nagoya and around an hour and a half from Tokyo.
- The Enshū Railway runs north from the city centre, and the Tenryū Hamanako Railway circles the northern shore of Lake Hamana.
- Buses from the station serve the castle, Nakatajima, Kanzanji and Ryōtan-ji; a car is useful for the Tenryū valley.
Day trips
Kakegawa
掛川KakegawaCastle town with a wooden reconstructed keep and tea fields, 15 minutes by Shinkansen.
- 静岡市Shizuoka-shi
Ieyasu's Sunpu, Kunōzan and Miho no Matsubara, 25 minutes by Shinkansen.
- 豊田Toyota
Car city and the maple gorge of Kōrankei in neighbouring Aichi.
Ryūgashido cave
竜ヶ岩洞RyūgashidōLimestone cave with an underground waterfall in the north of the city.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
Why is Hamamatsu called the City of Music?
Because Yamaha, Kawai and Roland were founded or based here, making it a world centre of instrument making, and because the city supports music through its instrument museum, concert hall and international piano competition.
What is Hamamatsu gyōza?
Pan-fried dumplings with a filling rich in cabbage, served in a circle around a mound of boiled bean sprouts.
Why is Hamamatsu Castle called the castle of promotion?
Because Ieyasu rose to power from here and many later lords of the castle went on to hold senior posts in the shogunate.
When is the Hamamatsu Festival?
Every year from 3 to 5 May, during Golden Week, with kite battles by day and palace-float processions at night.
Related
Sources
- 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
- 2.浜松市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 浜松市
- 3.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization