Place:Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan

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is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was .

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Ancient Ages

The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from the Jōmon period and Kofun period having been discovered within the present city limits, including the Shijimizuka site shell mound and the Akamonue Kofun ancient tomb.

Prehistoric Ages

In the Nara period, it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province.

Middle Ages

During the Sengoku period, Hamamatsu Castle was the home of future shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Early Modern Ages

Hamamatsu flourished during the Edo period under a succession of daimyō rulers as a castle town, and as a post town on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto.

Late Modern Ages

After the Meiji Restoration, Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871 to 1876, after which it was united with Shizuoka Prefecture. Hamamatsu Station opened on the Tōkaidō Main Line in 1889.

The same year, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, Hamamatsu became a town.

• July 1, 1911: Hamamatsu is upgraded from a town to a city
• 1918: Rice riots of 1918 affect Hamamatsu
• 1921: The village of Tenjinchō merges with Hamamatsu
• 1926: Imperial Japanese Army Hamamatsu Air Base opens
• 1933: Imperial Japanese Army Flight School opens
• 1936: The villages of Hikuma and Fujizuka merge with Hamamatsu
• December 7, 1944: Tonankai earthquake causes much damage
• June 1945: Hamamatsu largely destroyed by US air raids

Contemporary Ages

• 1948: , ethnic rioting of Zainichi Korean residents.
• 1951: The villages of Aratsu, Goto, and Kawarin merge with Hamamatsu
• 1954: Eight villages in Hamana District merge with Hamamatsu
• 1955: The village of Miyakoda merges with Hamamatsu
• 1957: The village of Irino merges with Hamamatsu
• 1960: The village of Seto merges with Hamamatsu
• 1961: The village of Shinohara merges with Hamamatsu
• 1965: The village of Shonai merges with Hamamatsu
• May 1, 1990: Hamamatsu Arena opened
• January 1, 1991: The village of Kami in Hamana District merges with Hamamatsu.
• April 1, 1991: The first Hamamatsu International Piano Competition was held.
• May 1, 1994: Act City Tower opened.
• October 1, 1995: Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opened.
• April 1, 1996: Hamamatsu is designated a core city by the central government.
• June 1, 1996: Hamamatsu City Fruit Park opened.
• April 1, 1997: Hamamatsu is designated as an Omnibus Town.
• April 1, 1998: Act City Musical School opened.
• April 3, 2000: Shizuoka University of Art and Culture opened.
• July 1, 2001: The city's 90th anniversary is commemorated
• August 1, 2002: Launched the conference on Pan-Hamanako Designated City Simulation.
• April 1, 2003: Shizuoka New Kawafuji National High School Competition was held.
• June 1, 2003: Launched Tenryūgawa-Hamanako Region Merger Conference.
• April 8 – October 11, 2004: Pacific Flora 2004 (Shizuoka International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition) was held at Hamanako Garden Park.
• July 1, 2005: Hamamatsu absorbed the cities of Hamakita and Tenryū; the town of Haruno (from Shūchi District), the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi (all from Inasa District), the towns of Misakubo and Sakuma, the village of Tatsuyama (all from Iwata District), and the towns of Maisaka and Yūtō (both from Hamana District) were merged into Hamamatsu. Inasa District and Iwata District were both dissolved as a result of this merger. Therefore, there are no more villages left in Shizuoka Prefecture.
• April 1, 2007: Hamamatsu became a city designated by government ordinance by the central government.

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