Eiheiji,_Fukui
Eiheiji, Fukui
Town in Chūbu, Japan
Eiheiji (永平寺町, Eiheiji-chō) is a town located in Yoshida District, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 March 2018[update], the town had an estimated population of 18,746 in 6,262 households and the population density of 200 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the town was 94.43 square kilometres (36.46 sq mi). The town is named for the famous temple of Eihei-ji.
Eiheiji
永平寺町 | |
|---|---|
Eiheiji Town Hall | |
Location of Eiheiji in Fukui Prefecture | |
| Coordinates: 36°5′31.9″N 136°17′55.4″E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūbu (Hokuriku) |
| Prefecture | Fukui |
| District | Yoshida |
| Area | |
| • Total | 94.43 km2 (36.46 sq mi) |
| Population (March 2018) | |
| • Total | 18,746 |
| • Density | 200/km2 (510/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| City symbols | |
| -Tree | Tung Oil Tree |
| -Flower | Prunus mume |
| Phone number | 0776-61-1111 |
| Address | Matsuda-kasuga 1-4, Eiheiji-chō, Yoshida-gun, Fukui-ken 910-1192 |
| Website | Official website |
Eiheiji is located in Yoshida District in northern Fukui Prefecture, in the river valley of the Kuzuryū River.
Neighbouring municipalities
Climate
Eiheiji has a Humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Eiheiji is 14.1 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2459 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.6 °C.[2]
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Eiheiji has remained relatively steady over the past 50 years.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 20,244 | — |
| 1980 | 19,667 | −2.9% |
| 1990 | 19,387 | −1.4% |
| 2000 | 21,182 | +9.3% |
| 2010 | 20,647 | −2.5% |
| 2020 | 18,965 | −8.1% |
Eiheiji is part of ancient Echizen Province, and has been populated since the Japanese Paleolithic period. Numerous Kofun period remains have been found in the area, which was part of a large shōen in the Heian period. During the Kamakura period, in 1244, the monk Dōgen established the Sōtō Zen monastery of Eihei-ji, and the present town developed as a monzen-machi town attached to the temple. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Fukui Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, it was organised into part of Yoshida District in Fukui Prefecture. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the villages of Shihidani, Shimoshihi and Jōhō-ji were established. These villages were merged to form the village of Shihi on March 1, 1954. On September 1, 1962 Shihi was raised to town status, and was renamed Eiheiji.
On February 13, 2006 the town of Matsuoka and the village of Kamishihi, both from Yoshida District, were merged into the town of Eiheiji.
Eiheiji's economy is heavily reliant on the flow of tourists and pilgrims to the Eihei-ji temple, which serves as a sizable seminary for the Soto Zen faith.
Aoyama Harp, the only harp manufacturer in Japan,[4] is located in Eiheiji.
Eiheiji has seven public elementary schools and three middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school. Fukui Prefectural University has a campus at Eiheiji, and the medical school of the University of Fukui is also located in the town.
Railway
Highway
- Chubu-Jukan Expressway
National Route 364
National Route 416
- Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, China, friendship city to former Matsuoka Town since August 1997
- Eihei-ji, head temple and seminary of the Sōtō Zen sect
- Matsuoka Kofun Cluster, National Historic Site
- "Official website of Eiheiji Town" (in Japanese). Japan: Eiheiji Town. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- こども記者 国内唯一のメーカー（永平寺町）取材 「世界のハープ」誇り 精巧彫刻、曲線美に感動 手ほどき受け演奏も on 2016-08-28 Fukui Shimbun (in Japanese), retrieved on 2018-03-04
Media related to Eiheiji, Fukui at Wikimedia Commons- Official website (in Japanese)
