Kumagaya

Kumagaya 熊谷市
Special city
Kumagaya City office
Flag Seal
Location of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture
Kumagaya
Coordinates: 36°8′50.6″N 139°23′19.1″E / 36.147389°N 139.388639°E / 36.147389; 139.388639
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama
First official recorded	late 6th century AD (official)
Town settled	April 1, 1889
City settled	April 1, 1933
Government
• Mayor	Tetsuya Kobayashi (from November 2021) (Ind.)
Area
• Total	159.82 km2 (61.71 sq mi)
Population  (January 2021)
• Total	195,277
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	048-524-111
Address	2-47-1 Miyamachi, Kumagaya-shi 360-8601
Climate	Cfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Eurasian skylark
Fish	Pungitius
Flower	Sakura
Tree	Zelkova serrata

Kumagaya (熊谷市, Kumagaya-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2021^[update], the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the city is 159.82 square kilometres (61.71 sq mi).

Kumagaya is one of the largest cities in northern Saitama Prefecture. About two-thirds of the city area is located between the Tone River and the Arakawa River alluvial fan, approximately 60 km from central Tokyo and 45 km from the prefectural capital at Saitama City. The highest point in the city is Mikajiri Kannon, which is located on the Kushibiki plateau at an altitude of 83.3 meters. The city is known for its abundant and high quality ground water.

Gunma Prefecture

• Chiyoda
• Oizumi
• Ōta

Saitama Prefecture

• Fukaya
• Gyōda
• Higashimatsuyama
• Kōnosu
• Namegawa
• Ranzan
• Yoshimi

Kumagaya has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kumagaya is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1532 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.^[2]

Kumagaya is known for being one of the hottest areas in summer in Japan. This is caused by very hot winds from Tokyo and the Chichibu basin in the west of the prefecture. In central Tokyo, the summer monsoon enhanced by sea breeze is heated by the urban heat island. Also, from the Chichibu Mountains, the Föhn blows. The two winds converge above the city at about 2 p.m.

On August 16, 2007, the city recorded air temperature of 40.9 °C (105.6 °F), breaking the 74-year record for the highest temperature recorded in Japan. "Very Hot! Kumagaya" (あついぞ！熊谷) is a catchphrase of the city.^[3] On July 23, 2018, the national record was broken again with a temperature of 41.1 °C (106.0 °F),^[4] surpassing the previous record of 41.0 °C (105.8 °F) recorded in Kōchi Prefecture in August 2013.^[5]

There was a large hailstorm on June 29, 1917 at about 5 p.m. The hailstones had a diameter of 29.5 centimetres and weighed 3.4 kilograms.^[6]

The Japan Meteorological Agency maintains a local meteorological observatory in Kumagaya.

Per Japanese census data,^[9] the population of Kumagaya peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	126,910	—
1960	134,508	+6.0%
1970	156,955	+16.7%
1980	178,610	+13.8%
1990	200,246	+12.1%
2000	206,446	+3.1%
2010	203,180	−1.6%
2020	194,415	−4.3%

Kumagaya was part of ancient Musashi Province and was controlled by various samurai clans from the Heian period. One of these clans, the Kumagaya clan, rose to prominence during the Kamakura period. During the Edo Period, the area was divided between the holdings of Oshi Domain and tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. Kumagai-shuku developed as a post town on the Nakasendō highway during this period. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Kumagaya was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

• 1923: The village of Koizka (from Osato District) was annexed.
• 1927: The village of Narita (from Kita-Saitama District) was annexed.
• 1932: The village of Oohata (from Osato District) was annexed.
• 1933: Kumagaya was elevated to city status.
• 1941: The village of Sayada (from Osato District) was annexed.
• 1945: Bombing of Kumagaya in World War II
• 1954: The villages of Chujo, Beppu, Nara and Mishiri (all from Osato District) were annexed.
• 1955: The villages of Yoshioka, Ooi and Hoshimiya (all from Osato District) were annexed.
• 1967: 22nd National Sports Festival was held.
• 1973: New City Hall was opened.
• 1986: Central Park was opened.
• 1988: Saitama Exhibition was held.
• 1988: Sports Park was opened.
• 1994: Beppu-marsh Park was opened.
• 2004: 59th National Sports Festival was held.
• 2005: The city of Kumagaya annexed the towns of Ōsato and Menuma (both from Ōsato District)
• 2007: The town of Kōnan (from Ōsato District) was annexed.

Kumagaya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 30 members. Kumagaya contributes three members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Saitama 11th district and Saitama 12th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

• The city has one city hall and three branch offices.
  • Kumagaya City Hall (熊谷市役所)
  • Menuma Branch Office (妻沼行政センター)
  • Ōsato Branch Office (大里行政センター)
  • Kōnan Branch Office (江南行政センター)

• 
  Kumagaya City Hall
• 
  Kumagaya City Hall - Konan branch
• 
  Kumagaya City Hall - Menuma branch
• 
  Kumagaya City Hall - Osato branch

• Ryosaku Arai (新井良作): April 1933 to May 1939—1st, 2nd
• Moya Saitou (齋籐茂八): June 1936 to April 1942—3rd
• Takeo Yajima (矢島武男): April 1942 to November 1945—4th
• Tadashi Negishi (根岸忠): January 1946 to March 1947—5th
• Souichi Kamode (鴨田宗一): April 1947 to April 1958—6th to 8th
• Seiichi Kurihara (栗原正一): May 1958 to May 1962—9th
• Uminosuke Kuroda (黒田海之助): May 1962 to May 1982—10th to 14th
• Toshio Masuda (増田敏男): May 1982 to June 1986—15th, 16th
• Kazuo Kobayashi (小林一夫): August 1986 to August 2002—17th to 20th
• Kiyoshi Tomioka (富岡清): August 3, 2003 to September 30, 2005—21st
• Fumio Yoshihara (吉原文雄): October 1, 2005 to November 5, 2005—Interim mayor
• Kiyoshi Tomioka (富岡清): November 6, 2005 to November 5, 2021
• Tetsuya Kobayashi (小林哲也)

November 6, 2021 to present^{[citation needed]}

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2016)

Kumagaya is a major industrial and commercial center within northern Saitama. Eight national highways and three railway lines serve the city. While many people commute towards south Tokyo, its daytime population is larger than the night population thanks to commuters from surrounding towns.

• Kumagaya has one private university. There are 30 public elementary schools and 17 public middle schools operated by the city government, and seven public high schools operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education. In addition, there are two public and six private vocational training schools. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped.

• Rissho University—Kumagaya campus

• Kumagaya Boys' Senior High School (埼玉県立熊谷高等学校)
• Nishi-Kumagaya Senior High School (埼玉県立熊谷西高等学校)
• Kumagaya Girls' Senior High School (埼玉県立熊谷女子高等学校)
• Menuma Senior High School (埼玉県立妻沼高等学校)
• Kumagaya Industrial Senior High School (埼玉県立熊谷工業高等学校)
• Kumagaya Agricultural Senior High School (埼玉県立熊谷農業高等学校)
• Kumagaya Business Senior High School (埼玉県立熊谷商業高等学校)

JR East – Joetsu Shinkansen

• Kumagaya

JR East – JR East - Takasaki Line

• Kumagaya - Kagohara

Chichibu Railway - Chichibu Main Line

• Kumagaya - Kami-Kumagaya - Ishiwara - Hirose-Yachō-no-Mori - Ōasō

• National Route 17
• National Route 125
• National Route 140
• National Route 407

Kumagaya is twinned with:

• Invercargill, New Zealand^[10]

• Kangi-in temple with architecture designated as a National Treasure

• Kensei Hasegawa, Politician
• Masami Kuwashima, racing driver
• Dump Matsumoto, professional wrestler
• Peach Momoko, artist and writer

• Official Website (in Japanese)