Shibata, Miyagi

Shibata (柴田町, Shibata-machi) is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 March 2020^[update], the town had an estimated population of 37,617, and a population density of 700 persons per km² in 15,590 households.^[1] The total area of the town is 54.03 square kilometres (20.86 sq mi).

Shibata 柴田町
Town
Shibata Town Office
Flag Seal
Location of Shibata in Miyagi Prefecture
Shibata
Coordinates: 38°03′23.7″N 140°45′57.0″E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
District	Shibata
Area
• Total	54.03 km2 (20.86 sq mi)
Population  (May 31, 2020)
• Total	37,617
• Density	700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Momi Fir
- Flower	Sakura
- Bird	Pheasant
Phone number	0224-55-2111
Address	2-3-45 Funaoka-chuo, Shibata-machi, Shibata-gun, Miyagi-ken 989-1692
Website	Official website

View of Funaoka

Geography

Shibata is located in south-central Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The Abukuma River runs through the town.

Neighboring municipalities

Miyagi Prefecture

• Iwanuma
• Kakuda
• Murata
• Natori
• Ōgawara
• Watari

Climate

Shibata has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Shibata is 12.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1263 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.4 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Shibata increased throughout the 20th century and has declined slightly in the 21st.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	11,096	—
1930	12,218	+10.1%
1940	14,386	+17.7%
1950	22,682	+57.7%
1960	23,515	+3.7%
1970	26,388	+12.2%
1980	32,106	+21.7%
1990	37,315	+16.2%
2000	39,485	+5.8%
2010	39,341	−0.4%
2020	38,270	−2.7%

History

The area of present-day Shibata was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and was part of the holdings of Sendai Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The villages of Funaoka and Tsukinoki were established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the post-Meiji restoration modern municipalities system. Tsukioki was promoted to town status on April 1, 1904 and Funaoka on November 3, 1941. The two towns merged to form Shibata on April 1, 1956.

Government

Shibata has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 18 members. Shibata, together with the rest of Shibata District, collectively contributes two seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Miyagi 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Shibata is largely based on agriculture.

Education

• Sendai University
• Shibata has six public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

AbukumaExpress - Abukuma Express Line

• Tsukinoki - Higashi-Funaoka

East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Main Line

• Funaoka - Tsukinoki

Highway

• National Route 4
• National Route 349

Local attractions

• Site of Funaoka Castle

Sister cities

• Assis Chateaubriand, Paraná, Brazil^[4] since April 13, 1981
• Danyang, Jiangsu, China,^[4] since February 23, 1994
• Kitakami, Iwate, Japan, since January 25, 1980
• Date, Hokkaido, Japan, since May 30, 1988 (friendship city)