Чирю: История, География и Современность

Chiryū is situated in central Aichi Prefecture bordered by the Aizuma River to the north and the Sawatari River to the south.

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Chiryū is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1579 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.3 °C.

Per Japanese census data, the population of Chiryū has been increasing steadily over the past 70 years.

"Chiryū" as a local place name appears in documents in the Nara period, and was located within former Mikawa Province.

During the Edo period, the area prospered as Chiryū juku, one of the post stations on the Tōkaidō connecting Edo with Kyoto. The town was noted for its horse trading fairs. Part of the present day city were under the control of Kariya Domain, a feudal han under the Tokugawa shogunate. The pottery industry was developed in these area from ancient times to the Middle Ages. About 100 old kiln sites have been discovered to date, as well as many ponds for agriculture that are said to have been built up to the early modern period.

After the Meiji restoration, Chiryū Town was created within Hekikai District, Aichi Prefecture on 1 October 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

Chiryū attained city status on 1 December 1970.

Chiryū has a mayor council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 20 members. The city contributes one member to the Aichi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Aichi District 13 of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

The economy of Chiryū is industrial, with automotive parts and automotive electronics manufacturing predominating. Fuji Corporation, a machine tool manufacturer, has its head office and factory in Chiryū. The city has numerous road and rail connections to downtown Nagoya and is increasingly becoming a commuter town.

Chiryū has seven public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Aichi Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private high school and three private vocational training schools.