'Uozu' (魚津市; Uozu-shi) is a
city located in the eastern part of
Toyama,
Japan between
Namerikawa and
Kurobe, stretching from Toyama Bay and the
Japan Sea in the northwest to tall mountain ranges in the southeast. The highest mountains in Uozu are Sougadake and Kekachiyama, and the highest elevation in Uozu is 2,414 m. Several rapid rivers run through Uozu; from east to west, they are the Fuse River, the Katakai River, the Kado River, and the Hayatsuki River.
As of December
2005, the city has an estimated
population of 46,402 and a total area of 200.6
km², constituting a
population density of 231.3 persons per km².
Foreign nationals, mostly
Chinese,
Brazilians, and
Thais, comprise 1% of the city's
population.
The city was founded on
April 1,
1952, and has
sister city relationships with
Chiang Mai City,
Thailand (since
1989) and
Ibara City,
Japan (since
1982). The current
mayor (as of
October,
2006) is Mr. Yoshinori Sawasaki (澤崎義敬).
Uozu's Three Mysteries
Uozu is known for three mysterious phenomena, the (spring)
mirage (蜃気楼), the
firefly squid (ホタルイカ), and the buried
forest (埋没林).
The Mirage
Mirages, or shinkirou (蜃気楼), may be seen over the sea in both spring and winter.
The spring mirage for which Uozu is famous for may be seen on warm, sunny, windless days from April to June.
Refraction of light at the boundary between warm air above and colder air near the surface of the sea is responsible for the phenomenon. During a mirage, faraway objects such as ships at sea or the coastline appear to grow vertically, and may display bar-code-like stripes. In a Class A Mirage, the image of an object may appear upside-down above it.
The winter mirage seen from December to March results from a different process than the spring mirage and is common in many other parts of the world.
The Firefly Squid
In the early morning hours, from the end of March to the beginning of June, female
firefly squid, or hotaruika (ホタルイカ), rise to the surface to
spawn. Their name comes from a bluish white glow which emanates from various points on their bodies.
The Buried Forest
2000 years ago, a primeval
sugi (Cryptomeria) forest along the
coast was partially buried so that only the
trunks were preserved. Trunks of such
sugi trees are on display at Uozu's buried forest
museum (埋没林博物館).
Sights
Places to see in Uozu include the
Aquarium (水族館) and Mirage Land
Amusement Park (ミラージュランド) with its large
Ferris Wheel, Kintarou
Hot Springs (金太郎温泉), Ariso Dome
Gymnasium (ありそドーム), Niikawa Culture Hall (新川文化ホール), the Uozu Historical Folk
Museum (魚津歴史民俗博物館), the historical site of the Komesoudou Rice Riots (米騒動) in 1918, Dousugi (giant hollow sugi trees in the mountains), Ikejiri Lake (池尻の池), the Don
Waterfalls (平沢沌滝) and the remains of
gold mines (金山) and castle sites (城跡) in the mountains.
Popular shopping destinations include the Sun Plaza, Apita, and Apple Hill shopping complexes.
Festivals
The Tatemon
Festival (たてもん祭) held on the 7th and 8th of August is the most flamboyant of the city's festivals. Activities include
fireworks and the pulling of seven giant floats called Tatemons along the sea coast to Suwa
Shrine (諏訪神社). Tatemons are 15 m tall and weigh 5 tons. They sport approximately 90
lanterns, and resemble triangular sails of ships or piles of offerings in shape. This festival was held in
Hawaii as part of the
Honolulu Festival in both
2001.
The next day, groups dance the "serikomi chouroku" (せりこみ蝶六) or butterfly dance through the streets of the old city.
Other festivals include the Sengoku Noroshi Matsuri (戦国のろし祭り) in May, and the Hachiman Mikoshi Matsuri (八幡社みこし祭り) in September.
Historic Overview
Discovery of
gold in the mountains of Uozu around 1394 led to an influx of people, making the area around Matsukura Castle a center for the region. Later, when Matsukura Castle was destroyed, the center was reestablished around Uozu Castle close to the sea.
In 1582, a fierce battle was fought around Uozu Castle between the forces of a local lord, Lord Uesugi, and forces under
Oda Nobunaga. Lord Uesugi had 4000 soldiers, against an
army of 40,000. His troops managed to hold out for 3
months, before
commanding officers surrended the castle and committed
suicide. Ironically, the victors soon received word of Oda's
assassination, and had to give up the castle and retreat.
In 1918,
riots precipitated by increases in rice prices (米騒動) started at Uozu port, spreading over the entire
country. This led to the resignation of the Terauchi
Cabinet.
In 1956, a great fire ravished many buildings in Uozu.
Local Dialect
Uozu's
dialect (魚津弁) varies region by region within the city. This section presents a few scattered constructions and expressions, but is by no means a comprehensive guide.
Examples of Uozu's Dialect| Dialect | Regular Japanese | English |
|---|
| ...aru ga? | ...aru no? | ...is there? |
| taberare | tabete kudasai | please eat |
| soboreta | bikkuri shita | I'm surprised |
| kenarui | urayamashii | I'm envious |
| dara | baka | dolt |
| iku cha | iku | I'm going. |
| nan | chigaimasu | no |
| yaotsu, ba, anta | anata | you |
Intonation may also vary; e.g., meat (niku) is pronounced flatly.
Many older people pronounce Shi/Ji/Chi as Su/Zu/Tsu. Thus "bushi" or "
warrior" might be pronounced as "busu" or "ugly". "Michi" or "road", might be pronounced as "Mitsu" or "third", and so forth.
Legends and Stories
The Dragon Stone
A hunter in the mountains by the Katakai River came upon a
dragon wrapped around a
rock. He shot and killed it with silver
bullets from his
gun, and it buried itself into the rock with a clap of
thunder, leaving a green band. A small
shrine may be seen near the dragon stone, or hebiishi (龍石).
The Water-breathing Dragon
Legend holds that a dragon in a temple came alive during the great fire of 1956, dousing the temple and its surroundings in water and sparing it from the flames.
The Mirage in Legend
In old stories, the spring mirage was said to have arisen from the gas exhaled by a thousand year-old
clam living in Toyama Bay.
References and External Links
★ Japanese Page for Uozu on Wikipedia (see link on upper left)
★
Official website in Japanese
★ "Uozu Emaki" Uozu Kyouikuiinkai, 2006
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