Former Nirazuka Silk Mill, Tomioka City
Article

10210 / とみおかし

Gunma Prefecture

Tomioka City

The row house matched an old mill photo.

Former Nirazuka Silk Mill

Photo by Asturio Cantabrio (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 / Farmhouse

A house with a stone-weighted plank roofis said to date from 1527.

Farmhouse in Tomioka City
Photo by こやまひろ (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Former Mogi Family Residence is a house said to have been built in 1527, in the Warring States period. It has a plank roof weighted with stones and ridge-supporting posts. It was moved to Miyazaki Park in 1977. It is an Important Cultural Property.

  • Said to date from 1527
  • Moved to Miyazaki Park in 1977
  • Important Cultural Property

02 / Shrine buildings

Down the approach, in a low-lying spot,stand Important Cultural Property halls.

Shrine buildings in Tomioka City
Photo by Saigen Jiro (CC0)

The tourist association introduces Nukisaki Shrine as a rare layout in Japan, with its buildings in a hollow reached by going down the approach. The main hall, worship hall and tower gate were rebuilt in 1635 by Tokugawa Iemitsu and are Important Cultural Properties. Deer-bone divination is a prefectural Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

  • Halls and gate rebuilt in 1635
  • Important Cultural Property
  • Deer-bone divination: prefectural property

03 / Ruins

A road cut became a tunnel,and a hilltop settlement stayed.

The Nakatakase Kannonyama site is a large settlement on a hill about 230 m high on the right bank of the Kabura River. Late Yayoi dwellings are by far the most numerous, and it became a National Historic Site in 1997. Found during Joshin-etsu Expressway works, it was kept in 1990 when a cutting plan was changed to a tunnel.

  • National Historic Site, 1997
  • Hill about 230 m high
  • 1990: tunnel plan decided

Tomioka City from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot December 2022 – February 2023)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles(全国最新写真(シームレス)/国土画像情報(第一期:1974〜1978年撮影))

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

40 minutes from Takasaki on the Joshin Railway.

  • about 50,000 people

The city's guide gives 55 minutes from Tokyo to Takasaki by Joetsu Shinkansen, then 40 minutes on the Joshin Railway to Joshu-Tomioka Station. The prefecture's municipal handbook puts City Hall a 4-minute walk from the station.

People living here
47,446people
2010

−4.6% since 2015

52,070 → 47,446

Area
122.85km²

75.09km² of it habitable

2024

Households
18,514households

2.6 people per household

2020

Rent (average for rentals)
38,884yen

National average 60,630 yen

2023

Healthcare
3 hospitals / 39 clinics

8.9 per 10,000 people

2023

Area122.85km²Habitable land75.09km² / 61%
Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Population from 2010 onward (municipal boundary changed).2006-03-27 に新設合併(妙義町)。2010年調査から市域が変わっている。

Children waiting for childcare
—17 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy
—
Average annual temperature
—

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Tomioka City in Japan36.260°N 138.890°E
OsakaTomioka City
Territory of Tomioka City
Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号 平27情使、第585号)

North to south

14.4km

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Tomioka City isthis kind of town.

  1. 01The Former Nirazuka Silk Mill is a private mechanized silk mill building founded by Nirazuka Naojiro in 1876, used as a row house, and preserved after word that it closely resembled an old photo; it opened in 2020
  2. 02The Former Mogi Family Residence, a plank-roofed, stone-weighted house said to date from 1527, is an Important Cultural Property moved to Miyazaki Park in 1977
  3. 03Nukisaki Shrine has its buildings in a hollow below the approach, the Nakatakase Kannonyama site is a late Yayoi settlement kept by changing a cutting plan to a tunnel, and the Tomioka Silk Mill, a World Heritage Site, is also in the city

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.