28212 ／ あこうし
Hyogo PrefectureTwenty-one of the forty-seven lived in this castle town.
Home of Chushingura01 ／ Chushingura
Ako was the setting of the Genroku Ako incident, and calls itself the home of Chushingura, the tale of the forty-seven loyal retainers. Of those forty-seven, 21 are known to have had houses inside the city. The castle ruins, Oishi Shrine and other sites stand across the old town.
02 ／ Salt
In the Edo period this was a major producer of salt from tidal fields. On 20 May 2019 the story "Banshu Ako, the town that made Japan's finest salt" was designated a Japan Heritage, with 41 constituent properties. With the story of the Kitamaebune ships at Sakoshi, the city holds two such designations.
03 ／ Water
Between 1614 and 1616 Tarumi Hanzaemon, a magistrate of the Ikeda house, drove the Kiriyama tunnel at Takao to draw water from the Chikusa river into the castle town. The old Ako water supply piped it to each house inside the castle and in the merchant quarters; the city calls it one of the three great waterworks of Japan.
Living here
The town centre lies around Banshu-Ako Station on the JR Ako Line. The Chikusa river, on the national list of 100 fine waters, runs through the middle of the city, and the southern coast belongs to the Setonaikai National Park. Sakoshi is a natural harbour.
−5.5% since 2015
51,426 → 45,892
46.13km² of it habitable
2024
2.4 people per household
2020
National average 60,630 yen
2023
9.6 per 10,000 people
2023
These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.
ACCESS
Travel times follow 市公式「交通案内」の図（JRご利用の場合）が掲載している値 (checked 2026-09-23). They vary by time of day.
Shape
North to south
15.5km
If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.
Similar towns
Five- and six-sided rock columns run 1 km.
TojinboGreat fish, A castle, Port town
Glove-making, brought home from Osaka.
Gloves, Tanatsugu TatsukichiGreat fish, A castle, Port town
Boats rowed by 32 people cross the bay each May.
Peron boat racing播磨, Great fish, Port town
