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08233 ／なめがたし

Namegata City

A gate said to have crossed by boat.

Manpuku-ji Temple's Nio-mon gate

Photo by 小石川人晃 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Bronze tower

A 9.16 m tower of ten bronze tubesover a wooden core stands in the grounds.

The sorinto of Sairen-ji Temple is made of ten forged copper-plate tubes fitted over a wooden central pillar. It is said to have been erected in 1287 by the priest Keiben, and the city records that it ranks alongside those at Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei and Rinno-ji Temple in Nikko. It is an Important Cultural Property.

Height 9.16 m
Ten copper-plate tubes
Important Cultural Property

02 ／ Retainer's house

The chief retainer's main house of Aso Domainwas rebuilt in 1857, the year after a fire.

Aso Domain was a small tozama (outside) domain that lasted 267 years without a single transfer. The main house of the Hata family, its chief retainers, burned in 1856 and was rebuilt the next year. It is prefecturally designated, and the city notes that few such upper-samurai houses survive in the prefecture.

Aso Domain lasted 267 years
Rebuilt in 1857
Prefectural tangible cultural property (2008)

03 ／ Record book

A book begun in 1699 has been kept up,one year at a time, by each year's steward.

At Yomeno Shrine in Uzaki, a steward called the otō serves in turn and passes the record book of the year's events to the next at the annual festival. It began in 1699, and the city records that it has been kept every year without a break to the present.

Begun in 1699
City-designated tangible cultural property
Annual festival on March 9

Namegata City from the sky

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

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot May–October 2010)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

No station: 120 minutes from Tokyo by express bus.

about 30,000 people
2 hours to a city centre

The city has no railway station. The Kanto Railway express bus Aso-go takes 120 minutes from Tokyo Station Yaesu South Exit to the Aso Branch Office on its daily service. The city covers 222.46 km², including 45.50 km² of Lake Kasumigaura and 10.48 km² of Lake Kitaura.

People living here: 32,185people
Area: 222.48km²
Households: 11,144households
Rent (average for rentals): 36,005yen
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 14 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —8 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.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Namegata City in Japan35.990°N 140.489°E

to TokyoHighway bus120min

Travel times follow 関東鉄道『鉾田・麻生・潮来・佐原・香取神宮〜東京線高速バス『あそう号』運行時刻表』（PDF。関東鉄道公式 https://www.kantetsu.co.jp/highwaybus/hokota-tokyo の「時刻表はこちら」。問い合わせ先は関東鉄道鉾田車庫営業所）の下り（東京駅八重洲南口発） (checked 2026-10-22). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 3 municipalities.

Territory of Namegata 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

21.3km

Hokota City, Omitama City, Itako City

Namegata City isthis kind of town.

01The Nio-mon gate of Manpuku-ji Temple was built at Hozen-ji Temple in Inashiki in 1578; it is said to have been taken over in 1724, dismantled and carried across Lake Kasumigaura by boat, and it is a prefecturally designated structure
02The sorinto of Sairen-ji Temple is a 9.16 m bronze tower said to have been erected in 1287, and it is an Important Cultural Property
03The former Hata residence, main house of the chief retainer of Aso Domain, is prefecturally designated, and Yomeno Shrine in Uzaki holds a record book kept since 1699

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Namegata City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes