Population 379,196 (as of July 2005) No. of Households 138,901 (as of October 2004) Area 633.75 km2 Location Latitude 34°45’58”N, Longitude 137°23’41”E City Symbols Flower Azalea City SymbolsTree Cinnamon The City of Toyohashi is located on the south-eastern tip of Aichi Prefecture. It is a historic city located approximately midway between Tokyo and Osaka and borders Shizuoka Prefecture to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the south. People (the Ushikawa tribe) first inhabited this region almost 100,000 years ago. The historic remains of Urigo, located within the city, are an impressive display of hunting and farming tools that have been excavated from the area. A range of other implements from the area indicate that certain villages existed here during the early to late Yayoi era. The area has long been referred to as Hono Kuni, however during the Taika reforms of 646, the area was unified with the Mikawa Kuni region. During the Kamakura period, a bridge called Imahashi was constructed over the Toyogawa River, and the area soon became referred to as Imahashi. In 1505, the head of the powerful local family Kohaku Makino ordered the construction of Imahashi castle on the banks of Toyogawa River. In 1546 the castle was handed over to Yoshimoto Imagawa, who promptly renamed the area Yoshida. The area was a bustling castle-town under the rule of many lords during the Edo period, and also served as an important rest stop on the Edo to Kyoto highway. The town of Yoshida was renamed to Toyohashi in 1869 after the Toyohashi Bridge that was constructed to span the Toyogawa River. Official town administration began in 1889 and in 1906, the neighboring villages of Hanada and Toyooka were merged to form the Toyohashi City administration. The silk and textile industry was booming at the time, with smoke from factories in the Hanada district enveloping the city. In 1908 the 15th Division of the Japanese Imperial Army set up camp in the city. However the start of the Pacific War saw most of the area destroyed during the air raid of June 20, 1945. Impressive town planning during the post-war reconstruction saw the construction of wide streets and spots of greenery around the city. Schools were built on the sites of military facilities, and 1955 saw the merging of 5 neighboring villages. The current land area is close to 260km2 and the total population is over 376,000. Toyohashi was designated a major core city in April 2000. Taken from the Toyohashi Yearbook, Commerce and Industry in Toyohashi