Hamamatsu - History

History

The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from the Jomon period and Kofun period having been discovered within the present city limits, including the Shijimizuka site shell mound and the Akamonue Kofun ancient tomb. In the Nara period, it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province. During the Sengoku period, Hamamatsu Castle was the home of future Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hamamatsu flourished during the Edo period under a succession of daimyo rulers as a castle town, and as a post town on the Tōkaidō. After the Meiji Restoration, Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871–1876, after which it was united with Shizuoka Prefecture. The Tōkaidō Main Line railway opened Hamamatsu Station in 1889. The same year, in a cadastal reform of Japan, Hamamatsu became a town.

• July 1, 1911 - Hamamatsu is upgraded from a town to a city.
• 1918 - Rice Riots of 1918 affect Hamamatsu
• 1921 - The village of Tenjinchō merges with Hamamatsu
• 1926 - Imperial Japanese Army Hamamatsu Air Base opens
• 1933 - Imperial Japanese Army Flight School opens.
• 1936 - The villages of Hikuma and Fujizuka merge with Hamamatsu
• December 7, 1944 - Tonankai Earthquake causes much damage
• June 1945 - Hamamatsu largely destroyed by US air raids
• 1948 - Hamamatsu Incident, ethnic rioting Zainichi Korean residents.
• 1951 - The villages of Aratsu, Goto, Kawarin merge with Hamamatsu
• 1954 - Eight villages in Hamana District merge with Hamamatsu
• 1955 - The village of Miyakoda merges with Hamamatsu
• 1957 - The village of Irino merges with Hamamatsu
• 1960 - The village of Seto merges with Hamamatsu
• 1961 - The village of Shinohara merges with Hamamatsu
• 1965 - The village of Shonai merges with Hamamatsu
• May 1, 1990 - Hamamatsu Arena opened.
• January 1, 1991- The village of Kami in Hamana District merges with Hamamatsu.
• April 1, 1991- The first Hamamatsu International Piano Competition was held.
• May 1, 1994 - Act City Hamamatsu opened.
• October 1, 1995 - Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opened.
• April 1, 1996 - Hamamatsu is designated a core city by the central government.
• June 1, 1996 - Hamamatsu City Fruit Park opened.
• January 1, 1997 - Started separated collection of garbage in residential areas.
• April 1, 1997 - Hamamatsu is designated as an Omnibus Town.
• April 1, 1998 - Act City Musical School opened.
• April 3, 2000 - Shizuoka University of Art and Culture opened.
• July 1, 2001 - Commemorated the city's 90th anniversary.
• August 1, 2002 - Launched the conference on Pan-Hamanako Designated City Simulation.
• April 1, 2003 - Shizuoka New Kawafuji National High School Competition was held.
• June 1, 2003 - Launched Tenryūgawa-Hamanako Region Merger Conference.
• April 8 - October 11, 2004 - Pacific Flora 2004 (Shizuoka International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition) was held at Hamanako Garden Park.
• July 1, 2005 - Hamamatsu merged with Hamakita and Tenryū; Inasa, Hosoe, and Mikkabi in Inasa District (resulting in the district's dissolution); Yūtō and Maisaka in Hamana District; Sakuma, Misakubo, and Tatsuyama in Iwata District (also dissolved as a result); and Haruno in Shūchi District.
• April 1, 2007 - Hamamatsu became a city designated by government ordinance by the central government.