Takefu, Fukui
Takefu (æ¦ç"Ÿå¸‚; -shi) is a
city located in
Fukui,
Japan.
As of
2003, the city has an estimated
population of 73,662 and the
density of 397.49 persons per
km²; about half the population lives in the urban center and half spread among smaller towns and tiny villages spread out among agricultural plains and more remote mountainous areas. The total area is 185.32 km².
Takefu has several large electronics and apparel factories, but it is known for the large number of small businesses that flourish there; indeed, the local joke that everyone in town addresses each other as "shacho" ("company president") is almost true. Takefu is also known for its well over 300 shrines and temples.
The city was incorporated in its present form on
April 1,
1948, although it has been an important regional center for over 1500 years. It has two former castle sites and some prehistoric archeological sites, although some of these will be flooded by a dam that will soon obliterate the tiny thousand-year old village of Kono in the mountains of western Takefu.
Takefu is also noted for being the home (for a year) of
Murasaki Shikibu, celebrated author of
The Tale of Genji. Her father was governor of the
Heian province of Echizen.
Takefu is also home to a small but vibrant
Brazilian community, who mostly work in a computer chip factory, and a smaller
Chinese community, largely linked to the garment industry.
Takefu will officially cease to exist on October 1, 2005, in a merger with
Imadate-cho, after which the conglomeration will be known as
Echizen City (link in Japanese). However, given that towns that were subsumed into Takefu decades ago are still widely known by their original names, it is likely that the name "Takefu" will be heard for many more years to come.
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Official website in Japanese
