Imabari, Ehime

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**Imabari**
**今治市**
Imabari's location in Ehime, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Shikoku
Prefecture	Ehime
Physical characteristics
Area	419.56 km² (162 sq mi)
Population (as of January 16, 2005)
Total	176,877
Density	422/km² (1,093/sq mi)
Location	34°4′N, 132°60′E
Symbols
Tree	Camphor Laurel
Flower	Azalea
Imabari Government Office
Address	〒794-8511 1-4-1 Bekku-chō, Imabari-shi, Ehime-ken
Phone number	(0898) 32-5200
Official website: City of Imabari

Imabari (今治市, Imabari-shi^?) is a city located in Ehime, Japan. It is the second largest city in Ehime prefecture. Following a recent merger, the city has an estimated population of 176,877 and density of 422 persons per km². The total (merged) area is 419.56 km².

1 Transportation
2 Place
3 Culture
4 Economy
5 History
- 5.1 Recent history
6 Sister Cities
7 External links

The city is serviced by Imabari Station on the JR Shikoku system. It is a main station on the Yosan line with limited express service. The city is also home to two large naval ports, and acts as a hub station for many of the ferry systems that link the nearby smaller islands.

In the center of city, you can find Imabari Castle as a symbol of this city. It was built by Takatora Toudou in 1604. It's remarkable in Japan that seawater is used in its trench.

Imabari has 6 temples of Shikoku Pilgrimage from 54 to 59 which are Enmeiji, Nankōji, Taisanji, Eifukuji,Senyuji, and Kokubunji

Shigemi Shūkichi (重見周吉, Shigemi Shūkichi^?), a teacher of Gakushuin and a physician in Tokyo. He published one book A Japanese Boy by Himself in 1889, when he was studying at Yale university. In this book he wrote about his young age in Imabari vividly, because he needed money for his study.

Imabari is home to a large number of maritime facilities along the northern and eastern coastlines of the city. Facilities include a container port and 20 maintenance and construction shipyards. The ports have also long been a trading center within Shikoku. The city is home to a large cotton processing industry, with particular emphasis on towels. The city produces around 60% of the towels produced in Japan. As of 1998, there were over 200 towel production plants in the city. The city also specializes in the dyeing industry.

A view over the city

The area in which Imabari exists had long been a strategic point for the control of the Seto Inland Sea. As a result, it was controlled by a variety of forces throughout the warring period, including a number of inland sea pirate forces. The city was officially founded on February 11, 1920.

The city has recently experienced an economic surge as a result of the completion of the inter-island bridge network connecting it to Hiroshima.

On January 16, 2005 11 towns and villages from Ochi District merged with Imabari to form the new city of Imabari. The municipalities participating in this merger were: