Takefu, Fukui

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Takefu (武生市; -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.

A large contingency of foreign Enlgish teachers also lives in Takefu teaching at local High schools, middle schools,and elementary schools. These foreigners can most easily be found at their local haunts, matsuri sushi, toms toast, and various other restaurants around town.

Takefu is also well known for its edged tools. If one has the time, they can even make their own knives at a traiditonal japanese blacksmith shop, or craft paper `washi` in imadate.