Ōsaki, Miyagi
Geography. Ōsaki is in north-central Miyagi Prefecture in the northern Sendai Plain. The Furukawa area in the center of the city is a base for commercial and service industries in the northern portion of Miyagi Prefecture, and the Naruko area in the northwestern of the city is noted for hot spring tourism . The Kashimadai and Matsuyama districts in the southeastern part of the city are within the commuting zone of Sendai. Climate. Ōsaki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification "Cfa") characterized by hot summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature in Ōsaki is 11.5  °C. The average annual rainfall is 1249 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.6 °C. Neighboring municipalities. Miyagi Prefecture Yamagata Prefecture Akita Prefecture Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōsaki has remained relatively steady over the past 60 years. History. The area of present-day Ōsaki was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people. During the Nara period, gold was discovered in the area . During later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate. The town of Furukawa was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to city status on December 15, 1950. The city of Ōsaki was established on March 31, 2006, from the merger of the city of Furukawa absorbed the towns of Iwadeyama  and Naruko (both from Tamatsukuri District), the towns of Kashimadai, Matsuyama and Sanbongi (all from Shida District), and the town of Tajiri (from Tōda District). Government. Ōsaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 30 members.　Ōsaki contributes four seats to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Miyagi 6th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. Economy. The economy of Ōsaki is largely based on agriculture, primarily the cultivation of rice and soybeans. Industry includes electronics, precision machining  and construction materials. Transportation. Railway. East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Tōhoku Shinkansen