Sawara-ku, Fukuoka

Sawara-ku (早良区, Sawara Ward) is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka-shi (福岡市, Fukuoka City), Fukuoka-ken (福岡県, Fukuoka Prefecture), Kyūshū, Japan.

Data

• Population: 210,923 people (As of February 1 of 2007)
• Area: 95.88 square kilometers (The Largest of the seven wards of Fukuoka)

Profile

Sawara (早良) is the western part of central Fukuoka. Hakata (博多) is east central Fukuoka.

On April 1, 1889, Fukuoka was founded. The northeastern part of the former Sawara-gun (早良郡, Sawara District) was merged into Fukuoka.

On April 1 of 1972, Fukuoka was designated as a government ordinance city. Then, Fukuoka-shi was subdivided into the five wards of Hakata-ku, Chūō-ku, Higashi-ku, Minami-ku and the former Nishi-ku. The area now called Sawara-ku was the central part of the former Nishi-ku.

By March 1, 1975, the towns and the villages of the former Sawara-gun had been merged into Fukuoka.

On May 10, 1982, the former Nishi-ku was subdivided into the three wards of Sawara-ku, Jōnan-ku and Nishi-ku. Because the area now called Sawara-ku had been a central part of the former Sawara-gun, the area was named after it.

Places

• Momochihama (百道浜): Fukuoka Tower, Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka City Library
• Nishijin (西新): Nishijin Praliva
• Fujisaki (藤崎): Sawara Ward Office, Fukuoka Prefecture Sawara Police Station, Fujisaki Bus Terminal
• Hara (原): Hara Saty
• Noke (野芥)
• Higashiirube (東入部): Sawara Ward Irube Branch Office

Schools

• Momochihama: Seinan Gakuin Junior and Senior High School
• Nishijin: Seinan Gakuin University, Fukuoka Prefecture Shūyūkan High School
• Arita (有田): Fukuoka Prefecture Kōrinkan High School
• Tamura (田村): Fukuoka Dental College

Stations

• Fukuoka City Subway Kūkō Line: Nishijin, Fujisaki, Muromi (室見)
• Fukuoka City Subway Nanakuma Line: Noke, Kamo (賀茂), Jirōmaru (次郎丸)

Roads

Sawara-kaidō Avenue (早良街道, Sawara Road) is a historical road consisting of Prefectural Route 558 and southern part of National Route 263. Sawara-gaidō Street (早良街道) is an officially-named road consisting of Municipal Route Nishijin-Arae and northern part of National Route 263.

• National Route 202 (Prefectural Route 559)
• National Route 202 Bypass
• National Route 263
• Prefectural Route 49
• Prefectural Route 56
• Prefectural Route 136
• Prefectural Route 558
• Municipal Route Chiyo-Imajuku
• Municipal Route Nishijin-Arae

Rivers

• Muromi-gawa
• Kanakuzu-gawa
• Aburayama-gawa