Katori, Chiba

Katori (香取市, Katori-shi) is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

As of April 2012, the city has an estimated population of 81,240 and a population density of 310 persons per km². The total area is 262.31 km².

Katori Shrine is in the city of Katori, as is the old merchant town and canal of Sawara.

Geography

Katori is located in far northeastern Chiba Prefecture, along the lower reaches of the Tone River.

Surrounding municipalities

History

After the Meiji Restoration, the area consisted of the towns of Sawara and Omigawa, and the villages of Katori, Kanishi and Higashi-Daito (founded within Katori District on May 23 1890). Katori was raised to town status on May 5, 1897. On March 15, 1951, the city of Sawara was formed by the merger of Katori, Sawara, Omigawa and Higashi-Daito. Sawara expanded on February 11, 1955 by annexing the neighboring villages of Niijima, Okura, Mizuho and Tsunomiya.