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Japan

Takasaki

Administrative territorial entity Big city City Core cities of Japan

Takasaki, Industrial center in Gunma Prefecture, Japan

Description

Takasaki is an industrial center in Gunma Prefecture that spreads across a wide plain surrounded by mountains. The white Kannon statue rises 42 meters (about 138 feet) above the urban buildings, serving as a landmark visible from across the area.

History

This place evolved during the Edo period from an administrative center into a key stop along the Nakasendo route connecting Edo with Kyoto. After modernization in the late 19th century, it transformed into a major railway junction and industrial site.

Culture

The Shorinzan Darumaji Temple marks the birthplace of daruma dolls, where artisan families have kept their crafting traditions alive since the 17th century. Visitors can watch craftspeople paint the round red charms with their characteristic blank eyes, using techniques passed down through generations.

Practical

Multiple railway lines, including the Hokuriku and Joetsu Shinkansen bullet trains, connect this place to Tokyo in under an hour. The compact downtown area is easy to walk, while buses reach more distant sights like the temple and the Kannon statue.

Did you know?

This place produces over 80 percent of all daruma dolls made in Japan, with most crafted in small family workshops around the temple. Hundreds of these red charms are displayed at the Reifudo building within the temple grounds, showing the variety of sizes and painted details.

Location

Gunma Prefecture

Inception

April 1, 1889

Reference

102024

Part of

Maebashi metropolitan area

Shares border with

Maebashi, Fujioka, Annaka, Shibukawa, Tomioka, Shinto, Tamamura, Higashiagatsuma, Naganohara, Kanra, Kamisato, Karuizawa

Website

https://city.takasaki.gunma.jp

GPS coordinates

36.32311,139.00236

Latest update

December 15, 2025 05:15

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