Hasuda (Saitama)
Hasuda (蓮田市, Hasuda-shi?>) is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. According to data from 2005, the city has an estimated population of 64,325 inhabitants and a density of 2,358.82 people per km². The total area is 27.27 km².
In Japanese hasu (蓮) and da (ta, 田) mean 'lotus' and 'rice paddy'. A legend says that a Buddhist monk stayed in a small temple one night in the year 743. This monk, Yoshizumi (義澄), would wake up in the morning and be surprised by the unexpected scenery filled with many beautiful lotuses. Yoshizumi gave the temple the name Renge In (蓮華院). Renge is 'pretty lotus'. Tradition says that this is the origin of the name Hasuda. It is only a legend but in Hasuda in the past there was no lack of lotuses, since it is located in the lowlands of the Kanto plain.
The towns of Ayase (綾瀬), Kurohama (黒浜), and Hirano (平野) were founded in 1889. Ayase changed its name to Hasuda due to legend in 1934. The other two towns merged with Hasuda in 1954. A part of Iwatsuki was relocated to Hasuda in 1966. Hasuda was granted city status on October 1, 1972 with a population of 35,274.
The current territory of Hasuda was too close to the Ara River in ancient and medieval times. After the change of the river route in the 17th century of the Edo period, many water rice fields developed. In 1895 pear cultivation began. Rice and pear productions have continued until today. In addition, some factories were built in the second half of the 20th century. However, Hasuda's population has increased mainly as a suburb of Tokyo and the southern cities of Saitama Prefecture. The largest residential area is around the Hasuda station of the Tōhoku Railway Major Line.