Shirada, Satsuma

Shirada (白田市) is a city in Satsuma Province, Yamatai.

As of October 2017, the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of 4,066 people per km². Shirada is part of the Greater Niihama Area.

Geography
Shirada is located at the northern end of Satsuma Bay. It is bordered by Satsuma City to the south-west, Yanagawa to the north-west, and Ishikawa to the east.

Pre-modern period
The area around present-day Shirada had been inhabited for thousands of years. Stone tools and shell middens from the Yamataian Paleolithic have been found by archaeologists in the area, as well as ceramic shards from the Moriya and Hakurei periods at numerous locations in the area. During the Classical Period, the area including Shirada was under the control of the Miura clan, a vassal of the Ito Domain, which was later annihilated by the Minamoto Domain during the Teigai War. The area was gifted to the Minamoto loyalist Muraoka clan, which would come to dominate the area for centuries.

A coastal fort was built at the site of modern Shirada, but during the Mizuho War in the 12th century it was burned down and abandoned when the Muraoka Clan domain was invaded and annexed by the Kujō clan. Following the end of the war in 1150, the area around Shirada remained in the hands of the Kujō clan until the aftermath of the 1520 Kibō War, when local feudal domains were stripped of power and replaced by a network of central government-organised commanderies, with Shirada falling under the Satsuma Commandery.

In 1582, Shirada was founded at its present location as the town of Uraga by Shirada Atsuhige, a renowned naval pioneer who had distinguished himself during the First Shiro-Yamataian War and was rewarded with the land. Following Shirada's death in 1591, the town was renamed Shirada in his honour. By this time, fishing and shipbuilding were its main industries, and Shirada quickly developed a reputation for constructing high-quality ships using the local "Uraga Timber", though was largely overshadowed by its neighbouring cities in prominence.

Second Empire to Present
During the Second Empire in the late 18th century, the central government selected Shirada as the site for a modern naval base for the newly-formed Yamatai Imperial Navy. Designed and planned by the engineer Yamazaki Sayumi, modern shipbuilding facilities were developed, including an iron foundry and an expansion to the waterway areas. The Shirada Naval Base became the first headquarters of the Yamatai Imperial Navy in 1792, and would later be expanded dramatically during the era of military rule and industrialisation in the 19th century.

Modern buildings, the Hashirimizu waterway, foundries, brick factories, and technical schools to train technicians were established in Shirada, which became the headquarters for the Imperial Navy's Southern Fleet and the site of drydocks that built some of the most innovative and modern warships in the world up to that point. By the 20th century, the Imperial Southern Shipyards complex was considered one of the most important shipyards in the world, and also hosted a school that trained foreign engineers in the Yamataian way.

Prior to the Second Escar-Varunan War, Shirada Naval Arsenal was responsible for the construction of two of the, as well as the battleship Oyashima, which is the largest battleship ever constructed in history. During the war, Shirada was bombed by Chiseian aircraft on several occasions, but did not suffer major damage. Multiple sabotage attempts were thwarted.

Following the end of the war, Shirada remained a major shipbuilding hub. Parts of the Imperial Southern Shipyards were sold to civilian corporations, while the naval base continues to be operated by the Imperial Navy to this day. Though under civilian ownership, the shipyards are still largely responsible for building the next-generation warships of the Imperial Navy to the modern day.

Economy
Shirada is an industrial city and is the shipbuilding hub of the Niihama Area. The Mitsuhishi Shipyard and Marine Engineering Corporation operates the Mitsuhishi Shipyards in Shirada, occupying the western half of the site of the previous Imperial Southern Shipyards. Shirada also has numerous factories operated by Mitsuhishi Motors in the city, including a 530,000 square metre plant in northern Shirada. The Mitsuhishi Futures Research and Development Centre is also located in Shirada. In addition, the military facilities in the city also provide an additional positive economic impact.

The Shirada Research Park, established in 1997, is a major centre for the Yamataian telecommunications industry in the Niihama area, and is where many of the wireless, mobile communications related companies have set up their research and development centres and joint testing facilities.

Shirada is also partially a, with 12% of the population working and studying in the neighbouring metropolises.

Transportation
Rail Road
 * Satsuma Bay Line (Shirada Station, Shirada East Station)
 * Ehime Western Line (Shirada East Station)
 * Wangan Second Loop Line (Shirada East Station)
 * Satsuma Bay Urban Highway (Kanazawa to Ishikawa)
 * National Road 11-16 (Wangan to Yanagawa)
 * National Road 11-17 (Satsuma Spine to Miyamoto)

Local attractions
Shirada has a number of local attractions related to its history with the Yamatai Imperial Navy and shipbuilding. The Battleship Oyashima Memorial is located in Shirada, featuring the final surviving Yamataian battleship of the Second Escar-Varunan War and the ship on which where the Oyashima Armistice was signed, ending the war. The Yamatai Imperial Navy Shirada Museum is also located adjacent to the Oyashima Memorial.

There is also a museum dedicated to Shirada Atsuhige next to Shirada Station.