Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Ama is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1699 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.4 °C.^[4]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[5] the population of Ama has been increasing rapidly over the past 50 years.

Neighboring municipalities

Aichi Prefecture

• Nagoya – Nakagawa-ku, Nakamura-ku
• Inazawa
• Kiyosu
• Tsushima
• Aisai
• Kanie
• Ōharu

Origins

Ama was part of the former Owari Province, and has been inhabited continuously since the Jomon period.

Ancient history

The temple of Jimoku-ji was founded in the Asuka period by Empress Suiko.

Middle Ages

From the Kamakura period, it was a shukuba on the Kamakura Kaidō. During the Sengoku period, it was the home of the daimyō Hachisuka Masakatsu, whose clan ruled from Hachitsuka Castle. It was also the birthplace of Fukushima Masanori, another Sengoku-period warlord.

Early modern period

During the Edo period, it formed part of the holdings of the Owari Tokugawa of Owari Domain. From the Edo period, the area was known as a center for Cloisonné production.

Late modern period

During the early Meiji period, the area was organized into several villages under Ama District, Aichi Prefecture with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

Contemporary history

Jimokuji, was elevated to town status in 1933, Miwa in 1958 and Shippō in 1966. The three towns, plus the town of Ōharu began merger discussions in 2008; however, an agreement could not be made with Ōharu, which left the discussions later that year. The remaining three towns passed a referendum in 2009, and the new city of Ama was founded and created on March 22, 2010.^[2] The naming of the city came from one of the 6 candidates, (Nishi-Nagoya, Meinishi, Umibe, Kaitō, Ama, Nishi-Owari) and the name chosen from the votes was Meinishi, but the merger councils decided they want to keep the name “Ama”, despite it having the least votes. This resulted the referendum becoming meaningless.

Ceramic engineering

• Cloisonné（Owari Cloisonné）

Commerce

Due to its proximity to the Nagoya metropolis, Ama has developed into a commuter town and its population has grown rapidly.

Railways

Roads