Kōka, Shiga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Kōka**
**甲賀市**
Kōka's location in Shiga, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Shiga
Physical characteristics
Area	481.69 km² (185.98 sq mi)
Population (as of April 2008)
Total	93,882
Density	195 /km² (505 /sq mi)
Location	34°58′N, 136°10′E
Symbols
Tree	Cryptomeria
Flower	Sasayuri (Lilium japonicum)
Bird	Common Kingfisher
Flag
Kōka Government Office
Mayor	Takeshi Nakajima
Address	〒528-8502 6053, Minakuchichō Minakuchi, Kōka-shi, Shiga-ken
Phone number	0748-65-0650
Official website: Kōka City

Minakuchi Castle (reconstructed).

Kōka (甲賀市, Kōka-shi^?) is a city located in the southern part of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. (The word 'Kōka' is often rendered as 'Koga' in English, especially when referring to the Koga Ninja.)

As of April 2008, the city has an estimated population of 93,882 and a density of 195 persons per km². The total area is 481.69 km². The city was founded on October 1, 2004 when the towns of Kōka, Minakuchi, Shigaraki, Tsuchiyama, and Kōnan merged to form one new city.

Kōka is quite well known for its ninja history, fine quality ceramics and for containing two post stations (Tsuchiyama-juku and Minakuchi-juku) from the historic Tōkaidō. The city launched a new English version of their homepage in April 2007, and they have begun to actively promote themselves as a little known yet highly authentic sightseeing destination