Koshigaya

Koshigaya is a city in the eastern part of Saitama Prefecture, Japan, about 25 kilometres north of Tokyo on the flat alluvial plain of the Nakagawa basin. The city covers roughly 60 square kilometres at an average elevation of only a few metres above sea level, and several rivers cross it. It has long been known for making daruma dolls. In the Edo period Koshigaya-shuku prospered as a post station on the Nikko and Oshu highways and as a river transport and transshipment centre, and the shogun briefly stayed in the town after the Great Fire of Meireki destroyed Edo Castle in 1657. The modern town was created in 1889, enlarged by annexing neighbouring villages in 1954 and 1955, became a city in 1958, and was raised to special city status in 2003 and core city status in 2015. Today it is a regional commercial centre with several universities, rail links on the Musashino and Tobu Isesaki lines, and a population of about 345,000.