Akō

Akō is a city in the far southwestern corner of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the border with Okayama Prefecture, a line that also divides the Kinki and Chūgoku areas of the country. Its English Wikipedia article gives an estimated population of 45,747 in 20,563 households as of 31 May 2022, spread over 126.85 square kilometres. The Chikusa River flows through the centre of the city and feeds the moat of Akō Castle through a branch, and parts of the city lie within Setonaikai National Park. The area has been settled since at least the Jomon period, and in the Edo period Akō was the capital of Akō Domain, which was noted for salt production. The town was created in 1889 and became a city on 1 September 1951; tourism today draws on the story of the forty-seven rōnin.