Sapporo (札幌市 Sapporo-shi) (·) is the fourth-largest in Japan by population, and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of . Located in, it is the capital of Prefecture, and an of Japan.
Sapporo is known outside Japan for having hosted the , the first ever held in Asia, and for the city's annual Yuki Matsuri, internationally referred to as the, which draws more than 2 million tourists from around the world. The city is also home to and the white chocolate biscuits called (白い恋人, "white sweetheart").
Early history[]
Before its establishment, the area occupied by Sapporo (known as the Ishikari Plain) was home to a number of indigenous settlements. In 1866, at the end of the , construction began on a canal through the area, encouraging a number of early settlers to establish Sapporo village. The settlement's name was taken from the sat poro pet (サッ・ポロ・ペッ), and can be translated as "dry, great river".
In 1868, the officially recognized year celebrated as the 'birth' of Sapporo, the new government concluded that the existing administrative center of Hokkaido, which at the time was the port of , was in an unsuitable location for defense and further development of the island. As a result, it was determined that a new capital on the Ishikari Plain should be established. The plain itself provided an unusually large expanse of flat, well drained land which is relatively uncommon in the otherwise mountainous geography of Hokkaido.
During 1870–1871, , vice-chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission (Kaitaku-shi) approached the American government for assistance in developing the land. As a result, , under President , became an and was appointed as a special advisor to the commission. Construction began around , which still remains as a green ribbon of recreational land bisecting the central area of the city. The city closely followed a with streets at right-angles to form city blocks.
The continuing expansion of the Japanese into Hokkaido continued, mainly due to migration from the main island of immediately to the south, and the prosperity of Hokkaido and particularly its capital grew to the point that the Development Commission was deemed unnecessary and was abolished in 1882.
(oyatoi gaikokujin) came to Sapporo to establish sheep and cattle ranches in 1876. He also demonstrated pig raising and the making of butter, cheese, ham and sausage. He married a Japanese woman. He once went back to the US in 1883 but returned to Japan as a secretary of government.
(oyatoi gaikokujin) who was the president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the ) came to be the founding vice-president of (now ) for only eight months from 1876 to 1877. He taught academic subjects in science and lectured on the Bible as an "ethics" course, introducing Christian principles to the first entering class of the College.
In 1880, the entire area of Sapporo was renamed as "Sapporo-ku" (Sapporo Ward), and a railroad between Sapporo and Temiya, was laid. That year the , a hotel and reception facility for visiting officials and dignitaries, was erected adjacent to the Odori Park. It was later moved to where it remains today. Two years later, with the abolition of the Kaitaku-shi, Hokkaidō was divided into three prefectures: Hakodate, Sapporo, and Nemuro. The name of the urban district in Sapporo remained Sapporo-ku, while the rest of the area in Sapporo-ku was changed to . The office building of Sapporo-ku was also located in the urban district.
Sapporo, Hakodate, and Nemuro Prefectures were abolished in 1886, and , an American--style structure with red bricks, constructed in 1888. The last squad of the Tondenhei, the soldiers pioneering Hokkaido, settled in the place where the area of Tonden in is currently located. Sapporo-ku administered surrounding Sapporo-gun until 1899, when the new district system was announced. After that year, Sapporo-ku was away from the control of Sapporo-gun. The "ku" (district) enforced from 1899 was an autonomy which was a little bigger than towns, and smaller than cities. In Hokkaido at that time, Hakodate-ku and Otaru-ku also existed.[]
