Kuwana

Kuwana, city, northestern Mie ken (prefecture), central Honshu, Japan. It is situated on the delta of the Ibi, Nagara, and Kiso rivers, just west of Nagoya.

Kuwana was mentioned as a hamlet as early as the 10th century, and it became a commercial port on Ise Bay during the Muromachi period (1338–1573). From the 16th to the 19th century, the city was controlled by several powerful families; it was one of the major post towns on the Tōkaidō (“Eastern Sea Road”), the main historic land route between Edo (now Tokyo) and Kyōto during the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867). A rail line running through the city was completed in 1899 and brought a decline in the port’s activities.

Kuwana is now the centre of the Northern Ise Industrial Zone. The city produces metal castings, textiles, machinery, and processed foods and trades seaweed and clams. It is also the tourist base for Suigo Prefectural Natural Park. Pop. (2010) 140,290.