Tendo is famous as "the town of Japanese chess" . We make over 95% of sets of pieces for Japanese chess in Japan. In Edo era (about 17th century), many samurai (warriors) were poor. So the lord of Tendo permited them to make pieces of Japanese chess as a part-time job. This is why we make a lot of pieces. The pieces of Japanese chess in Tendo became one of the traditional goods in April 8, 1996.

As of June ,1997. 61,232 people live in Tendo. 29,892 men and 31,340 women. It takes just 20 minutes by car to Yamagata city, which has a Prefectural Goverment of Yamagata Prefecture, just 10 minutes to Yamagata Airport and about 1 hour to Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture. There is less snow in Tendo city than any place in Yamagata Prefecure. This is why the number of residents increase by about 1% every year.

Yes! Of course !!

There are 19 hotels with spa in the center of the city. There are many kinds of hotels in Tendo city, for example, Japanese traditional hotel and big hotel etc. They have been open since 1911 (Meiji Era). You can get to these hotels in 10 minutes on foot from the JR station in Tendo. And in 1997, "YUPIA", public hot spring has been opened. It is a big public bath.

We have many kinds of fruits in Tendo, except tropical fruits (ex. lemon and orange). We have cherry from June to July, peach from August to September. And grape from September to October, La France (a kind of pear ) from October to November, apple from October to December. We grow the most of La France in Japan.

Tendo has 2 sister cities, Marostica in Italy and Marlborough in New Zealand. We became sister cities with both cities in 1989. They have a festival "Human chess game" in Marostica. We have a festival "Human Japanese chess game" , so we have a connection. And we have a connection with Marlborough for the agriculture. Now we have a English teacher for a junior high school.

There are 3 museums in Tendo, Tendo City Museum, Dewazakura Museum of Art and Hiroshige Museum of Art. In the Tendo City museum, they display pictures by native artist. In the Dewazakura Museum of Art, they display old setomonos in Corea. And they have a sub museum, museum for SAITOU Shin-ichi. In the Hiroshige Museum of Art, they display old picture by UTAGAWA Hiroshige who lived in 19 centuries. You know, Tendo is "the town of Japanese chess". So, there are many things of Japanese chess in the city. Would you find those things ? And there is a famous temple "Yamadera", we can get there in 10 minuites by car. MATUO Basyou who was famous poet wrote a poem there.

About tourism sights, please refer to "Tendo Navigator"

1. Manufacture of shogi pieces

They produce about 95% of shogi pieces in Japan. an anual production is 1,000,000 sets, it is about 7 billion YEN industory.

2. Product of a pair "La France"

"La France" is one of a kind of pear. We had crop of 2,890t(6,371.3lb.) in 1998.




# 1.0lb. = 0.4536kg

1. Plant of a cherry blossom "Somei Yoshino"

In 1902, they planted a cherry blossom "Somei Yoshino" on the top of Mt."Maizuru".

2. Spread of sewage disposal

It is a rate of 72.8% in March 1999.

3. Rate of increase in population

It is a rate of 5.73% from in 1990 to 1995.