Ishinomaki

Ishinomaki is a city located in Miyagi, Japan. As of January 1, 2010, the area that the current city occupies had an estimated population of 164,294 and the density of 295.83 persons per km². The total area is 555.35 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1933. On April 1, 2005, Ishinomaki was merged with six towns, Kahoku, Kanan, Kitakami, Monou and Ogatsu, all from the former Monou District, and Oshika, from Oshika District, to more than quadruple its area and added nearly 60,000 people to its population.

Before the merger, the town of Ogatsu was famous for its inkstones and had a scallop festival. Ishinomaki has the Eastern Hemisphere's second-largest fish market. The city also hosts a full-size replica of the Japanese warship San Juan Bautista, a ship commissioned in 1613 by Date Masamune, Daimyo of Sendai, to transport an embassy to the Pope in Rome.