and city of Gotemba Gotemba was the location of the earliest known settlement founded in the region of Shizuoka which dates back 2,000 years ago. The inhabitants of the area (including Gotemba) were not ethnically
Yamato and were likely
Ainu. Gotemba was the site of a
shōen belonging to
Ise Shrine in the
Heian period. During the
Edo period the area was part of
Odawara Domain. After the start of the
Meiji period, it became part of
Shizuoka Domain until the
abolition of the han system in 1871 and the establishment of Shizuoka Prefecture. The opening of
Gotemba Station on what was then the Tōkaidō Main Line on February 1, 1889, spurred development of the area. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, Gotemba Town was created within
Suntō District, along with Fujioka Village, Harasato Village, Ino Village, Tamaho Village, and Takane Village. However, the opening of the
Tanna Tunnel on December 1, 1934, resulted in the route of Tōkaidō Main Line shifting south to
Atami, leaving Gotemba on the spur
Gotemba Line, which resulted in temporary depopulation. During the pre-war era, Gotemba was a major base area for the
Imperial Japanese Army, and still houses military facilities and a large training area (the
East Fuji Maneuver Area) for the modern
Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and the
United States Marine Corps. Gotemba was elevated to city status on February 11, 1955, through the merger of Gotemba Town with neighboring Fujioka Village, Harasato Village, Ino Village, and Tamaho Village. The city expanded through annexation of Takane Village on January 1, 1956 and the Furusawa District of
Oyama Town on September 1, 1957. The Gotemba Interchange on the Tōmei Expressway was completed on May 25, 1969. ==Government==