of the
Battle of Hokuetsu (
Boshin War) by Utagawa Kuniteru II The area of present-day Nagaoka was part of ancient
Echigo Province. Under the
Tokugawa shogunate, a
castle town was constructed by
Hori Naoyori lord of
Nagaoka Domain in 1616. However, as the initial castle was located in an area prone to flooding by the
Shinano River, a new castle was built at the site of present-day
Nagaoka Station in 1617. Nagaoka flourished as under the reign of the 13 generations of the
Makino clan during the
Edo period. In the
Boshin War of 1868 during the
Meiji Restoration, Nagaoka Domain was a member of the
Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei against the imperial forces, and the city was reduced to rubble during the
Battle of Hokuetsu. A gift of one hundred sacks of rice from a neighboring province was sold to finance a new school during the reconstruction of Nagaoka, from which the anecdote of
Kome Hyappyo was born. With the Meiji period creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the towns of Nagaoka and Nagaoka-honmachi were established. The two towns were merged on November 1, 1901 with the towns of Senju, Kusouzu, Ara, and village of Ouchi to form the modern town of Nagaoka, which was then raised to city status on April 1, 1906.
Municipal timeline • April 1, 1906: The city of Nagaoka is established. • August 1, 1945: Nagaoka is reduced to rubble by 125
B-29 bombers in the
Bombing of Nagaoka in World War II. 1,470 lives are lost. • January 1963: A record-breaking heavy snowfall hits Nagaoka. • November 15, 1982:
Joetsu Shinkansen service arrives at Nagaoka Station. • July 12–13, 2004: A heavy downpour causes extensive flooding in Nagaoka. • October 23, 2004: The
Chūetsu earthquake strikes, causing extensive damage in Nagaoka and surrounding areas. • February 2005: Nagaoka experiences the heaviest snowfall in 19 years. • April 1, 2005: The town of
Oguni (from
Kariwa District), the village of
Yamakoshi (from
Koshi District), the town of
Nakanoshima (from
Minamikanbara District), and the towns of
Koshiji and
Mishima (both from
Santō District), were absorbed into Nagaoka. Prior to the merger, the size of Nagaoka was 262.45 km2 and the population was 192,292. • January 1, 2006: The city of
Tochio, the towns of
Teradomari and
Yoita, and the village of
Washima (all from
Santō District) were absorbed into Nagaoka. • April 1, 2007: Nagaoka is designated a
special city with increase local autonomy • March 31, 2010: The town of
Kawaguchi (from
Kitauonuma District) was absorbed into Nagaoka. ==Government==