Akita (秋田市 Akita-shi, Japanese: [aꜜki̥ta]) is the capital city of Akita Prefecture, Japan, and has been designated a core city since 1 April 1997.

The city, which covers an area of 906.09 square kilometres (349.84 sq mi), had an estimated population of 314,662 in October 2016, giving a population density of 347 persons per km2.

The area of present-day Akita was part of ancient Dewa Province, and has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Jizōden ruins within the city limits are a major archaeological site with artifacts from the Japanese Paleolithic period through the Jōmon and Yayoi periods. During the Nara period, the Yamato court established Akita Castle in 733 AD to bring the local Emishi tribes under its control. The area was ruled by a succession of local samurai clans in the Sengoku period, before coming under the control of the Satake clan of Kubota Domain during the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, a castle town developed around Kubota Castle.

AloJapan.com