Kasugai, city in central Japan, on Honshu Island, in western Aichi Prefecture. Kasugai merges with the metropolis of Nagoya to the southwest. The city has many paper and electrical appliance factories. Peaches and ornamental cacti are grown in the nearby hills, and rice is cultivated in the surrounding area. Originally the Kasugai region was unsuitable for rice cultivation, but during the Edo period (1603-1867) Iruka Pond and the Kotsutsu irrigation ditch were built so that rice fields could be planted. After World War II (1939-1945) the city became industrialized and grew rapidly. A base of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force is located in the center of the city.
The Futagoyama grave mound (kofun), designated a national treasure, is found at the southwest end of the city. This keyhole-shaped mound is part of the Ajiyoshi mound group that lies along the Shonai River. Kofun were built to bury members of the ruling class. The presence of these mounds, probably built between the 4th and 6th centuries, indicates that a powerful ruler existed in the area. Many unglazed cylindrical clay figures (haniwa) have been excavated from the mound at Kasugai. The city is also the site of Mitsuzoin, a temple of the Buddhist Tendai sect built more than 600 years ago. Population (1999) 281,999.
