ICHIKAWA

city, Chiba ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Edo River east of Tokyo. The city is composed of the three towns of Ichikawa, Yawata, and Nakayama, which were salt-producing post towns on the Chiba Highway (Chiba-kaido) during the Tokugawa period (16031867). Since the opening of two railway lines in 1894, the city has served as a commercial, industrial, and residential suburb of Tokyo. Ichikawa houses educational institutions. The cultivation of vegetables and fruit on the plateaus to the north is important. Pop. (1994 est.) 444,468.