SAKATA

city, Yamagata ken (prefecture), northern Honshu, Japan, on the Mogami River. A prosperous commercial and fishing port during the Muromachi period (13381573), it later developed as a seaport for the shipment of rice along the Sea of Japan coast. The chemical industry was introduced in 1940, and manganese ore, phosphate fertilizer, and ferroalloys are now produced. During the 1970s a port north of the city and an industrial complex around it were built. Agricultural products of the surrounding region include rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and fruit. Large national storehouses, established in 1926, contain government rice holdings. The city houses the Homma Art Museum and the Domon Ken Memorial Museum of photography. Pop. (1990) 100,811; (1994 est.) 100,663.