Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Kokubunji, city, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan. It lies along the Chūō Main Line, west of Tokyo city. The city first developed around the Kokubun Temple, built in the 8th century for a group of Buddhist nuns, and was an early cultural centre. During the Meiji era (1868–1912), it depended upon sericulture (silkworm culture), but, after the massive Kantō earthquake of 1923 destroyed much of central Tokyo, it grew as a residential suburb of the Tokyo-Yokohama Metropolitan Area. Agriculture in the surrounding area produces food for the metropolitan market. Pop. (2005) 117,604; (2010) 120,650.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.