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The Yamato people settled in Mito around the fourth century CE. Around the end of the Heian period, Baba Sukemoto , a warlord of the Heike family, moved to Mito and built a castle there. Mito Castle changed hands several times after that: a daimyo named Satake Yoshinobu won it in the mid-1500's, but he was forced to surrender it to Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603 after the epic Battle of Sekigahara. Ieyasu's son Tokugawa Yorifusa then took over Mito Castle, becoming one of the three "gosanke" family members fortified outside of Edo. The Tokugawas directly ruled Mito until the mid-1800's, when the bakufu in Edo was overthrown.
The modern city of Mito was formed on April 1April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. Events 527 Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. 1789 In New York City, the United Stat, 1889Events January-April January 8 Herman Hollerith receives a patent for his electric tabulating machine January 22 Columbia Phonograph is formed in Washington, DC. February 11 Meiji Constitution of Japan adopted; 1st Diet convenes in 1890 January 30 ? Crown, with a population of 25,000. It was designated as the prefectural capital. By 1900, the Joban Line connected it to Tokyo, and by 1910, telephones and electric lighting were available throughout the city. Although more than three-fourths of the city burned to the ground near the end of World War IIWorld War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the world's nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. The war was fough, the population had rebounded to 70,000 just two years later, and has continued to grow ever since.
Today, Mito is primarily a commercial and administrative city: most industry in Ibaraki is centered around the nearby city of Tsukuba. Mito also has a modest but thriving tourism industry, centered in Kairakuen Park, one of the most famous parks in the country. The local museums dedicated to the Tokugawa family also draw crowds.
Mito is famous for its nattoJapanese cuisine rice is always stirred before consumption Natto is a traditional Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans, popular especially at breakfast. A rich source of protein, natto and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in.