is one of five neighborhoods within the city of Date, Fukushima, along with the towns of Date, Yanagawa, Ryozen, and Tsukidate. Until the merger of all five towns in 2006, Hobara was a town located in Date District, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. At that time, studies reported the town had an estimated population of 24,491 people and a density of 583.25 persons per km². The total area was 41.99 km². History The town's symbol was designed in 1957, mixing the katakana character for "ho," as in "Hobara" and the character for "en" or yen. In 1960, the town of Hobara and the villages of Ooda, Kamihobara, Hashirazawa, and Tominari merged, retaining the name "Hobara." In 1979, peach blossoms, the Japanese red pine, and the common cuckoo were designated the town's official flower, tree, and bird, respectively. On January 1, 2006, Hobara, along with the towns of Date, Ryōzen, Tsukidate and Yanagawa (all from Date District), was merged to create Date City. Education Hobara High School Shoyo Junior High School Hobara Elementary School Hashirazawa Elementary School Hobara Kindergarten Hobara Nursery School Transportation Railway AbukumaExpress – Abukuma Express Line Takako - Kamihobara - Hobara - Ōizumi - Niida Highway National Route 349 National Route 399 Events Tsutsuko-biki Festival Tsutsuko-biki is a yearly festival that happens in Hobara on the first Sunday in March. Men from upper, lower, and central Hobara pull at three sides of a "tsutsuko" (meaning a "tawara" or straw bag) containing mochi. In the past, when the town market was held on the 5th and 10th of every month, this festival was held on January 24 to decide which section of the town would have the right to host the market. Local legend states that the festival began when a severe famine broke out during the Kyōhō Era (1716-1736) in the mid-Edo Period. The lord of Yanagawa at that time, Matsudaira Michiharu (later known as Tokugawa Muneharu), gathered the locals and gave them rice seeds that provided a great harvest the following year. The event is a Shinto ritual of Itsukushima Shrine. Momo Marathon There is a yearly "Momo Marathon" (Peach Marathon) which passes through Hobara each summer. Folk Tales and Local Legends Shinkeibo Shinkeibo (真敬坊) was a Japanese monk who travelled through Hobara during a plague and was able to treat the villagers, saving them from their sickness. Shinkeibo was asked by the villagers to stay in the town