Iga Ueno

Iga City (伊賀市, Iga-shi) was formed in 2004 with the merger of Ueno City and five surrounding towns and villages. The city is named after the former Iga Province, which covered part of today's Mie Prefecture. The city has been commonly referred to as Iga Ueno (伊賀上野) to avoid confusion with other places named Ueno.

Iga Ueno is most famous for ninja. The Iga school of ninjutsu (art of stealth), based in the former Ueno City, used to be one of Japan's two leading ninja schools during the feudal era (the Koka school in neighboring Shiga Prefecture was the other). Today, Iga Ueno attracts visitors with its fine ninja museum.

Iga Ueno is also the birthplace of one of Japan's greatest poets, Basho Matsuo, who lived during the early Edo Period. A memorial museum, his birth home and a former hermitage are some of the city's Basho related sites.