city, central Niigata ken (prefecture), north-central Honshu, Japan. It lies in the deltaic lowlands of the Shinano River, about 20 miles (32 km) south of Niigata city. Sanjō was founded as a castle town in the 16th century. It was a river port and post town during the Edo (Tokugawa) era (1603–1867), when the city first became known as a centre of metal tool production. Carpenter tools and household hardware are still produced in scores of small workshops, as well as in large-scale factories. Pop. (2005 prelim.) 104,748.