Early history
The area around Urayasu was tenryo territory within Shim?sa Province controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Urayasu served as an important fishing village for the Edo capitol. Until the industrialization of the city it was a major center of production of nori, an edible seaweed, hamaguri, the common orient clam, and asari, the Japanese cockle. All three are important elements of the traditional Japanese diet.
Modern history
After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 it became part of Chiba Prefecture. Urayasu Village was created on April 1, 1889 under Higashikatsushika District. Urayasu became a town in September 1909. Many of the residents of Urayasu perished during the 1944 Bombing of Tokyo. Urayasu grew in the 1960s and 1970s with massive landfill projects along the shores of Tokyo Bay, public housing projects, and increasing infrastructure. Urayasu became part of the Keiy? Industrial Zone in this period, which spans from the city across the Tokyo Bay coast of Chiba Prefecture to Futtsu to the south. Fishing was abandoned in Urayasu in 1971 due to the industrialization of the city. Urayasu was elevated to city status on April 1, 1981
