The Sieges of Nagashima took place in 1571, 1573 and 1574, finally resulting in the destruction of the Ikk?-ikki defenders by warlord Oda Nobunaga.
Kuwana prospered as a major port town since ancient times. Especially during the Edo period, Kuwana-juku was the forty-second station on the T?kaid? road and was protected by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Some travelers along the road would take ships and boats across Ise Bay from Miya-juku (located in present-day Nagoya near Atsuta Shrine) to Kuwana, which reportedly made the journey more enjoyable. The trip across the Ise Bay, which took a whole day, made Kuwana a necessary stop for most of the travelers, benefiting the city's numerous inns and restaurants which served fresh sea food. Kuwana was especially known for its clams.
After the Edo government Tokugawa Shogunate fell in the mid-19th century, Kuwana re-established itself as a regional center of the casting industry, but the city was devastated by air raids in 1945 at the end of World War II.
Nagashima was heavily damaged in 1959 by the Isewan Typhoon.
A long-standing tradition, the Ishidori Matsuri ,is held every August in Kuwana. It is known as the loudest festival in Japan and attracts many visitors. The Tado Festival is held at Tado Shrine on May 4 and 5.
Today, the city functions as a suburb of nearby Nagoya and Yokkaichi cities for many of its residents
