Chichibu is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 68,701, with 26,230 households. The total area is 577.69 km². Chichibu was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1950, although the region had already existed for hundreds of years and had developed many local traditions. Since that time, the area of the city has grown through a series of mergers, the most recent in 2005.