Kotoura, Tottori

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Kotoura
琴浦町
Town
Kotoura town office.jpg
Kotoura town office
Flag of Kotoura, Tottori.svg
Flag
Emblem of Kotoura, Tottori.svg
Emblem
Kotoura, Tottori
Location of Kotoura in Tottori Prefecture
Kotoura in Tottori Prefecture Ja.svg
Japan location map with side map of the Ryukyu Islands.svg
Red pog.svg
Kotoura
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 35°30′N133°42′E / 35.500°N 133.700°E / 35.500; 133.700
CountryJapan
Region Chūgoku
San'in
Prefecture Tottori
District Tōhaku
Area
 • Total
139.97 km2 (54.04 sq mi)
Population
 (December 21, 2022)
 • Total
16,434
 • Density120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address591-2 Tokuman, Kotoura-cho, Tohaku-gun, Tottori-ken 689-2392
Website Official website
Symbols
Bird Common kingfisher
Flower Cherry blossom
Tree Japanese beech
Tottori Prefectural Road 34 Tottori Prefectural Road 34.jpg
Tottori Prefectural Road 34
Roadside Station(Michinoeki) Port Akasaki at Kotoura Town Roadside Station Port Akasaki.jpg
Roadside Station(Michinoeki) Port Akasaki at Kotoura Town

Kotoura (琴浦町, Kotoura-chō) is a town located in Tōhaku District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 December 2022, the town had an estimated population of 16,434 in 6452 households and a population density of 120 persons per km2. [1] The total area of the town is 139.97 square kilometres (54.04 sq mi).

Contents

Etymology

The name of Kotoura in Japanese is formed from two kanji . The first, 琴, refers to the traditional Japanese 13-string musical instrument, and the second, 浦 means "cove". The name of the town is taken from a stretch of the coast on the Japan Sea called Koto-no-ura (琴ノ浦).

Geography

Kotoura is located in central Tottori Prefecture, bordered by the Sea of Japan to the north while the southern part of the city rises to the Chūgoku Mountains. Mount Senjō, to the southwest of the town, is within the Mount Daisen range.. It is designated as a heavy snowfall area.

Neighboring municipalities

Tottori Prefecture

Climate

Kotoura is classified as a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kotoura is 15.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2097 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.1 °C. [2]

Demography

Per Japanese census data, [3] the population of Kotoura has been as follows. The population has been slowly declining since the 1950s

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 20,250—    
1930 21,933+8.3%
1940 21,400−2.4%
1950 21,741+1.6%
1960 27,173+25.0%
1970 25,322−6.8%
1980 22,300−11.9%
1990 22,150−0.7%
2000 20,442−7.7%
2010 18,535−9.3%

History

Kotoura has been settled since ancient times. A Yayoi period (300 BC–250 AD) dōtaku was unearthed in Yabase district, one of only 400 in Japan, and a bronze sword was unearthed in Tagoshi district, and both items suggest a prosperous settlement in Kotoura in this period. Kotoura was part of ancient Hōki Province, and the ruins of an extensive Asuka period Buddhist temple Sainoo temple ruins is a Special National Historic Site. The diary of Fujiwara no Sanesuke (957–1046), published as the Shōyūki describe rich pastures in the area during the Heian period (794–1185). Kotoura was used after this period as a center for animal husbandry. In the Edo period (1603–1868) a karō of Tottori Domain resided in Kotoura, and the town supported a thriving market in the Urayasu district. [4]

Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organized into villages within Tōhaku District, Tottori Prefecture The town of Kotoura was formed on September 1, 2004 by the merger of the towns of Tōhaku and Akasaki.

Government

Kotoura has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of eight members. Kotoura, collectively with the other municipalities of Tōhaku District, contributes three members to the Tottori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Tottori 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Kotoura is based agriculture and food processing, including sake and soy sauce brewing.

Education

Kotoura has four public elementary schools and two public junior high schools operated by the town government. The town does not have high school, but the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education operates a special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

JR logo (west).svg JR West - San'in Line

Highway

Local attractions

Daisen Waterfall Daisendaki.jpg
Daisen Waterfall

Notable people

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hōki Province</span> Former province of Japan

Hōki Province was a former province in the area that is today the western half of Tottori Prefecture in the San'in region of Japan. Hōki was bordered by Inaba, Mimasaka, Izumo, Bitchū, and Bingo Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Hakushū (伯州). In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Hōki was one of the provinces of the San'indo circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Hōki was ranked as one of the 35 "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "middle countries" (中国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of Kurayoshi, Tottori. The ichinomiya of the province is the Shitori Shrine also located in the town of Yurihama. As there are many cultural and historic similarities between Hōki and neighboring Izumo Provinces, the two provinces are sometimes informally grouped together as the Unpaku region (雲伯地方). Conversely, Mount Daisen forms a geographic divide, which separates Hōki culturally and historically into eastern Tōhaku (東伯) and Saihaku (西伯) regions.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tōhaku District</span>

Tōhaku is a district located in Tottori Prefecture, Japan.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daisen, Tottori</span> Town in Japan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hōki, Tottori</span> Town in Japan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urayasu Station (Tottori)</span> Railway station located in Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yabase Station</span> Railway station located in Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan

Yabase Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akasaki Station (Tottori)</span> Railway station located in Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan

Akasaki Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainoo temple ruins</span> Buddhist temple in Kotoura, Tottori, Japan

Sainoo temple ruins is an archeological site with the ruins of a Hakuhō period Buddhist temple located in the Tsukishita neighborhood of the town of Kotoura, Tottori prefecture, in the San'in region of Japan. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 1935 with the designation changed to that of a Special National Historic Site in 1952. Due to the good condition of the remains, it is the only nationally designated Special Historic Site in the San'in region; however, as the temple does not appear in any documented history, its actual name and history are unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Senjō (Tottori)</span> Geographical feature in Japan

Mount Senjō, is a mountain in the town of Kotoura, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. It has an elevation of 687 metres and is part of the Daisen volcanic belt. It is within the borders of the Daisen-Oki National Park.

References

  1. ↑ "Kotoura town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ↑ Kotoura climate data
  3. ↑ Kotoura population statistics
  4. ↑ "Kotoura". Nihon Daihyakka Zensho (Nipponika) (日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ) “Large Encyclopedia of Japan (Nipponika)”) (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
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