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Coordinates: 34°32′31″N 131°50′07″E / 34.54194°N 131.83528°E / 34.54194; 131.83528
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{{Infobox city Japan
{{Infobox settlement
| name= Tsuwano
| name = Tsuwano
| official_name =
| JapaneseName= 津和野町
| native_name = {{nobold|津和野町}}
| settlement_type= Town
| native_name_lang = ja
| image_flag= Flag of Tsuwano, Shimane.png
| settlement_type = [[Towns of Japan|Town]]
| image_map= Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture Ja.svg
| lat_deg= 34
| other_name =
| image_skyline = View from Taikodani Inari-jinja shrine, Tsuwano-cho, Kanoashi-gun, Shimane 001.jpg
| lat_min= 28
| image_caption = Scenery of Tsuwano
| lat_sec=
| image_flag = Flag of Tsuwano, Shimane.svg
| lon_deg= 131
| image_blank_emblem = Emblem of Tsuwano, Shimane.svg
| lon_min= 46
| blank_emblem_type = Emblem
| lon_sec=
| image_map= {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=8}}
| region= [[Chūgoku region|Chūgoku]]<br>[[San'in region|San'in]]
| prefecture= [[Shimane Prefecture]]
| image_map1 = Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture Ja.svg
| district= [[Kanoashi District, Shimane|Kanoashi]]
| map_caption = Location of Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture
| pushpin_map = Japan
| mayor= [[Hiroyuki Shitamori]]
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Japan
| area_km2= 307.09
| coordinates = {{coord|34|32|31|N|131|50|07|E|region:JP|display=inline,title}}
| population= 9,014
| subdivision_type = Country
| population_as_of= January 2008
| subdivision_name = Japan
| density_km2= 29.4
| subdivision_type1 = [[List of regions of Japan|Region]]
| tree= [[Cinnamomum camphora|Camphor Laurel]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Chūgoku region|Chūgoku]]<br>[[San'in region|San'in]]
| flower= [[Farfugium japonicum]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Prefectures of Japan|Prefecture]]
| bird= [[Ural owl]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Shimane Prefecture|Shimane]]
| city_hall_address= 54-25 Nichihara, Tsuwano-chō, Kanoashi-gun, Shimane-ken
| subdivision_type3 = [[Districts of Japan|District]]
| city_hall_postal_code= 699-5292
| subdivision_name3 = [[Kanoashi District, Shimane|Kanoashi]]
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Hiroyuki Shitamori
| leader_title1 = Vice Mayor
| leader_name1 =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_total_km2 = 307.03
| population_total = 6657
| population_as_of = June 30, 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone1 = [[Japan Standard Time|JST]]
| utc_offset1 = +09:00
| postal_code_type =
| postal_code =
| blank_name_sec1 = City hall address
| blank_info_sec1 = 54-25 Nichihara, Tsuwano-chō, Kanoashi-gun, Shimane-ken 699-5292
| blank_name_sec2 = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2 = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.town.tsuwano.lg.jp/}}
| website = {{URL|http://www.town.tsuwano.lg.jp/}}
| module = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=yes
| tree = [[Cinnamomum camphora|Camphor Laurel]]
| flower = ''[[Farfugium japonicum]]''
| bird = [[Egret]]
| butterfly =
| fish =
}}
}}
}}
{{nihongo|'''Tsuwano'''|津和野町|Tsuwano-chō}} is a [[List of towns in Japan|town]] located in [[Kanoashi District, Shimane|Kanoashi District]], [[Shimane Prefecture]], [[Japan]].
[[File:A street in Tsuwano.jpg|A street lined with historical buildings in Tsuwano|right|thumb|270px]]
[[File:Tsuwano Catholic Church 20170503-1.jpg|Tsuwano Catholic Church|right|thumb|270px]]
[[File:Otometoge Saint Mary's Church 20170503-1.jpg|Santa Maria Chapel at Otome Pass|right|thumb|270px]]
{{nihongo|'''Tsuwano'''|津和野町|Tsuwano-chō}} is a [[List of towns in Japan|town]] located in [[Kanoashi District, Shimane|Kanoashi District]], [[Shimane Prefecture]], [[Japan]]. {{As of|2023|06|30}}, the town had an estimated [[population]] of 6,657 in 3352 households and a [[population density]] of 22 persons per km².<ref name="Tsuwano-hp">{{cite web |url=https://www.town.tsuwano.lg.jp/www/menu.html|title= Tsuwano Town official statistics|location= Japan|language= ja}}</ref> The total area of the town is {{convert|307.03|sqkm|sqmi}}. Popularly called the "Little Kyoto of San'in," Tsuwano is known for its picturesque main street, "Tono-machi," which is an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Building lined with [[Edo period]] buildings and Koi ponds. Its annual ''[[Yabusame]]'' festival on the second Sunday of April is a large tourist draw for the [[San'in region]].


==Geography==
As of May 2015, the town has an estimated [[population]] of 7,684 and a [[population density|density]] of 25.0 persons per km². The total area is 307.09&nbsp;km².
Tsuwano is located in southwest Shimane Prefecture. The townscape that spreads out in a small basin between the mountains on a narrow flat land along the Tsuwano River.


==Neighboring municipalities==
Tsuwano is remotely located and surrounded by hills. Though geographically closer to [[Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi|Yamaguchi]], the capital of [[Yamaguchi Prefecture]], it is situated in [[Shimane Prefecture]]. A train trip to [[Matsue, Shimane|Matsue]], Shimane’s capital, takes as long as four hours. Due to its proximity to the border to neighboring Yamaguchi, many tourists who come to Tsuwano also visit [[Hagi, Yamaguchi|Hagi]] on the [[Sea of Japan]] and Yamaguchi at the same time, and Tsuwano is often mistaken as being located in Yamaguchi prefecture for this reason.
Shimane Prefecture
*[[Masuda, Shimane|Masuda]]
*[[Yoshika, Shimane|Yoshika]]
Yamaguchi Prefecture
*[[Hagi, Yamaguchi| Hagi]]
*[[Yamaguchi (city)| Yamaguchi]]


Popularly called the "Little Kyoto of San-In," Tsuwano is known for its picturesque mainstreet, "Tono-machi," which is lined with Edo-era buildings and Koi ponds. It also boasts one of the oldest still in use "Yabusame" (horse back archery) ranges in all of Japan, and its annual Yabusame festival on the second Sunday of April is a large tourist draw for the San-In region.


===Climate===
On September 25, 2005 the town of [[Nichihara, Shimane|Nichihara]] was merged into Tsuwano.
Tsuwano has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa'') with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year. The average annual temperature in Tsuwano is {{convert|14.3|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|1908.3|mm}} with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{convert|26.3|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{convert|3.0|C}}.<ref name=normals/> The highest temperature ever recorded in Tsuwano was {{cvt|38.2|C}} on 14 August 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-13.1|C}} on 28 February 1981.<ref name=extremes/>


{{Weather box
{{stack|
|width = auto
[[File:A street in Tsuwano.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A street lined with historical buildings in Tsuwano]]
|collapsed = Y
[[File:Church at Tsuwano.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Catholic Church at Tsuwano]]
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|location = Tsuwano (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
|Jan record high C = 18.6
|Feb record high C = 21.8
|Mar record high C = 24.6
|Apr record high C = 30.5
|May record high C = 35.1
|Jun record high C = 35.2
|Jul record high C = 37.9
|Aug record high C = 38.2
|Sep record high C = 37.4
|Oct record high C = 32.6
|Nov record high C = 28.1
|Dec record high C = 23.4
|Jan record low C = -7.9
|Feb record low C = -13.1
|Mar record low C = -4.6
|Apr record low C = -2.7
|May record low C = 1.5
|Jun record low C = 6.2
|Jul record low C = 13.0
|Aug record low C = 14.7
|Sep record low C = 4.1
|Oct record low C = 0.2
|Nov record low C = -2.3
|Dec record low C = -4.9
|Jan high C = 7.8
|Feb high C = 9.4
|Mar high C = 13.7
|Apr high C = 19.7
|May high C = 24.7
|Jun high C = 27.4
|Jul high C = 30.8
|Aug high C = 32.2
|Sep high C = 27.8
|Oct high C = 22.4
|Nov high C = 16.6
|Dec high C = 10.4
|Jan mean C = 3.0
|Feb mean C = 3.9
|Mar mean C = 7.4
|Apr mean C = 12.8
|May mean C = 17.8
|Jun mean C = 21.5
|Jul mean C = 25.5
|Aug mean C = 26.3
|Sep mean C = 21.9
|Oct mean C = 15.8
|Nov mean C = 10.2
|Dec mean C = 5.1
|Jan low C = -0.6
|Feb low C = -0.5
|Mar low C = 2.0
|Apr low C = 6.6
|May low C = 11.8
|Jun low C = 17.0
|Jul low C = 21.5
|Aug low C = 22.1
|Sep low C = 17.7
|Oct low C = 10.9
|Nov low C = 5.3
|Dec low C = 1.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 127.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 103.7
|Mar precipitation mm = 148.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 127.7
|May precipitation mm = 141.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 211.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 309.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 188.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 209.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 120.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 102.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 120.5
|year precipitation mm = 1908.3
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 15.8
|Feb precipitation days = 13.3
|Mar precipitation days = 13.8
|Apr precipitation days = 11.3
|May precipitation days = 9.8
|Jun precipitation days = 12.6
|Jul precipitation days = 12.8
|Aug precipitation days = 10.7
|Sep precipitation days = 11.4
|Oct precipitation days = 9.2
|Nov precipitation days = 10.7
|Dec precipitation days = 14.5
|Jan sun = 70.2
|Feb sun = 87.5
|Mar sun = 138.3
|Apr sun = 178.6
|May sun = 200.4
|Jun sun = 136.0
|Jul sun = 150.7
|Aug sun = 180.4
|Sep sun = 137.4
|Oct sun = 148.4
|Nov sun = 114.1
|Dec sun = 76.8
|year sun = 1619.2
|source 1 = [[Japan Meteorological Agency]]<ref name=extremes>{{cite web
| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=68&block_no=0707&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = April 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name=normals>{{cite web
| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=68&block_no=0707&year=&month=&day=&view=h0
|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）
| publisher = [[Japan Meteorological Agency|JMA]]
| access-date = April 26, 2022}}</ref>}}

===Demographics===
Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsuwano in 2020 is 6,875 people.<ref name=zensus/> Tsuwano has been conducting censuses since 1920.

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| 1920 | 20285
| 1925 | 19205
| 1930 | 20171
| 1935 | 19189
| 1940 | 18872
| 1945 | 22570
| 1950 | 22499
| 1955 | 23224
| 1960 | 21157
| 1965 | 18037
| 1970 | 15412
| 1975 | 13957
| 1980 | 13423
| 1985 | 13002
| 1990 | 12131
| 1995 | 11389
| 2000 | 10628
| 2005 | 9515
| 2010 | 8434
| 2015 | 7653
| 2020 | 6875
| footnote = Tsuwano population statistics<ref name=zensus>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/japan/shimane/ Tsuwano population statistics]</ref>
}}
}}
Tsuwano is somewhat unusually home to two Catholic churches. The Catholic church in Tsuwano itself is dedicated to Saint [[Francis Xavier]], who visited Japan as a missionary in 1549–50, and is located on its mainstreet. The Santa Maria Church at Otome Pass was dedicated in 1951 and is part of a memorial for Japanese Christians persecuted and tortured in Tsuwano by the government during the Edo and Meiji periods.


== History ==
Other notable locations and tourist attractions within Tsuwano include the ruins of Tsuwano Castle, where the Kamei clan once ruled the Tsuwano fiefdom from the 17th through mid 19th-centuries, and the famed mountainside Taikodani Inari Shrine with its "1000 vermillion torii gates." In 1773 Tsuwano's seventh generation feudal lord Kamei Norisada had Taikodani Inari built to enshrine a share of the spirit worshipped at the Fushimi Inari in Kyoto. This shrine was built to pray for the safety of Kamei's castle and peace among his people. As one of five Inari shrines in Japan, it attracts people from throughout western Japan to pray for prosperity and good fortune in the coming year.
The area of Tsuwano was part of ancient [[Iwami Province]]. During the [[Edo Period]], the town developed as the ''[[jōkamachi]]'' of [[Tsuwano Domain]], which was ruled by the [[Kamei clan]] for most of its history. In 1868, it was the site of particular gruesome persecutions of ''[[Kakure Kirishitan]]'', who had been exiled to this location after their discovery and arrest in the [[Urakami Yoban Kuzure]]. After the [[Meiji restoration]], the town of Tsuwano was established on within [[Kanoashi District, Shimane]] on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system.


On September 25, 2005 the town of [[Nichihara, Shimane|Nichihara]] was merged into Tsuwano.
== Notable people ==
Novelist [[Mori Ōgai]] was born in Tsuwano into a family of doctors, and the house of his birth is preserved. Mori studied medicine in [[Germany]] and led the adoption of German medical practices into the Japanese military. In commemoration, Tsuwano became a sister city of Berlin's central ward under an agreement signed August 25, 1995. His tomb is located in Yomei-ji Temple in Tsuwano, which was built in 1420 and is known as one of two great [[Sōtō]] sect temples, the other being Daijo-ji Temple in [[Kanazawa, Ishikawa|Kanazawa city]].


==Government==
Philosopher [[Nishi Amane]], another leader of Japan’s modernization in the [[Meiji period]], was also born in Tsuwano. His ancestors were physicians for the ''[[daimyo]]'' of the [[Han (Japan)|fief]].
Tsuwano has a [[mayor-council]] form of government with a directly elected mayor and a [[unicameral]] town council of 12 members. Tsuwano, collectively with the town of Yoshika, contributes one member to the Shimane Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the [[Shimane 2nd district]] of the [[House of Representatives of Japan|lower house]] of the [[Diet of Japan]].


==Economy==
Tsuwano has two new art galleries to celebrate artistic sons. One, the Anno Art Museum (opened in 2001), is dedicated to [[Mitsumasa Anno]], who was born and raised in Tsuwano. The other is the Shisei Kuwabara Photographics Museum,<!-- Yes, really: "photographics" with an "s" on the end. --> the name since April 1, 2004 of what was previously the Tsuwano Documentary Photograph Gallery; this features photographs by and is named after [[Shisei Kuwabara]], famous for his work in [[Minamata, Kumamoto|Minamata]] and Korea.
Tsuwano is a very rural area, with an economy based on agriculture and forestry. Tourism also plays a very important factor in the local economy. As it is close to Yamaguchi Prefecture, many tourists who come to Tsuwano also visit [[Hagi, Yamaguchi|Hagi]] on the [[Sea of Japan]] and Yamaguchi at the same time, and Tsuwano is often mistaken as being in Yamaguchi prefecture.


==Education==
[[Rie Fujii]] (b. 1971) is also from Tsuwano. In 2001, Fujii abandoned her two infant children in their apartment in [[Calgary, Alberta]]. She returned to the apartment after ten days, at which time she found both infants had died of starvation and/or [[dehydration]]. Fujii was convicted of [[manslaughter]] in a [[Court system of Canada|Canadian court]], and served five years of an eight-year sentence, after which she was [[deported]] to Japan.
Tsuwano has four public elementary school and two public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Shimane Prefectural Board of Education.


== Transportation ==
== ''Yamaguchi-gō'' steam locomotive ==
=== Railway ===
[[File:SL Yamaguchi go -enhanced.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The ''Yamaguchi-gō'' steam engine]]
[[File:JR logo (west).svg|frameless|20x20px]] [[West Japan Railway Company|JR West]] (JR West) - [[Yamaguchi Line]]
A popular [[tourism|tourist]] destination, Tsuwano is served by the [[steam locomotive]] ''Yamaguchi-gō'', which runs once daily on weekends, national holidays, and certain other days between March and November (daily in August) on the [[Yamaguchi Line]] from [[Shin-Yamaguchi Station]] to Tsuwano and back.<ref>http://www.c571.jp/jouhoukyoku/timetable/timetable.html</ref> It stops for about three hours in Tsuwano before returning to Shin-Yamaguchi station. The train is usually pulled by a C57 locomotive, but a C56 does the job on several weekdays between July and September, and both engines are linked in a double-header configuration on weekends in August. Carriages are decorated in the styles of three Japanese eras—Meiji, Taisho, and Showa—as well as in European style, and the rear-most carriage has an outdoor observation deck.
* {{STN|Tsuwano}} - {{STN|Aonoyama}} - {{STN|Nichihara}} - {{STN|Aohara}} - {{STN|Higashi-Aohara}}


=== Highways ===
A scene in director [[Masahiro Shinoda]]’s ''Spy Sorge'', a 2003 movie about [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] spy [[Richard Sorge]], was shot on the train for period effect.
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|9}}
* {{jct|country=JPN|Route|187}}

==Sister cities==
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Mitte]]-district, [[Berlin]], [[Germany]], from August 1995

==Local attractions==
*Otometoge Maria Seido, dedicated in 1951 and is part of a memorial for 37 Japanese Christians persecuted and tortured in Tsuwano by the government during the Edo and Meiji periods.<ref>[http://newsaints.faithweb.com/martyrs/Japan04.htm 37 Martyrs of Tsuwano (1868–1872)] at Hagiography Circle</ref>
*Taikodani Inari Jinja, with its 1000 vermilion torii gates
*[[Tsuwano Castle]] ruins, a National Historic Site

=== ''Yamaguchi-gō'' steam locomotive ===
[[File:SL Yamaguchi go -enhanced.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''Yamaguchi-gō'' steam engine]]
A popular [[tourism|tourist]] destination, Tsuwano is served by the [[steam locomotive]] ''Yamaguchi-gō'', which runs once daily on weekends, national holidays, and certain other days between March and November (daily in August) on the [[Yamaguchi Line]] between [[Shin-Yamaguchi Station]] to Tsuwano.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.c571.jp/jouhoukyoku/timetable/timetable.html |title=Slやまぐち号-Sl運行カレンダー |accessdate=2008-06-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229190114/http://www.c571.jp/jouhoukyoku/timetable/timetable.html |archivedate=2008-02-29 }}</ref> It stops for about three hours in Tsuwano before returning to Shin-Yamaguchi station. The train is usually pulled by a C57 locomotive, but a D51 does the job on several weekdays between July and September, and both engines are linked in a double-header configuration on weekends in August. Carriages are decorated in the styles of three Japanese eras—Meiji, Taisho, and Showa—as well as in European style, and the rearmost carriage has an outdoor observation deck. A scene in director [[Masahiro Shinoda]]’s ''Spy Sorge'', a 2003 movie about [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] spy [[Richard Sorge]], was shot on the train for period effect.
{{clear left}}
{{clear left}}

==Notable people from Tsuwano==
*[[Nishi Amane]], philosopher
*[[Mitsumasa Anno]], illustrator and author of children's books
*[[Akiko Kamei]], politician
*[[Hisaoki Kamei]], politician
*[[Shisei Kuwabara]], photographer
*[[Mori Ōgai]], novelist, doctor, government minister. Mori's tomb is at Yomei-ji in Tsuwano, built in 1420 and known as one of the two great [[Sōtō]] sect temples in Japan


==References==
==References==
Line 66: Line 267:
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{wikivoyage-inline|Tsuwano}}
* {{wikivoyage-inline|Tsuwano}}
* [http://www.town.tsuwano.lg.jp/ Official website] {{ja icon}}
* [http://tsuwano-kanko.net/en/ Tsuwano Tourism Association]
* [http://www.town.tsuwano.lg.jp/ Official website] {{in lang|ja}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Towns in Shimane Prefecture]]
[[Category:Towns in Shimane Prefecture]]
[[Category:Tsuwano, Shimane]]

Latest revision as of 23:24, 29 September 2024

Tsuwano
津和野町
Town
Scenery of Tsuwano
Scenery of Tsuwano
Flag of Tsuwano
Flag
Official logo of Tsuwano
Emblem
Map
Location of Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture
Location of Tsuwano
Tsuwano is located in Japan
Tsuwano
Tsuwano
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°32′31″N 131°50′07″E / 34.54194°N 131.83528°E / 34.54194; 131.83528
CountryJapan
RegionChūgoku
San'in
PrefectureShimane
DistrictKanoashi
Government
 • MayorHiroyuki Shitamori
Area
 • Total307.03 km2 (118.54 sq mi)
Population
 (June 30, 2023)
 • Total6,657
 • Density22/km2 (56/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address54-25 Nichihara, Tsuwano-chō, Kanoashi-gun, Shimane-ken 699-5292
ClimateCfa
Websitewww.town.tsuwano.lg.jp
Symbols
BirdEgret
FlowerFarfugium japonicum
TreeCamphor Laurel
A street lined with historical buildings in Tsuwano
Tsuwano Catholic Church
Santa Maria Chapel at Otome Pass

Tsuwano (津和野町, Tsuwano-chō) is a town located in Kanoashi District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 June 2023, the town had an estimated population of 6,657 in 3352 households and a population density of 22 persons per km².[1] The total area of the town is 307.03 square kilometres (118.54 sq mi). Popularly called the "Little Kyoto of San'in," Tsuwano is known for its picturesque main street, "Tono-machi," which is an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Building lined with Edo period buildings and Koi ponds. Its annual Yabusame festival on the second Sunday of April is a large tourist draw for the San'in region.

Geography

[edit]

Tsuwano is located in southwest Shimane Prefecture. The townscape that spreads out in a small basin between the mountains on a narrow flat land along the Tsuwano River.

Neighboring municipalities

[edit]

Shimane Prefecture

Yamaguchi Prefecture


Climate

[edit]

Tsuwano has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year. The average annual temperature in Tsuwano is 14.3 °C (57.7 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,908.3 mm (75.13 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C (79.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.0 °C (37.4 °F).[2] The highest temperature ever recorded in Tsuwano was 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) on 14 August 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −13.1 °C (8.4 °F) on 28 February 1981.[3]

Climate data for Tsuwano (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.6
(65.5) 		21.8
(71.2) 		24.6
(76.3) 		30.5
(86.9) 		35.1
(95.2) 		35.2
(95.4) 		37.9
(100.2) 		38.2
(100.8) 		37.4
(99.3) 		32.6
(90.7) 		28.1
(82.6) 		23.4
(74.1) 		38.2
(100.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.8
(46.0) 		9.4
(48.9) 		13.7
(56.7) 		19.7
(67.5) 		24.7
(76.5) 		27.4
(81.3) 		30.8
(87.4) 		32.2
(90.0) 		27.8
(82.0) 		22.4
(72.3) 		16.6
(61.9) 		10.4
(50.7) 		20.2
(68.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.0
(37.4) 		3.9
(39.0) 		7.4
(45.3) 		12.8
(55.0) 		17.8
(64.0) 		21.5
(70.7) 		25.5
(77.9) 		26.3
(79.3) 		21.9
(71.4) 		15.8
(60.4) 		10.2
(50.4) 		5.1
(41.2) 		14.3
(57.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.6
(30.9) 		−0.5
(31.1) 		2.0
(35.6) 		6.6
(43.9) 		11.8
(53.2) 		17.0
(62.6) 		21.5
(70.7) 		22.1
(71.8) 		17.7
(63.9) 		10.9
(51.6) 		5.3
(41.5) 		1.0
(33.8) 		9.6
(49.2)
Record low °C (°F) −7.9
(17.8) 		−13.1
(8.4) 		−4.6
(23.7) 		−2.7
(27.1) 		1.5
(34.7) 		6.2
(43.2) 		13.0
(55.4) 		14.7
(58.5) 		4.1
(39.4) 		0.2
(32.4) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		−4.9
(23.2) 		−13.1
(8.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 127.4
(5.02) 		103.7
(4.08) 		148.3
(5.84) 		127.7
(5.03) 		141.0
(5.55) 		211.2
(8.31) 		309.8
(12.20) 		188.9
(7.44) 		209.4
(8.24) 		120.0
(4.72) 		102.2
(4.02) 		120.5
(4.74) 		1,908.3
(75.13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 15.8 13.3 13.8 11.3 9.8 12.6 12.8 10.7 11.4 9.2 10.7 14.5 145.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 70.2 87.5 138.3 178.6 200.4 136.0 150.7 180.4 137.4 148.4 114.1 76.8 1,619.2
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsuwano in 2020 is 6,875 people.[4] Tsuwano has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 20,285—    
1925 19,205−5.3%
1930 20,171+5.0%
1935 19,189−4.9%
1940 18,872−1.7%
1945 22,570+19.6%
1950 22,499−0.3%
1955 23,224+3.2%
1960 21,157−8.9%
1965 18,037−14.7%
1970 15,412−14.6%
YearPop.±%
1975 13,957−9.4%
1980 13,423−3.8%
1985 13,002−3.1%
1990 12,131−6.7%
1995 11,389−6.1%
2000 10,628−6.7%
2005 9,515−10.5%
2010 8,434−11.4%
2015 7,653−9.3%
2020 6,875−10.2%
Tsuwano population statistics[4]

History

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The area of Tsuwano was part of ancient Iwami Province. During the Edo Period, the town developed as the jōkamachi of Tsuwano Domain, which was ruled by the Kamei clan for most of its history. In 1868, it was the site of particular gruesome persecutions of Kakure Kirishitan, who had been exiled to this location after their discovery and arrest in the Urakami Yoban Kuzure. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Tsuwano was established on within Kanoashi District, Shimane on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system.

On September 25, 2005 the town of Nichihara was merged into Tsuwano.

Government

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Tsuwano has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Tsuwano, collectively with the town of Yoshika, contributes one member to the Shimane Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Shimane 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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Tsuwano is a very rural area, with an economy based on agriculture and forestry. Tourism also plays a very important factor in the local economy. As it is close to Yamaguchi Prefecture, many tourists who come to Tsuwano also visit Hagi on the Sea of Japan and Yamaguchi at the same time, and Tsuwano is often mistaken as being in Yamaguchi prefecture.

Education

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Tsuwano has four public elementary school and two public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Shimane Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

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Railway

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JR West (JR West) - Yamaguchi Line

Highways

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Sister cities

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Local attractions

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  • Otometoge Maria Seido, dedicated in 1951 and is part of a memorial for 37 Japanese Christians persecuted and tortured in Tsuwano by the government during the Edo and Meiji periods.[5]
  • Taikodani Inari Jinja, with its 1000 vermilion torii gates
  • Tsuwano Castle ruins, a National Historic Site

Yamaguchi-gō steam locomotive

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The Yamaguchi-gō steam engine

A popular tourist destination, Tsuwano is served by the steam locomotive Yamaguchi-gō, which runs once daily on weekends, national holidays, and certain other days between March and November (daily in August) on the Yamaguchi Line between Shin-Yamaguchi Station to Tsuwano.[6] It stops for about three hours in Tsuwano before returning to Shin-Yamaguchi station. The train is usually pulled by a C57 locomotive, but a D51 does the job on several weekdays between July and September, and both engines are linked in a double-header configuration on weekends in August. Carriages are decorated in the styles of three Japanese eras—Meiji, Taisho, and Showa—as well as in European style, and the rearmost carriage has an outdoor observation deck. A scene in director Masahiro Shinoda’s Spy Sorge, a 2003 movie about Soviet spy Richard Sorge, was shot on the train for period effect.

Notable people from Tsuwano

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References

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  1. ^ "Tsuwano Town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Tsuwano population statistics
  5. ^ 37 Martyrs of Tsuwano (1868–1872) at Hagiography Circle
  6. ^ "Slやまぐち号-Sl運行カレンダー". Archived from the original on 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
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