Kaminokuni, Hokkaido

Kaminokuni (上ノ国町, Kaminokuni-chō) is a town located in Hiyama Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.

Kaminokuni 上ノ国町
Town
Center of Kaminokuni-chō
Flag Emblem
Location of Kaminokuni in Hokkaido (Hiyama Subprefecture)
Kaminokuni Location in Japan
Coordinates: 41°48′N 140°7′E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokkaido
Prefecture	Hokkaido (Hiyama Subprefecture)
District	Hiyama
Government
• Mayor	Nomoru Kudo
Area
• Total	547.58 km2 (211.42 sq mi)
Population  (September 30, 2016)
• Total	5,161
• Density	9.4/km2 (24/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	100 Odomari, Kaminokuni, Hiyama District, Hokkaido 049-0698
Website	www.town.kaminokuni.lg.jp
Symbols
Flower	Ezoyamatsutsuji
Tree	Thujopsis[1]

As of September 2016, the town had an estimated population of 5,161, and a density of 9.4 per km². The total area is 547.58 km².

Geography

Kaminokuni is located on the southwest of the Oshima Peninsula and faces the Sea of Japan. Amano River flows through the central town. Esashi Line used to run along this river.

Neighboring towns

• Hiyama Subprefecture
  • Assabu
  • Esashi
• Oshima Subprefecture
  • Fukushima
  • Kikonai
  • Matsumae
  • Shiriuchi

History

Strongman Takeda Nobuhiro (1431-1494), progenitor of the Kakizaki (later Matsumae) house, established a fort (tate) in Kaminokuni leading to the settlement of the area by other Wajin merchants and fishermen.

• 1879: The village of Kaminokuni was founded.^[2]
• 1902: Kaminokuni Village was merged with neighboring villages to form the new village of Kaminokuni.
• 1967: Kaminokuni Village became Kaminokuni Town.

Education

• High school
  • Hokkaido Kaminokuni High School^[3]
• Junior high school
  • Kaminokuni Junior High School (上ノ国中学校)
• Elementary school
  • Kahoku Elementary School (河北小学校)
  • Kaminokuni Elementary School (上ノ国小学校)
  • Takisawa Elementary School (滝沢小学校)

Sister cities

• Goshogawara, Aomori^[4]
• Omihachiman, Shiga

Notable people from Kaminokuni

• Tatsuhiko Takimoto, author