was a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Aida District,

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 4,630 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematical ...

of 84.99 persons per km². The total area was 54.48 km². On March 31, 2005, Ōhara, along with the towns of Mimasaka,

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...

and Sakutō, the village of Higashiawakura (all from Aida District), and the town of

Katsuta is a district located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of May 1, 2004, the population was 17,888. The area is 123.63 km2. Towns and villages * Nagi * Shōō History Prior to February 28, Katsuta District consisted of: * Katsuta * Nagi ...

(from Katsuta District), was merged to create the city of Mimasaka.

Geography

Adjoining municipalities

** Sakutō **

Nishiawakura is a village located in Aida District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of October 2016, the village has an estimated population of 1,437 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of vo ...

** Higashiawakura **

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

** Sayō

Education

*Ōhara Elementary School *Ōhara Junior High School *Okayama Prefectural Ōhara High School (Closure in 2006)

Transportation

Railways

* Chizu Express **

Chizu Line The is a Japanese third-sector railway that connects Hyōgo, Okayama and Tottori prefectures. The Chizu Line is not electrified, but is a high-grade railroad, and extends a total of 56.1 kilometres. The limited expresses ''Super Hakuto'' and ''S ...

***

Miyamoto Musashi Station is a railway station in Mimasaka, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by the third-sector semi-public railway operator Chizu Express. The station takes its name from the famous warrior Miyamoto Musashi, who (according to one theory) was born n ...

- Ōhara Station

Road

National highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in England. It al ...

: ** Route 373 ** Route 429 * Prefectural roads: **Okayama Prefectural Route 5 (Sakutō-Ōhara) **Okayama Prefectural Route 240 (Shimoshō- Sayō) **Okayama Prefectural Route 357 (Kajinami-Tateishi)

Notable places and events

*Village of

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

*Main stone of

Temple *

's grave next to that of his parents *Ōhara-shuku (

Shukuba were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called ''shuku-eki'' (宿駅). These post stations (or "post towns") were places where travelers could r ...

) File:Gorinbo07bs3200.jpg, Village of Miyamoto Musashi File:Main stone of Miyamoto Musashi Temple located in Ōhara-Chō.jpg, Main stone of Miyamoto Musashi Temple File:Tombe de Miyamoto Musashi à Ōhara, province de Mimasaka.jpg, Miyamoto Musashi's grave in Ōhara-chō File:Statue of Miyamoto Musashi.jpg, Statue of Miyamoto Musashi File:Ohara-juku01s3200.jpg, Ōhara-shuku

References

External links

Official website of Mimasaka
in Japanese Dissolved municipalities of Okayama Prefecture {{Okayama-geo-stub