250px, Kusunoki Masashige's birthplace 250px, Rice Terraces near Shimo-Akasaka Castle is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

located in Minamikawachi District,

Osaka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...

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 ...

. , the village 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 4,970 in 2267 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 130 persons per km². The total area of the village is .

Geography

Chihayaakasaka is located in the far southeast corner of Osaka Prefecture, bordered by the Yoshino region of Nara to the east. Most of the village area is mountainous and forested, and is within the borders of the

Kongō-Ikoma-Kisen Quasi-National Park is a Quasi-National Park in Nara, Ōsaka, and Wakayama Prefectures, Japan. It was established in 1958. Places of interest * Mount Ikoma, Mount Kongō, , , Hōzan-ji, Taima-dera, , the burial place of Shōtoku Taishi, the ruins of , Chihaya Ca ...

Climate

Chihayaakasaka has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Chihayaakasaka is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1636 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.

Neighboring municipalities

Osaka Prefecture *

Tondabayashi is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108803 in 51632 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tondabayashi is located in the south ...

Kawachinagano is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 101,649 in 47493 households and a population density of 930 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kawachinagano is located in the sout ...

* Kanan Nara Prefecture * Gojō *

Gose Gose () is a warm fermented beer that originated in Goslar, Germany. It is usually brewed with at least 50% of the grain bill being malted wheat. Dominant flavours in gose include a lemon sourness, a herbal characteristic, and a strong saltin ...

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Chihayaakasaka peaked in the 1990s and has been declining since.

History

The area of the modern village of Chihayaakasaka was within ancient

Kawachi Province was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province. It was also known as . Geography The area was radically different in the past, with Kawachi ...

, and became famous in the late

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

and

Nanboku-chō period The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, ''Nanboku-chō jidai'', "North and South court period", also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period), spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Mur ...

s as the home territory of the imperial loyalist,

Kusunoki Masashige was a Japanese samurai of the Kamakura period remembered as the ideal of samurai loyalty. Kusunoki fought for Emperor Go-Daigo in the Genkō War to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore power in Japan to the Imperial Court. Kusunoki ...

. Various fortifications from that period, notably Shimo-Akasaka Castle,

Kami-Akasaka Castle is a late Kamakura period Japanese castle located in the village of Chihayaakasaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan."Osaka Info �"The ruins of Kamiakasaka castle"/ref> Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1934. It is als ...

and

Chihaya Castle is a late Kamakura period Japanese castle located in the village of Chihayaakasaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1934. History Chihaya Castle is located at a ridge extending from ...

on the slopes of Mount Kongo were the sites of important battles in the 14th century. The villages of Chihaya and Akasaka were established within Ishikawa District with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1896 the area became part of

Minamikawachi District, Osaka is a district located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. In 2009 the district had an estimated population of 37,695 and a density of 491 persons per km2. The total area is 76.81 km2. Towns and villages * Kanan *Taishi * Chihayaakasaka Mergers ...

. The two villages merged on September 30, 1956 to form the village of Chihayaakasaka. In 1893, Akasaka,

Kumatarō Kido and Yagorō Tani and were Japanese spree killers who killed 11 people, including an infant, on May 25, 1893, a spree known as . The roots of the killings were both emotional and financial. Kido lost his common-law-wife to a man named Torajirō Matsunaga, whose br ...

murdered 10 people, and left one infant alive. They then killed themselves after the murders. On March 1, 2008 Chihayaakasaka requested a merge into the adjacent city of

, after talks of merging with the surrounding towns of Kanan and

Taishi Taishi may refer to: Names *Taishi (surname), Chinese family name *Taishi (given name), Japanese given name Ranks * Grand Preceptor, ancient Chinese top civilian position: ''taishi'' () in Chinese *Taishi, an alternate name of the Japanese Daij� ...

fell through.

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

, Osaka edition, April 30th 2007, p. 1, 大阪唯一の村消える？ ''Ōsaka yuiitsu no mura kieru?'' These plans were also rejected due to strong public opposition on August 14, 2009.

Government

Chihayaakasaka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

village council of seven members. Chihayaakasaka collectively with the cities of Tondabayashi and Ōsakasayama, and other municipalities of Minamikawachi District contributes two members to the

Osaka Prefectural Assembly The is the legislature of Osaka Prefecture. As in all prefectures, it is elected to four-year terms by single non-transferable vote in multi- and single-member districts and is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural by-laws, approving ...

. In terms of national politics, the village is part of Osaka 15th district of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

Chihayaakasaka was traditionally dependent on agriculture (notably ''

shiitake The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a Medicinal fungi, medicinal mushroom in some forms of tradition ...

'') and forestry. The area suffers from an aging population and rural depopulation.

Education

Chihayaakasaka has two public elementary schools and one public middle schools operated by the village government. The village does not have and a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Chihayaakasaka does not have any passenger rail service. The nearest station is

Kawachinagano Station is an interchange passenger railway station located in the city of Kawachinagano, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, jointly operated by the private railway operators Kintetsu Railway and Nankai Electric Railway. Lines The station is served by the Nankai ...

Tondabayashi Station is a passenger railway station in the city of Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway company Kintetsu Railway. Lines Tondabayashi Station is served by the Kintetsu Nagano Line, and is located 5.7 kilometers from ...

Highway

Local attractions

ruins, a National Historic Site *

ruins, a National Historic Site * Shimo-Akasaka Castle ruins, a National Historic Site *

Mount Kongō is a mountain in the Kawachi region of Osaka Prefecture, Kansai, Japan. It is near Mount Yamato Katsuragi. The mountain has lent its name to a series of naval ships and ship classes: the Imperial Japanese Navy's 1877 ironclad ''Kongō''; ...

, the highest mountain in Osaka Prefecture *

Kongō Range The is a mountain range on the borders of Nara and Osaka Prefectures on the island of Honshū in the southwest of central Japan. The range separates the Osaka Plain and the Nara Basin, and forms a natural place for the boundary between the prefe ...

, a mountain range on Chihayaakasaka's eastern border

References

External links

*
Chihaya Akasaka official website

Villages in Osaka Prefecture Chihayaakasaka {{Osaka-geo-stub