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 Nishiyatsushiro District,

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the no ...

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 2006, 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 1,501 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 17 persons per km². The total area was 86.59 km². On March 1, 2006: * The northern part of Kamikuishiki (the localities of ''Furuseki'' and ''Kakehashi''), along with the town of

Nakamichi is a Japanese consumer electronics brand that originated in Japan and gained a name from the 1970s onwards for innovative and high quality audio cassette decks. Nakamichi is a subsidiary of Chinese holding company Nimble Holdings. Nakamich ...

(from Higashiyatsushiro District), was merged into the expanded city of

Kōfu is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Overview Toponymy Kōfu's name means "c ...

. * The southern part of Kamikuishiki (the localities of ''Fujigane'', ''Motosu'' and ''Shoji'') was merged into the expanded town of

Fujikawaguchiko is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 26,542 in 10618 households, and a population density of 170 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Fujikawaguchiko is located in so ...

(of Minamitsuru District). Kamikuishiki was officially dissolved as an independent

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. According to the last mayor Makoto Kobayashi, "financial reasons" made the decision inevitable. Economic decline made the villagers leave for larger areas where jobs are more readily available. Reduced tax collections and aging population also played their role.

History

Kamikuishiki achieved nationwide fame in Japan as a major center of the notorious cult religion

Aum Shinrikyo , formerly , is a Japanese doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been responsible for the Matsumoto sarin attack the previous year. The group says tha ...

which built its religious center and several facilities there. This included a production center named Satyan 7, located in the Fujigamine district for nerve gases which were used in attacks on the Tokyo subway and in Matsumoto. It was in one of these buildings that the leader of the cult

Shoko Asahara , born , was the founder and leader of the Japanese doomsday cult known as Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, and was also involved in several other crimes. Asahara was sentenced ...

was arrested on May 16, 199

Miscellaneous topics

Lake Shōji is one of the Fuji Five Lakes and located in the town of Fujikawaguchiko in southern Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan. Lake Shōji is the smallest of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of surface area, and third deepest, with a maximum water ...

and

Lake Motosu is the westernmost of the Fuji Five Lakes and located on the border of the towns of Fujikawaguchiko and Minobu in southern Yamanashi Prefecture near Mount Fuji, Japan. Lake Motosu is the third-largest of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of surface ...

, two of the famous

Fuji Five Lakes is the name of the area located at the base of Mount Fuji in the Yamanashi Prefecture of Japan. It has a population of about 100,000 and sits about above sea level. The name Fuji Five Lakes comes from the fact that there are five lakes formed by ...

, are in Kamikuishiki. The place is historically known for beautiful views, unspoiled by byproducts of advancing industrial civilization and calm, traditionally relaxed general attitude of inhabitants towards life, typical for Japan's countryside.

External links

Fujikawaguchiko official website

Kōfu official website
Dissolved municipalities of Yamanashi Prefecture Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Aum Shinrikyo {{Yamanashi-geo-stub