270px, Kozagawa Town Hall 270px, Kozagawa Ichimai-iwa is 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 Higashimuro District, Wakayama 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 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 2,537 in 1415 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 8.6 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The total area of Kozagawa is the second largest in Wakayama Prefecture. However, the population of Kozagawa Town is the second smallest in the prefecture.

Geography

Kozagawa is located in an inland area near the southernmost tip of the

Kii Peninsula The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is named after the ancient Kii Province. Overview The area south of the “ Central Tectonic Line” is called , and is home to reef-like coral communities which are amongst ...

. The topography is forested and mountainous, with the forest area occupying about 90% of the total town area. The Koza River runs through the town from northwest to southeast and the settled areas are all along the floodplain of this river.

Neighboring municipalities

Wakayama Prefecture * Tanabe * Shingū *

Shirahama Shirahama (written: 白濱 or 白浜) may refer to: Places *Shirahama, Chiba, a town in Chiba Prefecture, Japan *Shirahama, Wakayama is a town in Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,704 ...

* Suzami * Kushimoto *

Nachikatsuura file:Nachikatsuuracho.jpg, 270px, Nachikatsuura town hall is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,420 in 7622 house ...

Climate

Kozagawa 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 Kozagawa is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The area is subject to

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

s in summer.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Kozagawa population statistics
/ref> the population of Kozagawa has decreased precipitously, and is now less than a third of what it was a century ago.

History

The area of the modern town of Kozagawa was within ancient Kii Province. With the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889, the following villages were formed: * Takaike Village (高池村) - (merger of Takagawara hamlet, Ikenoguchi hamlet, Ikenoyama hamlet, Kusu hamlet, Utsuki hamlet, Tsukinose hamlet, and Kashiyama hamlet). * Myojin Village (明神村) - (merger of Nakazaki hamlet, Aise hamlet, Tachiaigawa hamlet, Tsurugawa hamlet, Ichiburi hamlet, Oh'yanagi hamlet, Uruno hamlet, Tachiai hamlet, Shimonaka hamlet, Kawaguchi hamlet, Takase hamlet, Nukumi hamlet, and Mine hamlet). * Mitogawa Village (三尾川村) - (merger of Mitogawa hamlet, Nabera hamlet, Ohkawa hamlet, Nagaoi hamlet, Utsuo hamlet, Hinatagawa hamlet, and Kurozu hamlet). * Kogawa Village (小川村) - (merger of Choutsuo hamlet, Ohkuwa hamlet, Nishiakagi hamlet, Tagawa hamlet, Komorigawa hamlet, Uzutsui hamlet, Sarugawa hamlet, and Yamate hamlet). * Shichigawa Village (七川村) - (merger of Nishikawa hamlet, Shimotsuyu hamlet, Narukawa hamlet, Matsune hamlet, Hirai hamlet, Inodani hamlet, Sada hamlet, and Soinogawa hamlet). In 1900, Takaike Village was promoted to town status. On March 31, 1956, Takaike Town, Myojin Village, Mitogawa Village, Kogawa Village, and Shichigawa Village merged and became Kozagawa Town.

Government

Kozagawa 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 ...

city council of 10 members. Kozagawa collectively with the other municipalities of Higashimuro District contributes two members to the

Wakayama Prefectural Assembly The is the prefectural parliament of Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 944,320 () and has a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Pref ...

. In terms of national politics, the town is part of

Wakayama 3rd district Wakayama 3rd district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It is located in Wakayama Prefecture and consists of Arida, Gobo, Shingu, and Tanabe cities and the Arida, Hidaka, Higashimu ...

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 ...

. The present town mayor is Takeo Takeda (武田丈夫) (2008- ).

Economy

The economy of Kozagawa is centered on forestry and agriculture. Because of warm and wet climate, from ancient times, good-quality woods, called "Kozagawa-Zai (古座川材)", have been produced.

Education

Kozagawa has three public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school. Hokkaido University's Northern Biosphere Field Science Center Wakayama Research Forest is located in Kozagawa

Transportation

Railway

Kozagawa has no commercial passenger rail service. The nearest station is

Koza Station is a passenger railway station in located in the town of Kushimoto, Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Koza Station is served by the Kisei Main Line (Kinokuni Line), and ...

of JR Kisei Main Line, located in Kushimoto.

Highways

Local attractions

*Kozagawa-no-Ichimaiiwa Rock *Takinohai Falls *Maboroshi-no-taki Falls *Shichikawa Dam *Kozagawa Gorge *Hotsprings **Tsukinose Hotspring **Yunohana Hotspring

Notable people

Shingo Tatsumi Shingo Tatsumi (巽真悟, born January 10, 1987, in Higashimuro District, Wakayama) is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. He played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese p ...

(巽真吾), professional baseball player

References

External links

* * Towns in Wakayama Prefecture Kozagawa, Wakayama {{Wakayama-geo-stub