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 Maniwa 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 of 9,027 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 65.04 persons per km². The total area was 138.79 km². On March 31, 2005, Katsuyama, along with the town of Hokubō (from Jōbō District), and towns of Kuse,

Ochiai Ochiai (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese judoka, karateka and writer *, Japanese baseball player and manager *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese film director *, Japanese ...

and Yubara, and the villages of Chūka, Kawakami, Mikamo and Yatsuka (all from Maniwa District) were merged to create the city of Maniwa. To coincide with the 2005 merger, Katsuyama residents were given a book commemorating the last 50 years of Katsuyama's existence as a town and a special purple cloth with the town logo imprinted on it. Local to Katsuyama is the , the only Okayama waterfall on the list of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls and home to

Japanese macaque The Japanese macaque (''Macaca fuscata''), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, they are referred to as "snow monkeys" because some live in areas where snow covers the gr ...

monkeys. Recently, Katsuyama has also become known for its

noren are traditional Japanese fabric dividers hung between rooms, on walls, in doorways, or in windows. They usually have one or more vertical slits cut from the bottom to nearly the top of the fabric, allowing for easier passage or viewing. are ...

adorning the shops and houses along a 1 km stretch of the Katsuyama Historical Preservation District, wherein the Edo Period landscape of the town remains. The noren are all made by one craftswoman, Yoko Kano, who has her own workshop along the street.

Traditional Products

Katsuyama is famous for its bamboo basketry, originating from the town's Tsukida district, and four types of baskets produced there are designated as "Traditional Japanese Crafts". Also famous is Gozenshu sake made by Katsuyama's Tsuji Honten brewery which has been in the town since the early 1800s, having relocated from nearby Ochiai.

Geography

Rivers: Asahi River (The big-3 river through Okayama Prefecture). Adjoining municipalities in

: Kuse,

, Yubara, Mikamo, Hokubō, and Ōsa.

Education

*Katsuyama Elementary School *Tsukida Elementary School *Tomihara Elementary School *Katsuyama Junior High School *Okayama Prefectural Katsuyama High School

Transportation

Railways

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

** Kishin Line ***

Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Maniwa, Okayama, Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station is served by the Kishin Line, and is located 123.8 kil ...

–

Tsukida Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Maniwa, Okayama, Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Tsuboi Station is served by the Kishin Line, and is located 128.6 kilometers from ...

–

Tomihara Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Tomihara Station is served by the Kishin Line, and is located 134.7 kilometers from the southe ...

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 181 ** Route 313 * Prefectural roads: **Okayama Prefectural Route 32 (

Niimi is a city located in northwestern Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 30,583 (14,628 males, 15,955 females), with 12,857 households and a population density of 39 persons per km2. The total a ...

-Katsuyama) **Okayama Prefectural Route 84 (Katsuyama-Kurihara) **Okayama Prefectural Route 201 (Kanba waterfall) **Okayama Prefectural Route 311 (Akuchi-Kami) **Okayama Prefectural Route 320 (Wakashiro-

Hōkoku Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Takahashi, Okayama, Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Hōkoku Station is served by the Hakubi Line, and is located 47.4 ...

) **Okayama Prefectural Route 321 (Kōjiro-Katsuyama) **Okayama Prefectural Route 390 (Komi-

) **Okayama Prefectural Route 459 (Wakashiro-Kōjiro)

Notable places and events

*Katsuyama

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

* Katsuyama Historical Preservation District *Kanba waterfall *Katsuyama

Festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

(October 19–20) File:Mimasaka Katsuyama -01.jpg, Katsuyama castle town File:Kanba Falls.JPG, Kanba waterfall

References

External links

Official website of Maniwa
in Japanese

* ttp://www.gozenshu.co.jp/ Tsuji brewery webpages(in Japanese)
https://www.flickr.com/groups/1133664@N25/pool/with/4298539887/
Katsuyama photo group on Flickr {{Authority control Dissolved municipalities of Okayama Prefecture