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 Nakatado District,

Kagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kagawa Prefecture has a population of 949,358 (as of 2020) and is the smallest prefecture by geographic area at . Kagawa Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the southwest and Tok ...

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 17,711 in 7477 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 960 persons per km². The total area of the town is .

Geography

Manno is located at the northern foot of the

Sanuki Mountains The are a mountain range running along the southern border of Kagawa and the northern border of Tokushima prefectures on the island of Shikoku, Japan. The highest peak is at 1059.9 m.Manno Lake, the largest

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in Japan. The Doki River flows through the north and south of the town.

Neighbouring municipalities

Kagawa Prefecture * Takamatsu *

Marugame is a city located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,541 in 46101 households and a population density of 970 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Marugame is located in north-ce ...

* Mitoyo * Kotohira * Ayagawa Tokushima Prefecture * Miyoshi * Mima *

Higashimiyoshi 270px, Yoshino River in Higashimiyoshi 270px, Minoda Gorge 270px, Yoshinogawa Highway Oasis is a town located in Miyoshi District, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 13,733 in 6281 households and a populat ...

Climate

Mannō 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 snowfall.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Mannō has been declining steadily since the 1950s.

History

The area of Mannō was part of ancient

Sanuki Province was a province of Japan in the area of northeastern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Sanuki''" in . Sanuki bordered on Awa to the south, and Iyo to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, ...

. During the

Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

,the town area was divided between the holdings of

Takamatsu Domain 270px, Matsudaira Yoritoshi. pre-1903 270px, Takamatsu Castle Tsukimi Yagura was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Takamatsu C ...

Marugame Domain 270px, Kyōgoku Akiyuki 270px, Marugame Castle was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Marugame Castle, and was ruled throughout mu ...

and direct (''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

'') holdings of the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. The villages of Yoshino, Kanno and Shijo were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on February 15, 1890. The three villages merged on April 1, 1955 to form the town of Mannō (満濃町). On March 20, 2006, Mannō absorbed the towns of Chūnan and Kotonami, both from Nakatado District and changed its name to its current ''

hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...

'' spelling.

Government

Mannō 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 ...

town council of 16 members. Mannō, together with Kotohira, contributes two members to the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kagawa 3rd 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

The local economy is heavily centered on agriculture.

Education

Mannō has six public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

Shikoku Railway Company The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has it ...

Dosan Line is a railway line in Shikoku, Japan, operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). It connects Tadotsu Station in Tadotsu, Kagawa, and Kubokawa Station in Shimanto, Kōchi. The line links the city of Kōchi with northern Shikoku and t ...

* -

Highways

* * *

Local attractions

* Manno Lake:

Nestled in the mountains, this lake reservoir is one of the largest in Japan, with a volume of 15,400,000 m³. Kagawa has low rainfall, so rain dances and water reservoirs have been important throughout history, particularly for rice production. The original dam was built about 1,300 years ago, from 701 to 704. In 821 the dam lay in disrepair and a larger version was built by the Buddhist monk

Kūkai Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon sec ...

on the Emperor’s request. Since then the dam has fallen into disrepair and been rebuilt 3 times to reach its current size. The water is used for

rice paddy A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Au ...

irrigation, and every year in June there is a ceremony to start the yearly flow. Four tonnes of water gush out every second to reach rice paddies as far away as Marugame City. There is also a shrine and a temple near the lakefront. *Sanuki Manno National Park: Tulip garden

There are flower gardens for all four seasons, forest walks, large-scale events, rent a cycles and other fun activities.　Boasts the largest camping car, sports and recreation area in Shikoku. In winter the “Winter Fantasy” illumination, one of the largest in Japan, is held. Some nights have a fireworks display. There is also an illumination on Valentine’s Day. *Sunflower fields and the Sunflower Festival: 250,000 sunflowers are grown every year over 5 hectares, a summer tradition in the Chunan area of Manno Town. The Sunflower Festival is held in July every year. A photo contest, sketching and live jazz featured and there are sunflower seed ice-cream, croquettes, and salad dressing stalls. There is also sunflower seed-fed beef and other food for sale. *Ayako Rain Dance: The Ayako Odori is performed as a prayer for rain. It is often performed by children and has been nominated as a

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...

. In 1976 it was registered as one of Japan’s important cultural assets. *Daisen Buddhist Rain Dance: This rain dance takes place on the top of the second highest mountain in the Sanuki Mountain Range, Daisenzan(大川山). During prayers to end a drought in 734, it is said that a white snake came out of a pond, turned into a dragon, flew up to heaven and called the rainclouds in to make it rain. It is registered as a cultural asset in Kagawa. It is held on the closest Sunday to June 14 per the lunar calendar.

Onsen

*Epia Mikado: A rest area facility near the border of Tokushima Prefecture. was endorsed by the great 18th-century inventor

Hiraga Gennai was a Japanese polymath and ''rōnin'' of the Edo period. Gennai was a Pharmacology, pharmacologist, student of ''Rangaku'', physician, author, painter and inventor well known for his ''Elekiter, Erekiteru'' (electrostatic generator), ''Kandan ...

. The white cloudy water has an interesting texture and boasts to be one of the best quality springs in Kagawa. There is also a restaurant, shop with local goods and a small produce market. *Shioiri Onsen: These springs have alkaline medicinal waters. Restaurant, Shop, Local Produce. Shippoku Udon is only available in the cold season. There are 5 lodges that can be rented out, with an outdoor barbeque area for good times.

Gallery

File:Mannolake1.JPG, Manno lake File:Manno Lake and Cherry blossoms.JPG, Manno Lake and Cherry blossoms File:Snowy landscape at Manno Lake.JPG, Snowy landscape at Manno Lake File:Symbol tree.JPG, symbol tree

Noted people from Mannō

* Yuji Terajima, manga artist

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manno, Kagawa Towns in Kagawa Prefecture Mannō, Kagawa