was a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Higashikubiki District,

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. As of 2003, the town had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 2,974 and a

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...

of 34.46 persons per km². The total area was 86.31 km². On April 1, 2005, Matsunoyama, along with the town of Matsudai (also from Higashikubiki District), the town of Kawanishi, and the village of Nakasato (both from Nakauonuma District), was merged into the expanded city of

Tōkamachi is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 28,728 in 19,823 households, and a population density of 86.3 persons per km². The total area of the city was , although some borders of the city are ...

. It is located in the southeastern portion of the city. Matsunoyama is home to one of the big three medicinal

hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

of Japan, along with Kusatsu (

Gunma Prefecture is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of . Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fuk ...

) and

Arima Onsen is an onsen, or hot springs in Kita-ku, Kobe, Japan, located near Mount Rokkō. This onsen attracts many Japanese because of its easy access from the busy cities in the Kansai metropolitan area including Osaka and Kobe. Arima Onsen was named ...

(

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

). One of the main roads in the town is lined with about a dozen traditional Japanese-style hot spring resorts, attracting many visitors.

Climate

Matsunoyama is also famous for the massive amount of snowfall it receives, with 2 to 3 meters on average during the severe winter months.

History

According to legend, a woodcutter discovered the hot springs 700 years ago when he saw a

hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

resting its injured wing in it. It has also been told that the daughter of Uesugi Fusayoshi (the 15th century governor of

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

, current

, :ja:上杉房能) cured her skin disease by soaking in the hot springs.

Transportation

Highway

* *

Local attractions

Matsunoyama is one of the sites of the

Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial (ETAT) is an international contemporary art festival held once every three years in Niigata prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The festival was created by the Tokyo commercial gallery Art Front Gallery (AFG) ...

. * Matsunoyama Onsen ( :ja:松之山温泉) * Beech Forest ( Bijin Bayashi, :ja:美人林) * Rice terraces Matunoyama spa Hinanoyado Titose roten.jpg, Matsunoyama Onsen 越後松之山森の学校キョロロ2.jpg, Kyororo Museum

References

External links

Tokamachi Tourist Association

Echigo-Tsumari Art Field
Dissolved municipalities of Niigata Prefecture Tōkamachi, Niigata {{Niigata-geo-stub