270px, Rice paddies in Sakegawa is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in

Yamagata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It has a population of 1,005,926 (1 February 2025) and an area of 9,325 Square kilometre, km2 (3,600 Square mile, sq mi). Its neighbours are Akita Prefectu ...

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 ...

. , the village 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 3843 in 1329 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 31 persons per km². The total area of the village is .

Geography

Sakegawa is located in northern Yamagata Prefecture, bordered to the west by the

Dewa Mountains Dewa Mountains () is a mountain range that runs north and south on the west side of the Tohoku region of Japan. The mountain range spans Aomori, Akita, and Yamagata prefectures. The Dewa Mountains are split into several sub-ranges by the Yones ...

. The area is known for its heavy snowfalls in winter.

Neighboring municipalities

Yamagata Prefecture * Mamurogawa * Sakata * Shinjō * Tozawa

Climate

Sakegawa has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Sakegawa is 10.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1902 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.7 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Sakegawa has declined by more than half from its peak around 1950.

History

The area of present-day was Sakegawa part of ancient

Dewa Province was a province of Japan comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. Dewa bordered on Mutsu and Echigō Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History Early per ...

. After the start of the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

, the area became part of Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Sakegawa was established on December 1, 1954 by the merger of the villages of Toyota and Toyosato, both from Mogami District.

Economy

The economy of Sakegawa is based on agriculture. The town is famous for nameko mushrooms, of which it produces a substantial percentage for Yamagata Prefecture. The town's other main exports are rice and flowers, such as roses and gentians. Sakegawa is also well known for fishing, with the Salmon Festival (鮭祭り) being held at Eco Park every October. The village is promoting

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...

("green tourism") to increase revenues. Commerce is strongly dependent on the neighboring Shinjo city, but many residents also go to Mamurogawa town for shopping as there are no large commercial facilities such as supermarkets in the village.

Education

Sakegawa has one public elementary school and one public middle school operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Ōu Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Fukushima Station (Fukushima), Fukushima Station through Akita Station to Aomori Station. Since the opening of the Yamagata Shinkansen on July 1, 1 ...

Highway

Sister cities

Kawit Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit (), is an urban municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,535. It is one of ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Local attractions

Kabuki

Public

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

theater performances are given on the first Sunday of July every year.Sakegawa Kabuki. Yamagata, Japan Information – Yamagata info
En.yamagata-info.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-30.

Niwazuki Kannon Lantern Festival

Held in August. Floating lanterns are sent down the river beginning at the Niwazuki Buddhist temple.

Salmon Festival

Held on the last Sunday of October every year. During this festival people pay a set price to attempt to catch salmon out of the river with their bare hands.

Notes

External links

*
Official Website
{{Authority control Villages in Yamagata Prefecture