is 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 Miyagi Prefecture,

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 town had an estimated population of 6,723, 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 62 persons per km² in 20961 households. The total area of the town is .

Geography

Shikama is located in west-central Miyagi Prefecture, bordered by the Ōu Mountains to the west. Parts of the town are within the borders of the Funagata Renpō Prefectural Natural Park.

Neighboring municipalities

Miyagi Prefecture * Kami * Ōhira * Ōsaki * Sendai * Taiwa Yamagata Prefecture * Obanazawa

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by cool summers and cold winters ( Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Shikama is 11.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1342 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 -1.2 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Shikama population statistics
/ref> the population of Shikama has declined over the past 60 years.

History

The area of present-day Shikama was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the

Jōmon period In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...

by the Emishi people. Per the '' Shoku Nihongi'', following a huge earthquake in the year 715 AD, a large number of people migrated to this area from the southern Kantō region, forming numerous fortified settlements. The name of “Shikama-saku” appears in Nara period records dated 737 AD as one of these settlements. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before the area came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. The village of Shikama was created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Shikama was raised to town status on April 1, 1978. A motion to merger with the neighboring three towns of Miyazaki, Nakaniida, and Onoda, all from Kami District, was defeated by a local referendum in April 2003.

Government

Shikama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 13 members. Shikama, together with the rest of Kami District collectively contributes one seat to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Miyagi 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The economy of Shikama is largely based on agriculture, primarily the cultivation of rice and ''Egoma''.

Education

Shikama has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education.

Geography

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

Demographics

History

Government

Economy

Education

Transportation

Railway

Highway

Noted people from Shikama

References

External links