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

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

, Japan. , the village has an estimated population of 2,192 in 895 households and a population density of 15 persons per km² (42 people per square mile). The total area of the village is .

Geography

Shingō is in south-central Aomori Prefecture, east of

Lake Towada is the largest Volcanic crater lake, crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori Prefecture, Aomori and Akita Prefecture, Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327 m ...

. The western edge of the village borders

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographi ...

. Much of the village is mountainous with the outer ring mountains of Lake Towada, including Mt. Okomagatake () and Mt. Toraidake (). The village area extends along National Route 454, which connects Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture and Lake Towada.

Neighboring municipalities

* Sannohe District ** Gonohe ** Nanbu ** Sannohe * Towada

* Kazuno

Climate

The village has a cold

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 ...

characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with very heavy snowfall (

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 ...

''Dfa''). The average annual temperature in Shingō is . The average annual rainfall is , with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Shingō has declined steadily over the past 70 years.

History

The area around Shingō was controlled by the

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Ge ...

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū ...

during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. During the post-

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

establishment of the modern municipalities system on 1 April 1889, Herai Village and neighboring Nozawa Village were formed. On 29 July 1955, the western portion of Nozawa Village merged into Herai, which was then renamed Shingō.

Government

Shingō 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 consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

village council of eight members. Shingō is part of Sannohe District which contributes three members to the Aomori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of

Aomori 2nd district Aomori 2nd district (青森県第2区, ''Aomori-ken dai-niku'' or simply 青森2区, ''Aomori-niku'') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives of Japan, House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan. It is located ...

of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

of the

National Diet , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Education

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

Economy

The economy of Shingō is heavily dependent on agriculture and tourism. Notable crops include garlic, edible

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

, Japanese yam and tobacco. Traditionally a horse breeding area, Shingō is also known for its cattle ranches.

Transportation

Railway

* The village has no passenger railway service. The nearest train station is

JR East 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 ...

Hachinohe Station, served by the Tohoku Shinkansen and Hachinohe Lines, and the Aoimori Railway Aoimori Railway Line.

Highway

"Tomb of Jesus"

Shingō is the location of what is purported to be the resting place of Jesus, the , and the residence of Jesus' descendants, the Sawaguchi family. According to these claims, Jesus Christ did not die on the cross at

Golgotha Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

. Instead, a man alleged to be his brother, Isukiri, took his place on the cross, while Jesus escaped across

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

to Mutsu Province, in northern Japan.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shingo, Aomori Villages in Aomori Prefecture