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 Kurihara District,

Miyagi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akit ...

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 ...

. On April 1, 2005, Uguisuzawa, along with the towns of Ichihasama, Kannari, Kurikoma, Semine, Shiwahime, Takashimizu, Tsukidate and

Wakayanagi was a List of towns in Japan, town located in Kurihara District, Miyagi, Kurihara District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Population In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 14,149 and a population density of 269.20 persons per km2. The to ...

, and the village of

Hanayama Hanayama is a Japanese toy company founded in 1933. They are best known for their series of metal disassembly puzzles, "" (also known as "Cast Puzzle"), which include reproductions of older designs, and new puzzles by other inventors such as Osk ...

(all from Kurihara District), were merged to create the city of Kurihara.

Geography

Uguisuzawa was located on the border between the

Ōu Mountains The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. It is the longest range in Japan and stretches south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. T ...

and the

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

plain. The Nihasama River starts here and runs through the town. The Namari River, a branch of the Nihasama also runs through Uguisuzawa.

Demographics

In October 1999, 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 3,246. The population as calculated in previous National Censuses was as follows.

History

The village of Uguisuzawa dated back to 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 ...

. It gained town status on April 1, 1951, by merging with nearby Fukuro Village - Uguisuzawa comprises Fukuro, Nango, and Hosokura villages. On April 1, 2005, Uguisuzawa was dissolved as a municipality, becoming part of the city of Kurihara.

Transport

Rail

Uguisuzawa was served by the

Kurihara Den'en Railway Line The was a rural rail line in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, abandoned on March 31, 2007. Running from Ishikoshi Station in Tome, Miyagi with a connection to the Tōhoku Main Line, extending westward to inland Hosokura Mine Park Mae Station in Kuriha ...

, which closed in March of 2007 due to low ridership. Three stations on the line were located within Uguisuzawa: * Uguisuzawa Station *

Uguisuzawa Kōgyōkōkō Mae Station The was a rural rail line in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, abandoned on March 31, 2007. Running from Ishikoshi Station in Tome, Miyagi with a connection to the Tōhoku Main Line, extending westward to inland Hosokura Mine Park Mae Station in Kuriha ...

Hosokura Mine Park Mae Station The was a rural rail line in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, abandoned on March 31, 2007. Running from Ishikoshi Station in Tome, Miyagi with a connection to the Tōhoku Main Line, extending westward to inland Hosokura Mine Park Mae Station in Kurih ...

Road

* National Route 457

Education

* Miyagi Uguisuzawa Technical High School (renamed Iwagasaki Technical High School after merging with Iwagasaki High School in the nearby town of Kurikoma)Miyagi Uguisuzawa Technical High School
* Uguisuzawa Junior High School (closed/merged with Kurikoma Junior High School April 1, 2013) * Uguisuzawa Elementary School

Places of interest

* Hosokura Mine Park * Film set of Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad filmed in Uguisuzawa's Hosokura district in 2007.

Notable persons from Uguisuzawa

* Ichiro Ichikawa, politician

References

{{Authority control Dissolved municipalities of Miyagi Prefecture Kurihara, Miyagi