270px, Umaji Village Hall 270px, Yanase Dam is the second smallest

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 ...

Kōchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 669,516 (1 April 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and Tok ...

, located in Aki District,

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 834 in 424 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 5.0 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Umaji has been branded as one of the most beautiful villages in Japan.

Geography

Umaji is located in a mountainous region in northeastern Kōchi Prefecture on the island of

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

. The Yasuda River flows through the village, which is divided into the Umaji area and the Yanase area. Road traffic between the two areas must go through the town of Kitagawa . Approximately 96% of the village is covered by forests, 75% of which are protected by the government. Major mountains include Mount Eboshi (1,320m) and Jinkichimori (1,423m).

Neighboring municipalities

* Aki * Kitagawa * Tano * Yasuda

Tokushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

* Kaiyō * Naka

Climate

Umaji has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Umaji is 13.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2573 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January at around 23.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Umaji has decreased steadily since the 1960s.

History

As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Umaji was part of ancient

Tosa Province was a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Tosa''" in . Tosa bordered on Awa to the northeast, and Iyo to the northwest. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichidō syst ...

. The name of Aki District appears in

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

records. 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 ...

, the area was part of the holdings of

Tosa Domain The was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Tosa Province in what is now Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Kōchi Castle, and was ruled throughout its ...

ruled by the

Yamauchi clan The Yamauchi clan (山内氏) were a family of rulers over what was then the Tosa Province which spanned the southern half of Shikoku island. The province was given to the family in 1600 after Yamauchi Kazutoyo led troops under Tokugawa Ieyasu ...

from their seat at

Kōchi Castle is an Edo Period Japanese castle in the city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is located at Otakayama hill, at the center of Kōchi city, which in turn is located at the center of the Kōchi Plain, the most prosperous area of former ...

. The village of Umaji was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. The village has been on the verge of merging with nearby municipalities, but it has retained a strong sense of independence.

Government

Umaji 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. Umaji, together with the other municipalities of Aki District, contributes one member to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of Kōchi 1st district of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , 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 ...

Economy

The local economy is centered on forestry and related wood-processing industries, as well as

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

. Yanase ''sugi'' has been famous for hundreds of years. In the

, it was designated as a protected asset by

. It became the prefectural tree, and is used for architecture and sculpting. Beginning in the 1960s, Umaji has been a hub for the production of ''

yuzu Yuzu (''Citrus'' × ''junos'', from Japanese language, Japanese or ; ) is a citrus fruit and plant in the family Rutaceae of China, Chinese origin. Yuzu has been cultivated mainly in East Asia, though it has also recently been grown in New Z ...

''. Whilst other areas have merged to make farming cooperatives, Umaji village seeks to remain independent, branding the village itself as a product. Umaji's main yuzu products are its ''yuzu

ponzu () is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency. or is ponzu with soy sauce () added, and the mixed dark brown product is widely referred to as simply . The term originally came ...

'' range and its successful ''yuzu'' drink, "Gokkun Umajimura". Its ''yuzu'' products have become a national brand, appearing in several

TV commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...

over the years.

Education

Umaji has two public combined elementary/middle schools operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Umaji has no passenger railway service. The nearest station is Yasuda Station on the

Tosa Kuroshio Railway The is a third-sector railway company in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. The name comes from the former Tosa Province and the Kuroshio Current. The company was founded in 1986, and operates three lines: a former Japanese National Railways (JNR) line ...

in the neighboring town of Yasuda, about 30 minutes away by car.

Highway

Umaji is not on any national highway or expressway.

Local attractions

As well as two

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 ...

and several campsites, Umaji has a forest train, craft workshops, a village tour and other tourist activities.

Notable temples

* Konrinji (金林寺) The ''Yaskushi'' hall is designated as an important cultural property.

Notable shrines

* Kumano Shrine (熊野神社) Designated as a prefectural tangible cultural property. * Yanase Kumano Shrine

Parks

* Yanase Prefectural Nature Park (魚梁瀬県立自然公園) ** Maruyama Park (Yanase Hot Springs, Forest Railway, Cherry Blossoms) ** Yanase Big Bridge ( Yanase Dam)

Nature

* Higashigawa Ravine (東川渓谷) * Mount Senbon (千本山) (Home to one of th
100 Forest Giants
* Nishigawa Ravine (西川渓谷)

Festivals and events

* Yuzu Hajimaru Festival (First Sunday of November) * Yanase Sakura Festival (Beginning of April) * FESTIVAL Yanase (Mid-July) * Onsen Festival (August 15) * Umaji Oshidori Marathon (Beginning of October) * Kumano Shrine Festival (Yanase: Mid October, Umaji: First weekend of December)

Special products

* Inakazushi (sushi made with yuzu sushi vinegar and mountain vegetables) * Shiitake mushrooms * Yanase cedar (for architecture and sculpting) * Yuzu and yuzu products (yuzu juice 'Gokkun Umajimura', ponzu soy sauce 'Yuzu no Mura', etc.)

References

External links

*

Umaji Village Official Tourism Webpage
(in Japanese)
Umaji Village Farming Cooperative Website
(in Japanese)
Visit Kochi Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Umaji, Kochi Villages in Kōchi Prefecture