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 Yoshino District,

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

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 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 5,874 in 2997 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 61 persons per km². The total area of the town is . In 2012, Yoshino was designated one of

The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan is a Japanese nonprofit organization of listing some of the most beautiful villages and towns in Japan. The association is active on enhancement and protection of Japanese rural heritage, cultural fairs, and branding and promotion of regional, ...

Geography

Yoshino is located in the central part of Nara Prefecture. The Ryumon Mountains run east-to-west in the north, and the Omine Mountain Range (Mount Aonega is the highest point within the town area) spread out to the south. The mountains that extend from the Daidaka Mountains also are to the east. Between these, the Yoshino River flows from southeast-to-west through the center of the town, and the Takami River flows from east-to-west. The Yoshino River meanders left and right from the upstream (Kawakami Village) to the area where the Tsuburo River flows into it, weaving its way through the mountains. Along the way, the Takami River joins it near Shinko and Kubogainai. After crossing Imoyama and Seyama, near Yoshino High School, it makes a large left turn and continues downstream (Oyodo Town) in a relatively straight line. Inside the meandering Yoshino River, there is a long and narrow stretch of relatively flat land, forming settlements. There is also relatively open land near the middle reaches of the tributaries of the Yoshino River, where settlements have formed. The Kamiichi district, where the town hall is located, is densely packed with houses in the small space between the river and the mountains. *

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s: Yoshino Mountain *

River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s: Yoshino River *

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

s: Lake Tsuburo

Surrounding municipalities

* Asuka * Higashiyoshino * Kawakami * Kurotaki * Ōyodo * Sakurai * Shimoichi * Uda

Climate

Yoshino 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 to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Yoshino is 13.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1893 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.4 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Yoshino is as shown below

History

The area of Yoshino was part of ancient

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

. The ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

'' and ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'' mention this place as a stopover on the eastward journey of Emperor Jimmu to conquer Yamato. During the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

, due to its location directly south of the ancient imperial capitals of

Asuka-kyō was the Imperial capital of Japan during the Asuka period (538 – 710 AD), which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara, Asuka, Nara Prefecture. Etymology Some of the many theories of what the p ...

, Fujiwara-kyō, and Heijō-kyō, this area was a popular recreational spot for Emperor Ojin and other emperors and aristocrats, and Yoshino Palace, was located in this area. During the

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 ...

, the area was sacred for adherents of Shugendo. It was the capital of the Southern Court in the

Nanboku-chō period The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...

. After the

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 ...

, the villages of Yoshino was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Yoshino was raised to town status on April 24, 1928. On May 3, 1956, Yoshino annexed the town of Kamiichi, and villages of Kokusui, Nakasho, Ryumon, and Nakaryumon.

Government

Yoshino 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 ...

town council of ten members. Yoshino, collectively with the other municipalities of Yoshino District, contributes two members to the Nara Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Nara 3rd 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 economy of Yoshino is based on forestry,

sake Sake, , or saki, also referred to as Japanese rice wine, is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and indeed any East Asi ...

brewing and the tourist industry.

Lumber

The town of Yoshino produces a wide variety of wood-based goods made from lumber harvested from the local forest land. Most of the forest within the Yoshino area is artificial, consisting of red cedar and cypress trees that have been planted and harvested in cycles for 500 years. The Yoshino River served in past times as a means of transportation for the lumber harvested in the region.

Paper

The Kuzu district of Yoshino has a long history of traditional Japanese ''

washi is traditional Japanese paper processed by hand using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (''Edgeworthia chrysantha''), or the paper mulberry (''kōzo'') bush. ''Washi'' is generally tougher than ordinary ...

'' paper production. According to a local story, Prince Oama (later to become

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. He ascended ...

), taught the residents of Kuzu the process of making washi in the 7th century.

Education

Yoshino has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Nara Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railways

20px

Kintetsu Railway , referred to as and officially Kinki-Nippon Railway, is a Japanese passenger railway company, managing infrastructure and operating passenger train service. Its railway system is the largest in Japan, excluding Japan Railways Group. The railw ...

- Yoshino Line : 16px - -

Highways

* *

Other

* Yoshino Ropeway

Local attractions

The most well-known area within the town is Yoshino Mountain, famous for its many thousands of

sakura The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

trees; much poetry has been written on the subject by several famous authors, including Chiyo and Uejima Onitsura. These flowering cherry trees were planted in four groves at different altitudes, in part so that the trees would be visible coming into bloom at different times in the spring. An account of Yoshino written in about 1714 explained that, on their climb to the top, travelers would be able to enjoy the lower 1,000 cherry trees at the base, the middle 1,000 on the way, the upper 1,000 toward the top, and the 1,000 in the precincts of the inner shrine at the top. Kaibara Ekiken. (1714). ''Yoshinoyama syokeizu''
; Stokes, Henry Scott

''New York Times.'' March 6, 1983.

Notable places

* Kinpusen-ji * Kinpu Shrine * Miyataki (district) * Nyoirin-ji *Ryumon-no-taki (

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

) * Sakuramotobō *Saigyō-an Hermitage *Sakuragi Shrine *Takataki (

) * Yoshimizu Shrine * Yoshino-Kumano National Park * Yoshinomikumari Shrine * Mount Yoshino * Yoshino Shrine

References

External links

Yoshino official website
* Kansai Digital Archive

* National Archives of Japa

* Japan-guide.com ttp://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4150.html Yoshino at Japan Guide* *
Nyoirin-ji official website
(in Japanese) {{Authority control Hanami spots of Japan Shinbutsu shūgō