Shizukuishi 雫石町 | |
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 View of Mount Iwate from Koiwai farm park | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Shizukuishi in Iwate Prefecture | |
  Shizukuishi | |
| Coordinates:39°41′42.7″N140°58′32.8″E / 39.695194°N 140.975778°E /39.695194; 140.975778 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Tōhoku |
| Prefecture | Iwate |
| District | Iwate |
| Government | |
| • -Mayor | Masamitsu Fukaya (since October 2010) |
| Area | |
• Total | 608.82 km2 (235.07 sq mi) |
| Population (March 31, 2020) | |
• Total | 16,263 |
| • Density | 27/km2 (69/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Phone number | 019-692-2111 |
| Address | 5-1 Senkarita, Shizukuishi-chō, Iwate-gun, Iwate-ken 029-0595 |
| Climate | Dfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Uguisu |
| Flower | Chrysanthemum |
| Tree | Sugi |
Shizukuishi (雫石町,Shizukuishi-chō) is atown located inIwate Prefecture,Japan. As of 31 March 2020[update], the town had an estimatedpopulation of 16,263 in 6354 households,[1] and apopulation density of 27 persons per km2.[citation needed] The total area of the town is 608.82 square kilometres (235.07 sq mi).
Shizukuishi is located in theŌu Mountains of west-central Iwate Prefecture, borderingAkita Prefecture to the west.Mount Iwate (2038 m), an active volcano, lies just to the north of Shizukuishi and dominates the landscape. TheŌu Mountains form the boundary to the west as well withAkita Komagatake, another active volcano, just across the border inAkita Prefecture. The downtown area is located where theShizukuishi and Kakkonda Rivers meet. Gosho Lake was created in 1981 with the completion ofGosho Dam.
Akita Prefecture
Iwate Prefecture
Shizukuishi has a coldhumid continental climate (KöppenDfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shizukuishi is 9.2°C. The average annual rainfall is 1469 mm, with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.7 °C.[2]
| Climate data for Shizukuishi (altitude 195m, 1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.9 (53.4) | 12.7 (54.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 28.5 (83.3) | 32.9 (91.2) | 32.6 (90.7) | 35.1 (95.2) | 35.8 (96.4) | 33.4 (92.1) | 27.8 (82.0) | 21.4 (70.5) | 14.7 (58.5) | 35.8 (96.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) | 1.7 (35.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 13.5 (56.3) | 19.1 (66.4) | 23.0 (73.4) | 25.9 (78.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 23.2 (73.8) | 17.1 (62.8) | 10.0 (50.0) | 3.7 (38.7) | 14.3 (57.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.9 (26.8) | −2.3 (27.9) | 1.1 (34.0) | 7.7 (45.9) | 13.3 (55.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.3 (70.3) | 22.6 (72.7) | 17.9 (64.2) | 11.2 (52.2) | 5.0 (41.0) | 0.1 (32.2) | 9.4 (48.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.3 (18.9) | −6.9 (19.6) | −3.4 (25.9) | 1.9 (35.4) | 7.5 (45.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 17.4 (63.3) | 18.5 (65.3) | 13.4 (56.1) | 5.9 (42.6) | 0.4 (32.7) | −3.6 (25.5) | 4.8 (40.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.6 (−5.1) | −20.3 (−4.5) | −15.7 (3.7) | −10.3 (13.5) | −1.5 (29.3) | 3.6 (38.5) | 7.6 (45.7) | 8.7 (47.7) | 1.4 (34.5) | −4.4 (24.1) | −10.8 (12.6) | −18.2 (−0.8) | −20.8 (−5.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 66.4 (2.61) | 65.6 (2.58) | 95.2 (3.75) | 102.9 (4.05) | 123.0 (4.84) | 134.5 (5.30) | 233.2 (9.18) | 216.7 (8.53) | 174.7 (6.88) | 131.1 (5.16) | 114.7 (4.52) | 95.6 (3.76) | 1,551 (61.06) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 154 (61) | 130 (51) | 90 (35) | 4 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 9 (3.5) | 93 (37) | 480 (189) |
| Average rainy days | 12.3 | 11.0 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 10.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 12.7 | 14.8 | 13.4 | 150.8 |
| Average snowy days | 17.2 | 15.6 | 10.3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 10.1 | 54.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 82.6 | 91.3 | 132.3 | 167.0 | 182.4 | 162.8 | 130.1 | 140.8 | 121.8 | 130.5 | 102.0 | 80.4 | 1,531.8 |
| Source 1:JMA[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:JMA[4] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Shizukuishi has declined since the year 2000.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 12,726 | — |
| 1930 | 14,213 | +11.7% |
| 1940 | 15,882 | +11.7% |
| 1950 | 18,626 | +17.3% |
| 1960 | 20,708 | +11.2% |
| 1970 | 17,954 | −13.3% |
| 1980 | 18,696 | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 19,013 | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 19,750 | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 18,038 | −8.7% |
| 2020 | 15,731 | −12.8% |
The area of present-day Shizukuishi has been inhabited since the earliest times. Archaeologists have found remains dating to theJapanese Paleolithic period. The area come under the control of theimperial dynasty during the earlyHeian period under the campaigns ofSakanoue no Tamuramaro, and was part of ancientMutsu Province. The area was a battlefield during theFormer Nine Years War and theGosannen War. It eventually came under the control of theNambu clan, who ruled fromMorioka Domain under theEdo periodTokugawa shogunate.
In theMeiji period, the villages of Shizukuishi, Gosho, Nishiyama and Omyojin within Minami-Iwate District were created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Kita-Iwate District and Minami-Iwate Districts merged to form Iwate District on March 29, 1896. Shizukuishi was raised to town status on December 23, 1940. On April 1, 1955, Shizukuishi merged with Gosho, Nishiyama and Omyojin, but lost a portion of its territory in a border adjustment with Morioka City on October 1 of the same year. TheAll Nippon Airways Flight 58 accident occurred over Shizukuishi on July 30, 1971.
Shizukuishi has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral town council of 16 members. Shizukuishi, together with the city of Takizawa, contributes three seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part ofIwate 2nd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
The local economy is based on agriculture, forestry and seasonaltourism. Koiwai Farm, based in Takizawa, is currently the largest privately owneddairy production center in Japan. The farm produces a full range of dairy products distributed throughout the nation.[6]
Shizukuishi has five public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education.
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East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Akita Shinkansen
East Japan Railway Company (JR East) -Tazawako Line
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