Kumakōgen 久万高原町 | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Kumakogen town hall | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Kumakōgen in Ehime Prefecture | |
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  Kumakōgen Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:33°39′20″N132°54′6″E / 33.65556°N 132.90167°E /33.65556; 132.90167 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Shikoku |
| Prefecture | Ehime |
| District | Kamiukena |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tadayasu Kono (Incumbent, 2024) |
| Area | |
• Total | 583.69 km2 (225.36 sq mi) |
| Population (August 1, 2023) | |
• Total | 6,667 |
| • Density | 11.42/km2 (29.58/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 212 Kuma, Kumakōgen-chō, Kamiukena-gun, Ehime-ken 791-1201 |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | bamboo lily (ささゆり,Sasayuri) |
| Tree | Japanese cedar (杉,Sugi) |
Kumakōgen (久万高原町,Kumakōgen-chō) is atown inKamiukena District,Ehime Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2023[update], the town had an estimated population of 6,667 and a population density of about 11.4 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the town is 583.69 square kilometres (225.36 sq mi).
Kumakōgen is located in south-central Ehime Prefecture, on the north side of theShikoku Mountains, along upper reaches of theNiyodo River. It consists of many hamlets are scattered along river valleys mostly covered with forests.Mount Ishizuchi, the tallest mountain inShikoku at 1982 meters is located on the border betweenSeiyo to the northeast. The climate is cool and wet in the summer and winters cold with snow.[2]
Kumakōgen has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kumakōgen is 13.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2014 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.9 °C.[3]
| Climate data for Kumakōgen, elevation 511m） | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 29.1 (84.4) | 31.3 (88.3) | 33.5 (92.3) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.5 (97.7) | 34.6 (94.3) | 30.5 (86.9) | 24.9 (76.8) | 21.6 (70.9) | 36.5 (97.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) | 7.7 (45.9) | 11.8 (53.2) | 17.9 (64.2) | 22.4 (72.3) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.0 (86.0) | 26.3 (79.3) | 20.6 (69.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 9.0 (48.2) | 18.5 (65.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.8 (27.0) | −2.3 (27.9) | 0.4 (32.7) | 5.0 (41.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 15.3 (59.5) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.8 (67.6) | 16.1 (61.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 3.7 (38.7) | −1.0 (30.2) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.3 (11.7) | −13.6 (7.5) | −12.2 (10.0) | −4.7 (23.5) | −0.6 (30.9) | 5.3 (41.5) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 4.2 (39.6) | −1.2 (29.8) | −4.2 (24.4) | −12.4 (9.7) | −13.6 (7.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 88.5 (3.48) | 96.7 (3.81) | 138.7 (5.46) | 130.5 (5.14) | 175.9 (6.93) | 267.7 (10.54) | 273.7 (10.78) | 202.9 (7.99) | 217.5 (8.56) | 116.6 (4.59) | 98.3 (3.87) | 87.9 (3.46) | 1,894.9 (74.61) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.8 | 11.6 | 14.1 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 13.7 | 12.5 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 8.9 | 9.6 | 11.9 | 139.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 93.1 | 111.0 | 142.5 | 170.8 | 176.7 | 130.7 | 163.8 | 170.0 | 133.0 | 135.5 | 109.3 | 101.7 | 1,638.1 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Kumakōgen has decreased drastically since the 1950s and is now less than a third of what it was a century ago.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 26,860 | — |
| 1930 | 27,858 | +3.7% |
| 1940 | 29,160 | +4.7% |
| 1950 | 38,041 | +30.5% |
| 1960 | 32,896 | −13.5% |
| 1970 | 21,432 | −34.8% |
| 1980 | 16,225 | −24.3% |
| 1990 | 13,313 | −17.9% |
| 2000 | 11,887 | −10.7% |
| 2010 | 9,644 | −18.9% |
| 2020 | 7,404 | −23.2% |
The area of Kumakōgen was part of ancientIyo Province. During theEdo period, the area was divided between the holdings ofMatsuyama Domain orŌzu Domain. The village of Kumachō was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on December 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on August 20, 1901, and renamedKuma. On August 1, 2004, Kuma merged with the villages ofMikawa,Omogo andYanadani, all fromKamiukena District to form the town of Kumakōgen.
Kumakōgen has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral town council of 13 members. Kumakōgen is lumped together with the city of Matsuyama, with the combined area contributing 16 members to the Ehime Prefectural Assembly.
In terms of national politics, the town is part of Ehime 3rd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan. Prior to 2022, the town was part of Ehime 4th district.[5]
The key industry of Kumakōgen is agriculture and forestry. The town was known for its high-quality wood such asCryptomeria andhinoki cypress grown in harsh natural conditions, and highland vegetables such as tomatoes, green peppers, and rice that take advantage of the cool summer weather. However, due to the influx of foreign lumber and the slump in lumber prices, the forestry industry has been in decline.
Kumakōgen has nine public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Ehime Prefectural Board of Education.
Kumakōgen has no passenger railway services. The nearest station to the town isIyo-Tachibana Station on theIyotetsuYokogawara Line
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