Shimanto 四万十市 | |
|---|---|
  Shimanto River | |
 Flag  Emblem | |
 Location of Shimanto in Kōchi Prefecture | |
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  Shimanto Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates:33°0′N132°56′E / 33.000°N 132.933°E /33.000; 132.933 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Shikoku |
| Prefecture | Kōchi |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Genichirō Yamashita (from 15 May, 2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 632.29 km2 (244.13 sq mi) |
| Population (31 July 2022) | |
• Total | 32,593 |
| • Density | 51.548/km2 (133.51/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 4-10 Nakamura Ōhashi-dōri, Shimanto-shi, Kōchi-ken 783-8501 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
| Symbols | |
| Bird | Common kingfisher |
| Fish | Ayu |
| Flower | Wisteria |
| Tree | Willow |
Shimanto (四万十市,Shimanto-shi) is acity in southwesternKōchi Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2022[update], the city had an estimatedpopulation of 32,593 in 16635 households, and apopulation density of 52 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 632.29 square kilometres (244.13 sq mi).
Shimanto is located in southwestern Kōchi Prefecture. Both theShimanto River and the Ushirogawa River run through the city. River levels often rise in summer and autumn due to the rainy season and seasonal typhoons. Shimanto's population is spread across a large area, broken up by rivers, mountains and uninhabited or sparsely inhabited areas.
Shimanto has a wet subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot humid summers and cool to cold winters. Humidity levels are high during the hot summer months. Snow is rare and occurs only once or twice in a year. Rainfall is significant throughout the year, but heavier during the rainy season in June and July, and also in September, when a large number of typhoons hit Japan.
On August 12, 2013, Shimanto recorded a temperature of 41.0 °C (105.8 °F), the highest ever recorded in Japan,[2][3] until that was broken by a reading of 41.1 °C (106.0 °F), recorded in bothKumagaya andHamamatsu, on July 23, 2018, and August 17, 2020, respectively.[4][5]
| Climate data forNakamura, Shimanto (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.4 (75.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 30.5 (86.9) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.1 (95.2) | 38.5 (101.3) | 39.8 (103.6) | 36.9 (98.4) | 33.4 (92.1) | 28.0 (82.4) | 23.4 (74.1) | 39.8 (103.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.6 (52.9) | 13.0 (55.4) | 16.3 (61.3) | 21.1 (70.0) | 25.1 (77.2) | 27.1 (80.8) | 31.5 (88.7) | 32.4 (90.3) | 29.4 (84.9) | 24.7 (76.5) | 19.2 (66.6) | 13.8 (56.8) | 22.1 (71.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 7.1 (44.8) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.2 (59.4) | 19.4 (66.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.3 (81.1) | 24.1 (75.4) | 18.8 (65.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 7.8 (46.0) | 16.5 (61.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | 1.7 (35.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 9.5 (49.1) | 14.3 (57.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.4 (74.1) | 20.2 (68.4) | 14.0 (57.2) | 7.9 (46.2) | 2.7 (36.9) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.9 (19.6) | −10.4 (13.3) | −4.5 (23.9) | −0.7 (30.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 10.7 (51.3) | 14.2 (57.6) | 16.0 (60.8) | 9.7 (49.5) | 2.4 (36.3) | −2.3 (27.9) | −5.3 (22.5) | −10.4 (13.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 91.3 (3.59) | 116.9 (4.60) | 189.9 (7.48) | 212.5 (8.37) | 262.8 (10.35) | 418.2 (16.46) | 317.6 (12.50) | 335.5 (13.21) | 438.7 (17.27) | 260.1 (10.24) | 137.4 (5.41) | 97.2 (3.83) | 2,877.9 (113.30) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.4 | 8.8 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 15.0 | 12.4 | 12.5 | 13.1 | 9.0 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 127.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 170.8 | 164.2 | 186.0 | 194.5 | 189.3 | 126.2 | 185.3 | 206.8 | 155.6 | 173.7 | 162.0 | 169.2 | 2,083.6 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[6][7] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data forEkawasaki, Shimanto (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 21.7 (71.1) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.5 (81.5) | 31.5 (88.7) | 34.3 (93.7) | 36.5 (97.7) | 39.8 (103.6) | 41.0 (105.8) | 37.3 (99.1) | 33.2 (91.8) | 29.7 (85.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 41.0 (105.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 11.7 (53.1) | 15.5 (59.9) | 20.9 (69.6) | 25.2 (77.4) | 27.4 (81.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.7 (90.9) | 29.2 (84.6) | 24.0 (75.2) | 18.1 (64.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 21.6 (70.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.9 (40.8) | 5.9 (42.6) | 9.3 (48.7) | 14.2 (57.6) | 18.7 (65.7) | 22.1 (71.8) | 26.1 (79.0) | 26.7 (80.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 17.8 (64.0) | 12.1 (53.8) | 6.8 (44.2) | 15.7 (60.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.5 (32.9) | 1.0 (33.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 8.5 (47.3) | 13.3 (55.9) | 18.3 (64.9) | 22.3 (72.1) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 13.8 (56.8) | 7.9 (46.2) | 2.6 (36.7) | 11.2 (52.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.0 (21.2) | −7.0 (19.4) | −5.0 (23.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | 3.4 (38.1) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.6 (58.3) | 14.9 (58.8) | 9.4 (48.9) | 2.7 (36.9) | −1.8 (28.8) | −6.9 (19.6) | −7.0 (19.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 71.2 (2.80) | 94.2 (3.71) | 151.3 (5.96) | 166.6 (6.56) | 204.9 (8.07) | 355.2 (13.98) | 347.5 (13.68) | 316.8 (12.47) | 361.6 (14.24) | 168.5 (6.63) | 103.1 (4.06) | 83.1 (3.27) | 2,423.7 (95.42) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.6 | 9.4 | 11.9 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 14.4 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 11.6 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 9.8 | 128.5 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 139.2 | 145.7 | 173.2 | 185.7 | 183.6 | 120.2 | 171.0 | 192.3 | 144.6 | 166.1 | 146.7 | 131.5 | 1,909.3 |
| Source:Japan Meteorological Agency[3][8] | |||||||||||||
Per Japanese census data, the population of Shimanto in 2020 is 32,694 people.[9] Shimanto has been conducting censuses since 1960.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47,420 | — |
| 1965 | 42,667 | −10.0% |
| 1970 | 39,379 | −7.7% |
| 1975 | 39,614 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 40,315 | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 40,609 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 40,066 | −1.3% |
| 1995 | 38,991 | −2.7% |
| 2000 | 38,784 | −0.5% |
| 2005 | 37,917 | −2.2% |
| 2010 | 35,933 | −5.2% |
| 2015 | 34,313 | −4.5% |
| 2020 | 32,694 | −4.7% |
| Shimanto population statistics[9] | ||
As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Shimanto City was part of ancientTosa Province. During theKofun period andNara period, the area of western Tosa was called "Hata" and was ruled by the HataKuni no miyatsuko. The Hata clan dominated the area well into theHeian period. During theKamakura period much of the area became part of a vastshōen landed estate controlled by theKujō family ofaristocrats fromKyoto.Kujō Michiie left the estate to his third son,Ichijō Sanetsune, who was the founding father ofIchijō family. During theOnin War, thekanpakuIchijō Norifusa fled Kyoto in 1468 and settled in Nakamura, in what is now Shimanto.[10][11] He remodeled the village on Kyoto, giving rise to the nickname of "the little Kyoto of Tosa",[12] During theSengoku period, the Ichijō were defeated by theChōsokabe clan at the 1575 Battle of Shimantogawa. Following the establishment of theTokugawa shogunate, the area was part of the holdings ofTosa Domain ruled by theYamauchi clan from their seat atKōchi Castle, with Nakamura becoming the seat of a 30,000koku subsidiary domain until 1689.[13] In this year, the head of the Nakamura fief was punished for the offence of turning down a post on the Tokugawa Junior Council.[13] The local castle was destroyed, the fief's finances were confiscated, retainers were stripped of their incomes, and the samurai dwellings were destroyed, forcing them to scatter and become farmers or merchants.[13] The Nakamura area lost a great deal of wealth and independence, and became a minor rural region.[13]
Following theMeiji restoration, the village of Nakamura was established withinHata District, Kōchi with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889, and was raised to town status on November 10, 1898. The area was almost entirely destroyed by the1946 Nankai earthquake, as a result of which very few historical buildings remain.[14] Photographs of the area after the earthquake can be seen in the city museum.[14] On March 31, 1954, Nakamura merged with ten neighboring villages and was raised to city status. The city of Shimanto was established on April 10, 2005, from the merger of the city ofNakamura, and the village ofNishitosa (fromHata District).
Shimanto has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city council of 20 members. Shimanto contributes two members to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kōchi 2nd district of thelower house of theDiet of Japan.
Shimanto city is divided into thirteen districts.[15]
The largest district is Nakamura, with a population of 9,352 residents as of November 2013. The smallest is Toyama, with 882 residents.[15]
The local economy is dominated by agriculture, forestry and commercial fishing, and tourism.
Shimanto City has 13 public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public middle school and three public high schools operated by the Kōchi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.
The following cities were twinned with Nakamura before it became part of Shimanto.[citation needed]
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Shikoku Railway Company -Yodo Line
Tosa Kuroshio RailwayNakamura Line
Tosa Kuroshio RailwaySukumo Line
(in Japanese)
Geographic data related toShimanto, Kōchi (city) atOpenStreetMap| Core city |  | |
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