Motoyama (本山町, Motoyama-chō) is a town located in Nagaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2022[update], the town had an estimated population of 3‚318 in 1858 households and a population density of 25 persons per km².[1]The total area of the town is 134.22 square kilometres (51.82 sq mi). Motoyama has been named one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Japan. [2]
Motoyama
本山町 | |
---|---|
Town | |
Motoyama Location in Japan | |
Coordinates: 33°45′N 133°35′E | |
Country | Japan |
Region | Shikoku |
Prefecture | Kōchi |
District | Nagaoka |
Area | |
• Total | 134.22 km2 (51.82 sq mi) |
Population (July 31, 2022) | |
• Total | 3,318 |
• Density | 25/km2 (64/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
City hall address | 504 Motoyama, Motoyama-chō, Nagaoka-gun, Kōchi-ken 781-3692 |
Climate | Cfa |
Website | Official website |
Symbols | |
Bird | Japanese robin |
Flower | Cherry blossom |
Tree | Hinoki |
Motoyama is located in the Shikoku Mountains near the center of northern Kōchi Prefecture. The upper reaches of the Yoshino River and Shikoku's largest dam, the Sameura Dam are located in the town.
Kōchi Prefecture
Ehime Prefecture
Motoyama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Motoyama is 14.2 °C (57.6 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,892.3 mm (113.87 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C (77.4 °F), and lowest in January, at around 3.3 °C (37.9 °F).[3] The highest temperature ever recorded in Motoyama was 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) on 28 July 2007; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −8.9 °C (16.0 °F) on 16 January 2011.[4]
Climate data for Motoyama (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1977−present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
26.2 (79.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
35.2 (95.4) |
38.1 (100.6) |
37.7 (99.9) |
35.3 (95.5) |
30.9 (87.6) |
25.1 (77.2) |
22.6 (72.7) |
38.1 (100.6) |
Average high °C (°F) | 9.3 (48.7) |
10.5 (50.9) |
14.3 (57.7) |
19.9 (67.8) |
24.4 (75.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.4 (88.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
22.7 (72.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
11.2 (52.2) |
20.5 (68.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.3 (37.9) |
4.2 (39.6) |
7.7 (45.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
17.3 (63.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
24.8 (76.6) |
25.2 (77.4) |
21.9 (71.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
10.5 (50.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
14.2 (57.5) |
Average low °C (°F) | −1.1 (30.0) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
2.3 (36.1) |
6.7 (44.1) |
11.9 (53.4) |
17.1 (62.8) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.6 (70.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
6.3 (43.3) |
1.2 (34.2) |
9.7 (49.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −8.9 (16.0) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
7.2 (45.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
7.8 (46.0) |
2.3 (36.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 67.6 (2.66) |
103.6 (4.08) |
173.6 (6.83) |
196.0 (7.72) |
241.9 (9.52) |
352.6 (13.88) |
452.6 (17.82) |
410.1 (16.15) |
426.9 (16.81) |
226.4 (8.91) |
122.3 (4.81) |
95.6 (3.76) |
2,892.3 (113.87) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 7.5 | 9.0 | 11.7 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 14.5 | 13.8 | 13.7 | 12.8 | 9.2 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 129.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 149.0 | 145.3 | 165.4 | 184.2 | 188.7 | 122.6 | 145.7 | 160.6 | 125.4 | 146.5 | 133.1 | 135.3 | 1,801.8 |
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][3] |
The population in Motoyama was 7,343 in 1965, but as of May 2017 it has gone down to 3‚605 and continues to decrease.[5]
According to the 2005 census: the population of people 15 years old and under is 417, the population of those 65 years and over is 1,657 and the percentage of seniors in Motoyama is 38% compared to the prefectural average of 26%. There are 1,835 households with on average 2.32 people per household. The number of people per household continues to decrease as households with seniors continue to increase. It is assumed that this trend will continue for the foreseen future.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1960 | 8,476 | — |
1965 | 7,343 | −13.4% |
1970 | 7,052 | −4.0% |
1975 | 6,265 | −11.2% |
1980 | 6,011 | −4.1% |
1985 | 5,566 | −7.4% |
1990 | 5,215 | −6.3% |
1995 | 4,901 | −6.0% |
2000 | 4,657 | −5.0% |
2005 | 4,374 | −6.1% |
2010 | 4,109 | −6.1% |
2015 | 3,573 | −13.0% |
2020 | 3,261 | −8.7% |
Motoyama population statistics[6] |
As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Motoyama was part of ancient Tosa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tosa Domain ruled by the Yamauchi clan from their seat at Kōchi Castle. The village of Nishi-Motoyama was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889 our of 12 smaller hamlets. It was renamed Motoyama Village on June1, 1890. Motoyama was raised to town status on June 1, 1910. On April 20, 1955, Motomachi merged with the neighboring town of Yoshino. However, on April 1, 1961, five western hamlets of Motomachi were transferred to the neighboring town of Tosa.
Motoyama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of ten members. Motoyama, together with the other municipalities of Tosa District and Nagaoka 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 of the Diet of Japan.
The economy of Motoyama is based forestry, agriculture and the raising of Japanese Brown beef cattle.
Motomachi has two public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Kochi Prefectural Board of Education
Motoyama has no passenger railway service. The nearest station is Ōsugi Station on the JR Shikoku Dosan Line; however, most passengers travel to Kōchi Station by bus.
Kōchi Prefecture | ||
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Kōchi (capital) | ||
Core city |
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Cities | ||
Districts | ||
List of mergers in Kōchi Prefecture |