Ōtsuki, Kōchi

This article is about to the town in Kōchi Prefecture. For the city in Yamanashi Prefecture, see Ōtsuki, Yamanashi.
Ōtsuki
大月町
Town

A view of Otsuki's windmills from the top of Fureai Park

Location of Ōtsuki in Kōchi Prefecture
Ōtsuki

Location in Japan

Coordinates: 32°49′N 132°43′E / 32.817°N 132.717°ECoordinates: 32°49′N 132°43′E / 32.817°N 132.717°E
Country Japan
Region Shikoku
Prefecture Kōchi Prefecture
District Hata
Government
  Mayor Junichi Okada
Area
  Total 103.03 km2 (39.78 sq mi)
Population (August 1, 2014)
  Total 5,719
  Density 55.5/km2 (144/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Symbols
- Tree Ubamegashi (Quercus phillyraeoides)
- Flower Crinum (Crinum asiaticum)
- Bird Omizunagidori (Calonectris leucomelas)
Address 2230 Hiromi, Ōtsuki-chō, Hata-gun, Kōchi-ken
788-0302
Phone number 0880-73-1111
Website http://www.town.otsuki.kochi.jp/

Ōtsuki (大月町 Ōtsuki-chō) is a town in the Hata District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 184 km away from downtown Kōchi in the southwestern corner of the prefecture.[1]

Ōtsuki has an economy based on developed agriculture, forestry and fishing industries, and the town has invested in renewable energy resources with 12 wind-powered generators installed on Mount Mukuri, with an additional bank of generators on Mount Ōhora scheduled for completion in 2015.[2]

Etymology

"Ōtsuki" literally means "large moon". The name comes from the first characters of the town of Ōuchi (大内町 Ōuchi-chō) and the village of Tsukinada (月灘村 Tsukinada-son) when they merged as Ōtsuki on February 11, 1957.

History

Signs of human presence, including stone knives and tools, date back as far as 20,000 years ago. In more recent years, granite blocks cut from stones in the Kashira Tsudoi (頭集い) area of town were shipped from Otsuki and used in the construction of Osaka Castle (大阪城) and Nagoya Castle (名古屋城), in 1585 and 1610 respectively.[3]

One of the town's most unique traditions, an event called the Mizu Abise (水浴びせ), has its roots in the year 1662. A massive fire occurred in the fishing village of Komame (古満目), and to prevent a similar catastrophe from reoccurring, a ritual to be carried out each new year was prescribed.[4] In the modern day, this ritual is carried out every year on January 2, and includes elders making offerings at several locations in the village while young men sit waiting outside wearing only simple yukatas. When the elders come out, they douse the young men with bucket after bucket of cold sea water, and the procession moves on to the next location of prayer. After 2 to 3 hours of enduring the cold and making prayers to ward off disaster, the event comes to a close as families prepare warm baths to reinvigorate the freezing participants.

The town of Otsuki itself came to be known as Ōtsuki on February 11, 1957 after the union of Ōuchi (大内町 Ōuchi-chō) and Tsukinada (月灘村 Tsukinada-son).

Demographics

A graph of Ōtsuki's gender distribution by age (Basic Resident Registration results from October 1, 2006).[5]

The Ōtsuki Town Hall displays its demographics on its homepage. These statistics are updated bi-monthly. The population of Ōtsuki peaked at 13,688 in 1960, and has seen a steady yearly decline since.[5] Ōtsuki has issues with rural flight and population decline, much like other parts of rural Japan.[6][7] As can be seen in the graph provided, the majority of residents in Ōtsuki were between 45 to 84 years of age in 2006.

As of August 2014, Ōtsuki contains 2,785 households, with an overall estimated population of 5,719, and a gender ratio of 1.11 females to each male.[6]

Geography

Ōtsuki covers an area of 103.03km2, with approximately 70% of this area being heavily wooded mountain forests. Ōtsuki is bordered by Sukumo to the north and Tosashimizu to the east, and faces the Pacific Ocean to the south. The Bungo Channel, which separates Kyushu and Shikoku, runs along the west of Ōtsuki, while the Kuroshio Current brushes up against its south shores.[2]To its south, Ōtsuki has a small collection of islands, including Kashiwajima, Okinojima, and Ugurushima.[8]

Seismicity

Otsuki, along with the coastline along Kochi prefecture, is close to the Nankai Trough, and experiences seismic activity related to the Nankai megathrust earthquakes. These earthquakes typically result in landslides, flooding, and tsunamis, in addition to damage from seismic activity.[9] These earthquakes occur approximately 100-200 years apart, with the most recent earthquake occurring in 1946.[10]

Transportation

Railway Lines
Roads
Roadside Station

Education

Ōtsuki formerly had nine elementary schools, which were consolidated into one school in 2009, and five middle schools, which were consolidated into one in 2001. [11] Ōtsuki additionally had a Sukumo High School campus in town, but it is closed as of April 2014. [12]

Ōtsuki has three nursery schools located in Hiromi, Kashiwajima, and Himenoi. [13]

Beaches and diving

Kashiwajima Island
A view of Kashiwajima Island from a nearby observation deck.
Kashiwajima Island
Kashiwajima Shirahama Beach
Ryugahama Campgrounds
Ryugahama Campgrounds (竜ヶ浜キャンプ場), as seen from the entrance.
Hotel Bellreef Otsuki and Ecology Camp

Places of Interest

Monkey Park
Kannon Rock
Oman's Waterfall
Tsukiyama Shrine

References

  1. 大月町史編纂委員会 (March 28, 1995), p.3
  2. 2.0 2.1 大月町の概要 (June 22, 2009)
  3. 大月町史. 大月町. 1995. pp. 1372, 1373.
  4. 大月町史. 大月町. 1995. p. 1376.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Ōtsuki — Clear Serenity: The 50th Anniversary of Ōtsuki, Ōtsuki Town Handbook 2007, February 2007, p. 30
  6. 6.0 6.1 統計情報-人口推移
  7. Rural life’s slow death
  8. 自然と人のふれあい
  9. 防災情報
  10. Cummins, P.R.; Hori, T.; Kaneda, Y. "Splay fault and megathrust earthquake slip in the Nankai Trough" (PDF). Earth Planets Space 53: 243–248. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  11. 学校教育"
  12. 高知県県立高校通学支援奨学金貸与条例の一部を改正する条例議案に係る意見聴取に関する議案
  13. 児童福祉
  14. "Otsuki — Clear Serenity: The 50th Anniversary of Ōtsuki" Ōtsuki Town Handbook 2007, February 2007, p. 2
  15. 竜ヶ浜キャンプ場 - Ryugahama Campgrounds (August 7, 2013)
  16. ホテルベルリーフ大月 - Hotel Bellreef Otsuki (August 7, 2013)
  17. 大月エコロジーキャンプ場 - Otsuki Ecology Camp (August 7, 2013)
  18. 大月町公式ホームページ・お猿公園(大堂) (August 7, 2013)
  19. Town of Ōtsuki — Kannon Rock (June 17, 2009).
  20. 高知県大月町 柏島・大堂海岸の紹介 (July 1, 2009).
  21. "~ようこそ!黒潮踊る大月町~" 大月町役場産業振興課 - 観光情報の請求があって送信した原稿、(直)0880-73-1115.
  22. "Otsuki — Clear Serenity: The 50th Anniversary of Ōtsuki" Ōtsuki Town Handbook 2007, February 2007, p. 15

External links