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Ōtsuki Town

This entry refers to Ōtsuki Town (大月町) in the Hata district of Kochi prefecture, Japan. For reference to Ōtsuki City (大月市) in the Kitatsuru district of Yamanashi prefecture, please see Otsuki City

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Ōtsuki Town 大月町
City
A view of Otsuki Town`s windmills from the top of Fureai Park
Location of Ōtsuki Town in Kōchi Prefecture (高知県)
Ōtsuki Town Location in Japan
Coordinates: 32°49′N 132°43′E
Country	Japan
Region	Shikoku (四国)
Prefecture	Kōchi Prefecture (高知県)
District	Hata District (幡多郡)
Government
• Mayor	Kunio Shibaoka (柴岡　邦男)
Area
• Total	103.06 km2 (39.79 sq mi)
Population  (April 30, 2009)
• Total	6,379
• Density	61.9/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	Kochi-ken, Hata-gun, Otsuki-cho, Hiromi 2298-8 788-0302
Website	http://www.town.otsuki.kochi.jp/
Symbols
Bird	Omizunagidori (Calonectris leucomelas)
Flower	Crinum (Crinum asiaticum)
Tree	Ubamegashi (Quercus phillyraeoides)

Ōtsuki (大月町, Ōtsuki-chō) is a town approximately 184 kilometers away from downtown Kōchi City and is located in the south-western end of Kōchi Prefecture in an area known as the Hata District.

Having a mild climate, Ōtsuki has developed through the promotion of its agriculture, forestry and fishing industries. An economically friendly community that has invested in 12 wind-powered generators, the town takes pride in its ocean and natural environment, which is approximately 70% comprised of heavily wooded mountain forests. Its neighbours are Tosashimizu City to the east and Sukumo City to the north.

Demography

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

Although the town had a population of 13,688 people back in 1960, Ōtsuki has seen a steady decline with each year. A growing problem for Japan, there has been an increasing trend for younger workers and their families to leave rural areas and find work in the cities. As can be seen in the graph provided, the majority of residents in Ōtsuki are between 45 to 84 years of age.

As of April 2009, the town had an estimated population of 6,379 with an average of 61.9 persons living in each km².

History

The region came to be known as Ōtsuki Town in Feb. 11, 1957 after the union of Ōuchi Town (大内町, Ōuchi-chō) and Tsukinada Village (月灘村, Tsukinada-son).

Transportaion

Railway Lines

• N/A (the nearest station is Sukumo Station (宿毛駅) in Sukumo City

Roads

• Country Road # 321 is the main road that that connects Ōtsuki to Tosashimizu City to the east and Sukumo City to the north.

Roadside Station

• Ōtsuki Fureai Park (ふれあいパーク大月)

Sights of Interest

Kashiwajima Island (柏島 Kashiwajima)

• People from all around Japan come to this island to scuba dive. Around 1,000 different kinds of fish, both temperate and tropical, can be found in the waters around Kashiwajima. The island is even said to have one of the world`s largest concentrations of reef-building corals. To date, 123 different types of coral have been confirmed within Ōtsuki Town.

Kannon Rock (観音岩 Kannon-iwa)

• A rock that stands 30 meters high above the deep blue ocean and resembles the image of the goddess Kannon. In 1638, during the revolt of Shimabara (島原) City, it is said that a man named Amenomori Kyūdaiyū (雨ノ森九太夫) was sent to quell the uprest but was injured in battle and retreated with his men by ship. His condition deteriorated, and while there were no lighthouses at the time, it is said that the crew headed towards a light that was coming from Kashiwajima. When the ship approached Kannon-iwa, Amenomori Kyūdaiyū died from his wounds, and at that moment a beam of light radiated from Kannon Rock. Since then, the rock has been thought to be sacred.

"Ten Thousand Waterfalls" (お万の滝 Oman-no Taki)

• Along the same hiking trail that passes by Kannon Rock is a cliff called Oman-no Taki, which is literally translated as "Ten Thousand Waterfalls". This name is misleading for there is actually no water running here at all. The locals have a seperate pronouciation for the word "cliff" (断がい dangai), in which they also say "taki". There is a story to this cliff - a tale of how there once was a beautiful blind woman named Oman (おまん) who fell in love with a man whose job it was to protect the island (most likely a samurai of higher social class). Oman thought of this man`s job as an important role and somewhat became obsessed with him, but when she realized this love could never be, she decided to throw herself from the edge of this cliff and plummeted to her death approximately 120 meters to the ocean below. The exact date is unknown, but eventually the cliff came to be known as "Oman-no Taki" in memory of this tragic story.

Tsukiyama Shrine (月山神社 Tsukiyama-jinjya)

• Tsukiyama Shrine, which has a thousand years of history, is located on Mt. Moritsuki. It is believed to have been a shrine where Kobodaishi performed ascetic, practices. As a former center of Shugendo training, and as one of the Eighty-eight Holy Places of Shikoku, it is visited by a great number of people from all over the country. The coastal area near a temple called "Otsukinada" used to be famous for pink corals, and it is believed to be the first place where corals were gathered for living. In recent years parties of pilgrims have been using well-paved roads. However, the local people founded a group called the Association for the Preseveration of the Pilgrimage Route (Henromichi-Hozonkai) to restore such routes to their original state for the first time in 40 years. The routes run through mountains and seacosts.

Famous Residents

Ōe Takushi (大江卓)

• Politician/Businessman

Kōno Hirofumi (河野博文)

• Baseball Player

Yorioka Takaki (依岡慶樹)

• Contemporary Japanese Painter

Tamaryōma Kōsaku (玉龍馬耕作)

• Real Name: Yamasaki Kousaku (山崎耕作)
• Professional Sumo Wrestler/Kataonammi Sumo group member
• Nippon College of Health and Physical Education - Meitokugijuku