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Totsukawa 十津川村
Village
Clockwise from top left: Jyuni Waterfall, Totsukawa Spa area, Kamiyu Spa area, Kazeya Dam, Mount Shaka
FlagSeal
Location of Totsukawa in Nara Prefecture
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Nara Prefecture
District	Yoshino
First official recorded	37 BC
Village settled	June 18, 1890
Government
• Mayor	Yoshiki Saratani
Area
• Total	672.35 km (259.60 sq mi)
Population
• Total	2,845
• Density	4.2/km (11/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	225-1 Ōaza Ohara, Totsukawa-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara-ken 637-1333
Climate	Cfa
Website	www.vill.totsukawa.lg.jp
Symbols
Bird	Japanese bush warbler
Flower	Rhododendron
Tree	Cryptomeria

Totsukawa (Japanese: 十津川村, Hepburn: Totsukawa-mura) is a geographically large village in the Yoshino District of Nara, Japan. It is the largest village in Nara in terms of area, and the fifth largest village in Japan. As of February 2024, the village has an estimated population of 2,845 and a density of 4.2 persons per km. The total area is 672.35 km (259.60 sq mi).

History

Etymology

The name of the Totsukawa River 遠津川 (totsukawa), which the village is named after was originally composed of the kanji 遠 (to), meaning distant, 津 (tsu), meaning harbor (or port), 川 (kawa), meaning river, as the river was, and especially for the time its name is first said to appear (c. 1142 AD), far away from any ports. Because the village built along the river is also distant from the capital, 都 (to), it was given the name 十津川村 (totsukawa-mura), as a play-on-words meaning village of the river distant from any ports or the capital. The word used for the first kanji in the current name, 十 (to), and the original name for the river, 遠 (to), as well as the word for capital, 都 (to), all contain a reading of to.

End of Kamakura and Muromachi period

In 1333, Emperor Go-Daigo overthrew the Kamakura Shogunate and thus began the Kenmu Restoration. However, many samurai, including Ashikaga Takauji were dissatisfied with the new policies, and so a struggle ensued between them and the emperor. As a result of the struggle, the emperor fled to Yamato Province, which composed much of present-day Nara Prefecture and included Totsukawa within. There he established the Southern Court. Totsukawa was deeply intertwined with the southern court, and Prince Morinaga once sought refuge there. Old documents written by the second emperor of the court, Gomurakami and Morinaga's son, Prince Okura are still kept and preserved within the village, and contain directives to the people of the village to assist the southern court. The people were said to be skilled martial artists and hunters, which is attributed to their recognition by multiple successive emperors within southern court.

Edo period

In 1585, Toyotomi Hidenaga, half-brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi was appointed governor of Yamato Province, Kii Province and Izumi Province, and made lord of Kōriyama Castle. Two years later, in 1587, Hidenaga commenced a comprehensive land survey of Totsukawa, as expected of someone in his role. Kobori Masatsugu. appointed survey commissioner, executed the survey at Hidenaga's request. Following the survey, Totsukawa was subject to mura uke seido where each village would pay taxes as a unit.

Meiji Restoration to World War II

In 1869, one year after the beginning of the Meiji Restoration following the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, during significant changes in Japan, Totsukawa was incorporated into Nara Prefecture. In 1871, the people of the village were recognized for their service during the end of the shogunate and during the Boshin War, some were even granted the title of samurai.

In 1873, the land tax law was changed, and Totsukawa became taxes as well, instituting a plethora of changes to follow.

In 1889, a major flood happened in Totsukawa, causing widespread destruction. In result, many citizens moved to Hokkaido and developed a new village there. The first and then governor of Nara, Saisho Atsushi, issued a notice giving his respects and condolences, as well as informing them of disaster relief in the form of ¥2,000 in gold from Emperor Meiji. The residents opted to name the new settlement “Shintotsukawa”, literally “New Totsukawa".

Geography

Climate

Totsukawa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), which is hot and humid in the summer (above 30 °C (86 °F)) and is somewhat cold in the winter with temperatures dropping to around freezing (0 °C (32 °F))

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Totsukawa in 2020 is 3,061 people. Totsukawa has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Landmarks

Tanize Suspension Bridge

The Tanize Suspension Bridge (谷瀬の吊り橋, tanize no tsuribashi) is a suspension bridge known for the Yuredaiko, an annual drum festival on the bridge held on August 4 of every year. It is one of Japan's longest steel-wire suspension bridges, and is located in the Tanize/Uenoji area in northern Totsukawa. It was built in 1954 and is 54 m (177 ft) high and 297 m (974 ft) long. Each family in the village donated ¥2,000−3,000 towards the construction. The money collected from the villagers totaled approximately ¥8,000,000 in donations.

Yaen gondolas

There are gondolas called yaen [ja] in Totsukawa village. Yaen are small gondolas hung from ropes above a river and move from shore to shore of the river, moving forward by pulling on a rope inside of the gondola. The name yaen comes from the Japanese word for wild monkey, and were named as such because a person using one has the appearance of a wild monkey climbing a vine. They were historically used for transportation across the river by the villagers, as it would only take the average person around 10 minutes to move the entire route. They are no longer used as a means of transportation, and are now only used as a novelty.

Sasa-no-taki waterfall

Sasa-no-taki [ja] (笹の滝) is a waterfall located on the outskirts of Totsukawa, and is ranked by Kodansha as one of the 100 Best Waterfalls in Japan. It is about 32 m (105 ft) tall and 13 km (8.1 mi) away from Takikawa gorge, and has an altitude of 500 m (1,600 ft) with multiple hiking trails leading up to the waterfall. The area directly under the waterfall, however, has its access restricted due to the safety hazard imposed by the risk of falling rocks.

Tamaki Shrine

Tamaki Shrine [ja] (玉置神社, tamaki jinja) is a Shinto shrine located at the top of Mt. Tamaki [ja] (玉置山, tamaki san). It was built by Emperor Sujin in 37 BC and is surrounded by several large cedar trees. Tamaki Shrine is registered as a landmark with the UNESCO World Heritage Center as one of the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range."

Totsukawa Onsen

Totsukawa Onsen [ja] (十津川温泉) is an onsen hot spring located in the middle of Totsukawa village. Around the hot spring, there are multiple bathhouses, also known colloquially as onsen, which utilize the hot spring. Tosenji Onsen [ja] (湯泉地温泉) is the oldest bathhouse in the village, dating back to 1581. The bathhouses pipe the water from the hot spring into their facilities without recycling, heating or prior treatment.

Hatenashi mountain range

Hatenashi mountain range [ja] (果無山脈, hatenashi sanmyaku) is about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in height. This mountain range is located on the boundary between Nara and Wakayama Prefecture and stretches about 30 km (19 mi). The place where Hatenashi mountain range meets Kohechi at Kumano-Kodo route is called Hatenashi pass. This pass is 1,070 m (3,510 ft) high. The Kumano-Kodo pilgrimage routes are designated as a World Heritage Site.

Transportation

Totsukawa is served by National Routes 168 and 425. The nearest major train station is Hashimoto Station in Wakayama Prefecture.

Sister cities

• Miyoshi, Tokushima, Japan
• Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan

Notes

1. ¥2,000 (1889) (equivalent to ¥7.99 million or US$73,251.38 in 2019)
2. shin (wiktionary:新) means new
3. ¥8 million (1954) (equivalent to ¥49.41 million or US$453,225.22 in 2019)

References

1. ^ "村の概要" [日本一広い村、十津川村。]. vill.totsukawa.lg.jp (in Japanese). October 2018. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
2. "面積からみた奈良県" [総務省「社会生活統計指標」2011より] (in Japanese). August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
3. "Official website of Totsukawa Village" (in Japanese). Japan: Totsukawa Village. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
4. ^ "十津川の「歴史」ざっくりわかる、十津川の成立". vill.totsukawa.lg.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
5. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 1046, at Google Books.
6. ^ 1868 to 1938: Williamson J., Nominal Wage, Cost of Living, Real Wage and Land Rent Data for Japan 1831-1938, 1939 to 1945: Bank of Japan Historical Statistics Afterwards, Japanese Historical Consumer Price Index numbers based on data available from the Japanese Statistics Bureau. Japan Historical Consumer Price Index (CPI) – 1970 to 2014 Retrieved 30 July 2014. For between 1946 and 1970, from "昭和戦後史". Retrieved 2015-01-24.
7. 村報とつかわ2010年7月号 - 十津川村役場（p.5を参照）
8. 風屋 年・月ごとの平年値 (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
9. 風屋 観測史上1～10位の値 (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
10. ^ Totsukawa population statistics
11. 【謎解きクルーズ】奈良・十津川村 なぜ「東京弁」険しい峡谷 関西弁阻む 日本経済新聞サイト（2014年10月4日）
12. "谷瀬の吊り橋". 十津川村観光協会. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
13. 十津川探検 ～十津川巡り～「野猿」 十津川かけはしネット（十津川村教育委員会
14. ^ 笹の滝（十津川村観光協会HP）
15. 『日本の滝100選』 グリーンルネッサンス事務局/編、1991年、講談社
16. 『日本の滝 (2) 西日本767滝』 北中康文/写真・文、2006年、山と渓谷社
17. 玉置神社社務所及び台所（1988年〈昭和63年〉指定、重要文化財〈建造物〉）、国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁） 2010年6月5日閲覧。、pp.39,75
18. 奈良県教育委員会文化財保存課・文化財保存事務所. "奈良県指定文化財一覧" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-05.
19. ^ 十津川村観光協会
20. "【十津川村観光協会】 湯泉地温泉".
21. 「角川日本地名大辞典」編纂委員会
22. 宇江

External links

• Media related to Totsukawa, Nara at Wikimedia Commons
• Geographic data related to Totsukawa at OpenStreetMap
• Totsukawa Village web page (in Japanese)

v t e Nara Prefecture
Nara (capital)
Core city	Nara
Cities	Gojō Gose Ikoma Kashiba Kashihara Katsuragi Sakurai Tenri Uda Yamatokōriyama Yamatotakada
Districts	Ikoma District Ando Ikaruga Heguri Sangō Kitakatsuragi District Ōji Kawai Kanmaki Kōryō Shiki District Kawanishi Miyake Tawaramoto Takaichi District Asuka Takatori Uda District Mitsue Soni Yamabe District Yamazoe Yoshino District Higashiyoshino Kamikitayama Kawakami Kurotaki Nosegawa Ōyodo Shimoichi Shimokitayama Tenkawa Totsukawa Yoshino
List of mergers in Nara Prefecture

33°59′18″N 135°47′35″E / 33.98833°N 135.79306°E / 33.98833; 135.79306

• Villages in Nara Prefecture