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Hirono, Iwate

Coordinates: 40°24′30.7″N 141°43′7.3″E / 40.408528°N 141.718694°E / 40.408528; 141.718694
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hirono
洋野町
Hirono Town Hall
Hirono Town Hall
Flag of Hirono
Official seal of Hirono
Map
Location of Hirono in Iwate Prefecture
Location of Hirono
Hirono is located in Japan
Hirono
Hirono
 
Coordinates: 40°24′30.7″N 141°43′7.3″E / 40.408528°N 141.718694°E / 40.408528; 141.718694
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureIwate
DistrictKunohe
Area
 • Total302.92 km2 (116.96 sq mi)
Population
 (May 31, 2024)
 • Total14,906
 • Density49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number0194-65-2111
AddressTaneichi dai-23 jiwari 27, Hirono-machi, Kunohe-gun, Iwate 028-7995
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdCommon gull
FlowerRhododendron
TreeJapanese red pine
Nakano-Shiratake Falls in Hirono
seacoast at Hirono

Hirono (洋野町, Hirono-chō) is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 May 2024, the town had an estimated population of 14,906 I 6790 households, and a population density of 49 persons per km² in 6,858 households.[1] The total area of the town is 302.92 km2 (116.96 sq mi).

Geography

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Hirono is located in far northeastern Iwate Prefecture, bordered by Aomori Prefecture to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

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Aomori Prefecture

Iwate Prefecture

Climate

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Hirono has a humid oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Hirono is 9.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1168 mm with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around -2.1 °C.[2]

Climate data for Taneichi(1991 - 2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.6
(58.3)
19.9
(67.8)
22.7
(72.9)
30.7
(87.3)
32.5
(90.5)
33.1
(91.6)
35.0
(95.0)
35.4
(95.7)
33.8
(92.8)
27.5
(81.5)
23.5
(74.3)
19.6
(67.3)
35.4
(95.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 2.6
(36.7)
3.3
(37.9)
6.9
(44.4)
12.8
(55.0)
17.3
(63.1)
19.5
(67.1)
23.3
(73.9)
25.1
(77.2)
22.5
(72.5)
17.4
(63.3)
11.5
(52.7)
5.2
(41.4)
13.9
(57.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.9
(30.4)
−0.6
(30.9)
2.4
(36.3)
7.6
(45.7)
12.2
(54.0)
15.3
(59.5)
19.5
(67.1)
21.2
(70.2)
18.3
(64.9)
12.6
(54.7)
6.7
(44.1)
1.3
(34.3)
9.6
(49.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.2
(24.4)
−4.3
(24.3)
−1.8
(28.8)
2.5
(36.5)
7.5
(45.5)
11.7
(53.1)
16.4
(61.5)
18.1
(64.6)
14.6
(58.3)
8.1
(46.6)
2.3
(36.1)
−2.2
(28.0)
5.7
(42.3)
Record low °C (°F) −14.2
(6.4)
−12.7
(9.1)
−11.4
(11.5)
−7.4
(18.7)
−2.1
(28.2)
1.1
(34.0)
7.3
(45.1)
8.0
(46.4)
5.8
(42.4)
−0.9
(30.4)
−6.1
(21.0)
−11.4
(11.5)
−14.2
(6.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 52.5
(2.07)
51.5
(2.03)
65.0
(2.56)
74.4
(2.93)
107.7
(4.24)
130.4
(5.13)
173.4
(6.83)
176.3
(6.94)
182.5
(7.19)
129.7
(5.11)
74.0
(2.91)
59.2
(2.33)
1,267
(49.88)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 8.0 8.1 9.2 9.2 10.7 10.9 13.2 13.0 11.4 9.6 9.0 7.7 120.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 162.2 152.0 190.0 195.6 199.7 164.4 142.1 153.2 146.7 165.2 156.3 157.2 1,988.7
Source 1: Japan Meteorological Agency
Source 2: Japan Meteorological Agency[3]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Hirono has declined over the past 40 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1940 17,569—    
1950 22,316+27.0%
1960 26,235+17.6%
1970 24,278−7.5%
1980 24,403+0.5%
1990 22,802−6.6%
2000 20,465−10.2%
2010 17,913−12.5%
2020 15,091−15.8%

History

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The area of present-day Hirono was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and was dominated by the Nambu clan from the Muromachi period. During the Edo period, the area was part of Hachinohe Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. In the early Meiji period, the villages of Taneichi, Nakano and Ōno within Kita-Kunohe District were created on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Kita-Kunohe District and Minami-Kunohe Districts merged to form Kunohe District on April 1, 1897. Taneichi was raised to town status on April 1, 1951, annexing the village of Nakano on February 11, 1955. Taneichi merged with Ōno on January 1, 2006 and was renamed Hirono. The new name, combining characters for "ocean" (洋) and "fields" (野), reflected the combination of coastal Taneichi with inland Ōno. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami severely damaged local fishing ports and destroyed some houses in coastal areas, but the center of the town was protected by a 12 metres (39 ft) embankment, and the town suffered no casualties in the disaster.

Government

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Hirono has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 16 members. Hirono, collectively with the city of Kuji and town of Noda, contributes two members to the Iwate Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Iwate 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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Hirono is within the economic sphere of nearby Hachinohe, Aomori. The local economy is based on commercial fishing and to a lesser extent on agriculture (shiitake, spinach and rice).

Education

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Hirono has seven public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government, and two public high schools operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

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Railway

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East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - Hachinohe Line

Highway

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Local attractions

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  • Symboli Ranch, specializing in race horses

Local specialties

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Taneichi takes pride in its sea urchins. It is common in restaurants and has its own yearly festival in July, the Taneichi Sea Urchin Festival. Some of the sea urchins are harvested by means of Nanbu diving (南部もぐり), which is taught in a special program at Taneichi Senior High School. Sea pineapples (class Ascidiacea) are also harvested in Taneichi. Ōno takes pride in its various dairy products.

Notable people from Hirono

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References

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  1. ^ Hiroto town official home page
  2. ^ Hirono climate data
  3. ^ "種市 過去の気象データ検索". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  4. ^ Hirono population statistics
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Media related to Hirono, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons