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Katsuragi, Wakayama

Coordinates: 34°18′N 135°30′E / 34.300°N 135.500°E / 34.300; 135.500
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Katsuragi
かつらぎ町
Niutsuhime Shrine in Katsuragi
Niutsuhime Shrine in Katsuragi
Flag of Katsuragi
Official seal of Katsuragi
Location of Katsuragi in Wakayama Prefecture
Location of Katsuragi in Wakayama Prefecture
Katsuragi is located in Japan
Katsuragi
Katsuragi
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°18′N 135°30′E / 34.300°N 135.500°E / 34.300; 135.500
CountryJapan
RegionKansai
PrefectureWakayama
DistrictIto
Area
 • Total151.69 km2 (58.57 sq mi)
Population
 (November 30, 2021)
 • Total16,170
 • Density110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address2160 Chonomachi, Katsuragi-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama-ken 649-7192
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
FlowerHydrangea macrophylla
TreeOsmanthus
Katsuragi Town Hall

Katsuragi (かつらぎ町, Katsuragi-chō) is a town located in Ito District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 November 2021, the town had an estimated population of 16,170 in 7137 households and a population density of 110 persons per km².[1] The total area of the town is 151.69 square kilometres (58.57 sq mi). The town was named after the nearby Katsuragi Mountains.

Geography

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Katsuragi is long and narrow from north to south, and is located in the northeastern part of Wakayama prefecture. The Kinokawa River flows from east to west in the former Katsuragi Town area, and the Kishi River flows from east to west in the Shinshiro area at the southernmost tip of the former Katsuragi Town. In addition, the Arita River runs through the former Hanazono village area. The terrain is sandwiched between the Kii Mountains and the Izumi Mountains, forming a basin.

Neighboring municipalities

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Wakayama Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

Nara Prefecture

Climate

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Katsuragi has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Katsuragi is 13.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1771 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.[2] The area is subject to typhoons in summer.

Climate data for Katsuragi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1979−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.6
(65.5)
22.0
(71.6)
24.8
(76.6)
30.1
(86.2)
32.7
(90.9)
35.8
(96.4)
38.2
(100.8)
40.6
(105.1)
37.9
(100.2)
32.4
(90.3)
27.5
(81.5)
25.7
(78.3)
40.6
(105.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.8
(47.8)
10.0
(50.0)
14.0
(57.2)
19.8
(67.6)
24.6
(76.3)
27.3
(81.1)
31.2
(88.2)
33.0
(91.4)
28.5
(83.3)
22.5
(72.5)
16.7
(62.1)
11.2
(52.2)
20.6
(69.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.8
(38.8)
4.5
(40.1)
7.9
(46.2)
13.2
(55.8)
17.9
(64.2)
21.6
(70.9)
25.5
(77.9)
26.5
(79.7)
22.6
(72.7)
16.6
(61.9)
11.0
(51.8)
6.0
(42.8)
14.8
(58.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.3
(31.5)
−0.2
(31.6)
2.4
(36.3)
7.1
(44.8)
12.1
(53.8)
17.1
(62.8)
21.4
(70.5)
21.9
(71.4)
18.2
(64.8)
12.1
(53.8)
6.3
(43.3)
1.8
(35.2)
10.0
(50.0)
Record low °C (°F) −5.9
(21.4)
−6.3
(20.7)
−4.1
(24.6)
−2.0
(28.4)
2.3
(36.1)
7.8
(46.0)
14.2
(57.6)
14.6
(58.3)
8.1
(46.6)
2.0
(35.6)
−1.3
(29.7)
−4.7
(23.5)
−6.3
(20.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 59.9
(2.36)
72.2
(2.84)
111.0
(4.37)
105.9
(4.17)
146.5
(5.77)
196.2
(7.72)
184.6
(7.27)
123.2
(4.85)
166.2
(6.54)
149.8
(5.90)
86.5
(3.41)
62.1
(2.44)
1,464
(57.64)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 8.2 8.6 10.9 10.1 9.9 12.3 10.9 7.9 10.5 9.9 7.8 8.5 115.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 104.5 119.7 159.9 188.7 200.3 144.7 180.4 221.5 155.7 151.3 135.5 112.0 1,874.1
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][4]

Demographics

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Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Katsuragi has decreased steadily over the past 70 years.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 23,967—    
1930 24,718+3.1%
1940 23,680−4.2%
1950 28,859+21.9%
1960 26,411−8.5%
1970 25,258−4.4%
1980 24,496−3.0%
1990 22,764−7.1%
2000 20,945−8.0%
2010 18,228−13.0%

History

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The town of Katsuragi was founded by the merger of the town of Ito and Myōji and the village of Miyoshi (all from Ito District) on July 1, 1958. On October 1, 2005 the village of Hanazono, from Ito District, was merged into Katsuragi.

Government

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Katsuragi has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Katsuragi, collectively with the other municipalities of Ito District contributes one member to the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Wakayama 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

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Katsuragi is one of the largest agricultural areas in Wakayama, and agriculture, horticulture and food processing dominate the local economy.

Education

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Katsuragi has five public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government and two public high schools operated by the Wakayama Prefectural Department of Education.

Transportation

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Railway

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JR WestWakayama Line

Highway

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Local attractions

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Notable people from Katsuragi

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References

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  1. ^ "Katsuragi town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ Katsuragi climate data
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  4. ^ 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  5. ^ Katsuragi population statistics
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