Chizu, Tottori
Chizu
智頭町 | |
|---|---|
View of Chizu-shuku | |
|
Flag Emblem | |
Interactive map of Chizu | |
Chizu Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 35°16′N 134°14′E / 35.267°N 134.233°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūgoku San'in |
| Prefecture | Tottori |
| District | Yazu |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hideo Kaneko (Liberal Democratic Party) |
| Area | |
• Total | 224.7 km2 (86.8 sq mi) |
| Population (October 1, 2025)[1] | |
• Total | 5,992 |
| • Density | 26.67/km2 (69.07/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| City hall address | 2072-1 Chizu, Chizu-cho, Yazu-gun, Tottori-ken 689-1402 |
| Climate | Cfa |
| Website | Official website |
Chizu (智頭町, Chizu-chō) is a town located in Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2024, the town had an estimated population of 5,906 in 2681 households and a population density of 26.67 persons per km2.[2] The total area of the town is 224.70 square kilometres (86.76 sq mi).
Geography
Chizu is located in the southeastern part of Tottori Prefecture, near the border with Okayama Prefecture. Mountains and forests occupy 93% of the town area, and it is designated as a heavy snowfall area.
Neighboring municipalities
Okayama Prefecture
Tottori Prefecture
Climate
Chizu has a humid climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Chizu is 13.1 °C (55.6 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,972.2 mm (77.65 in) with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.2 °C (77.4 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.6 °C (34.9 °F).[3] Its record high is 38.9 °C (102.0 °F), reached on 5 August 2018, and its record low is −12.7 °C (9.1 °F), reached on 31 January 2011.[4]
| Climate data for Chizu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.8 (62.2) |
20.9 (69.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
31.4 (88.5) |
33.5 (92.3) |
36.5 (97.7) |
38.2 (100.8) |
38.9 (102.0) |
36.9 (98.4) |
30.7 (87.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
20.7 (69.3) |
38.9 (102.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.1 (43.0) |
7.1 (44.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.2 (79.2) |
29.9 (85.8) |
31.3 (88.3) |
26.4 (79.5) |
20.9 (69.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
9.1 (48.4) |
18.8 (65.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
2.1 (35.8) |
5.7 (42.3) |
11.3 (52.3) |
16.5 (61.7) |
20.5 (68.9) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.2 (77.4) |
21.0 (69.8) |
15.0 (59.0) |
9.3 (48.7) |
4.1 (39.4) |
13.1 (55.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
0.6 (33.1) |
5.0 (41.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
15.9 (60.6) |
20.6 (69.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.3 (32.5) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −12.7 (9.1) |
−12.3 (9.9) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
0.3 (32.5) |
5.2 (41.4) |
11.6 (52.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
5.7 (42.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 159.5 (6.28) |
143.3 (5.64) |
164.6 (6.48) |
130.9 (5.15) |
146.1 (5.75) |
168.9 (6.65) |
227.7 (8.96) |
172.8 (6.80) |
244.2 (9.61) |
158.6 (6.24) |
112.7 (4.44) |
143.0 (5.63) |
1,972.2 (77.65) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 112 (44) |
117 (46) |
25 (9.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
40 (16) |
285 (112) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 17.2 | 16.4 | 15.6 | 11.7 | 10.9 | 12.7 | 13.9 | 11.2 | 12.8 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 15.2 | 161.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 3 cm) | 10.3 | 9.8 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 | 26.1 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 75.4 | 82.2 | 131.5 | 173.7 | 191.3 | 133.2 | 133.1 | 169.7 | 124.9 | 141.0 | 112.3 | 84.6 | 1,552.7 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[4][3] | |||||||||||||
Demography
Per Japanese census data, the population of Chizu has been as follows.[5] The population has been steadily declining since the 1950s.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 12,014 | — |
| 1930 | 12,973 | +8.0% |
| 1940 | 12,512 | −3.6% |
| 1950 | 14,472 | +15.7% |
| 1960 | 14,390 | −0.6% |
| 1970 | 12,392 | −13.9% |
| 1980 | 11,504 | −7.2% |
| 1990 | 10,670 | −7.2% |
| 2000 | 9,383 | −12.1% |
| 2010 | 7,719 | −17.7% |
| 2020 | 6,427 | −16.7% |
History
Chizu is part of ancient Inaba Province. The temple of Gokuraku-ji was founded in 646 AD. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tottori Domain ruled by a branch of the Ikeda clan from their seat at Tottori Castle. Yazu District, Tottori was established after the Meiji restoration and the village of Chizu was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1,1889. It was elevated to town status on June 1, 1914. Chizu annexed the neighboring villages of Yamagata, Nagi and Haji on February 20, 1935, Tomizawa on February 26, 1936 and Yamago in June 1954.
Government
Chizu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. Chizu, collectively with the other municipalities of Yazu District, contributes two members to the Tottori Prefectural Assembly. The town is part of Tottori 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
The main industries of the area are logging, woodworking, tourism, and brewing. Chizu's forestry industry centers around a 300-year-old grove of cedar trees in the town center.[6] These trees, once used to create wine barrels, are now typically harvested for construction and interior design.[7]
Education
Chizu has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
Railway
Highways
Sister cities
- Yanggu County, Gangwon, South Korea, since October 10, 1999.
- Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, is collaborating with Chizu and several other municipalities on a carbon offsets program with the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.[8] Chizu also provided cedar wood for the construction of an information center at Kanda Station in Tokyo in 2021.[9]
Local attractions
- Ishitani Residence, a mansion owned by a family of forestry magnates which was named an Important Cultural Property in 2009.[10]
- Katsumi Nishikawa Film Museum
- Itaibara Village, which has Shōwa era buildings.
- Mitaki Dam
- Mount Nagi
- Suwa Shrine
Noted people from Chizu
- Katsumi Nishikawa, movie director (1918-2010)
References
- ^ https://www1.town.chizu.tottori.jp/1/
- ^ "Chizu town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
- ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ a b 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ Chizu population statistics
- ^ "WELCOME to a town where you can pursue and experience authenticity | 鳥取県智頭町ホームページ". www1.town.chizu.tottori.jp. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "Chizu's Cedar Products (Chizu Sugi Seihin) | The Historical Products of the Chugoku Region". chugokukeiren.jp. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "智頭町、脱炭素へ新機軸 森林整備や地域間交流 東京・千代田区と協定". 日本海新聞 NetNihonkai (in Japanese). 2023-12-26. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "智頭町と天馬船プロジェクト2021／神田川の「ご縁」 - 天馬船プロジェクト2025／花見川" (in Japanese). 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "English – 樹霊の館 石谷家住宅" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-11-20.
External links
- Media related to Chizu, Tottori at Wikimedia Commons
- Chizu official website (in Japanese)