Mamurogawa

Coordinates: 38°51′28.4″N 140°15′8.3″E / 38.857889°N 140.252306°E / 38.857889; 140.252306
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Mamurogawa
真室川町
Mamurogawa Town Hall
Mamurogawa Town Hall
Flag of Mamurogawa
Official seal of Mamurogawa
Map
Location of Mamurogawa in Yamagata Prefecture
Location of Mamurogawa
Mamurogawa is located in Japan
Mamurogawa
Mamurogawa
 
Coordinates: 38°51′28.4″N 140°15′8.3″E / 38.857889°N 140.252306°E / 38.857889; 140.252306
CountryJapan
RegionTōhoku
PrefectureYamagata
DistrictMogami
Area
 • Total374.22 km2 (144.49 sq mi)
Population
 (March 31, 2023)
 • Total6,792
 • Density18/km2 (47/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number0233-62-2111 
Address127-7 Shincho, Mamurogawa-machi, Mogami-gun, Yamagata-ken 999-5301
ClimateCfa/Dfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
FlowerPrunus mume
TreePrunus mume
Pond in Nonomura neighborhood of Mamurogawa with Mount Chōkai in the distance

Mamurogawa (真室川町, Mamurogawa-machi) is a town located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 March 2023, the town has an estimated population of 6,792 in 2560 households,[1] and a population density of 18 persons per km². The total area of the town is 374.22 square kilometres (144 sq mi).

Geography[edit]

Mamurogawa is located in the northern portion of the Shinjō Basin in north-central Yamagata Prefecture. The basin is surrounded on all sides by low mountains, with the Ōu Mountains to the northeast and the Dewa Mountains running from the west to the north. The area is known for its heavy snowfalls in winter.

Neighboring municipalities[edit]

Yamagata Prefecture

Akita Prefecture

Climate[edit]

Mamurogawa has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October. The average annual temperature in Mamurogawa is 10.2 °C (50.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,810.9 mm (110.67 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.2 °C (73.8 °F), and lowest in January, at around −1.0 °C (30.2 °F).[2]

Climate data for Mamurogawa (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1976-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 12.4
(54.3)
13.8
(56.8)
18.5
(65.3)
29.2
(84.6)
32.6
(90.7)
32.2
(90.0)
35.9
(96.6)
36.1
(97.0)
34.2
(93.6)
28.1
(82.6)
21.2
(70.2)
18.2
(64.8)
36.1
(97.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)
2.9
(37.2)
6.4
(43.5)
13.4
(56.1)
20.1
(68.2)
23.9
(75.0)
27.0
(80.6)
28.6
(83.5)
24.3
(75.7)
17.8
(64.0)
10.7
(51.3)
4.2
(39.6)
15.1
(59.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −1.0
(30.2)
−0.7
(30.7)
1.6
(34.9)
7.0
(44.6)
13.8
(56.8)
18.4
(65.1)
22.2
(72.0)
23.2
(73.8)
18.9
(66.0)
12.2
(54.0)
6.0
(42.8)
1.1
(34.0)
10.2
(50.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.9
(25.0)
−4.1
(24.6)
−2.3
(27.9)
1.5
(34.7)
8.1
(46.6)
13.5
(56.3)
18.3
(64.9)
19.1
(66.4)
14.8
(58.6)
7.9
(46.2)
2.3
(36.1)
−1.5
(29.3)
6.1
(43.1)
Record low °C (°F) −14.6
(5.7)
−15.1
(4.8)
−16.0
(3.2)
−7.9
(17.8)
−0.6
(30.9)
3.1
(37.6)
8.3
(46.9)
9.5
(49.1)
3.7
(38.7)
−1.5
(29.3)
−5.7
(21.7)
−13.5
(7.7)
−16.0
(3.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 270.7
(10.66)
196.1
(7.72)
181.1
(7.13)
154.5
(6.08)
180.5
(7.11)
189.8
(7.47)
339.7
(13.37)
275.4
(10.84)
198.2
(7.80)
228.7
(9.00)
286.1
(11.26)
310.0
(12.20)
2,810.9
(110.67)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 25.5 21.9 19.5 14.8 13.0 11.9 15.0 13.2 14.4 15.9 20.0 24.7 209.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 35.4 54.8 102.6 152.5 192.0 165.8 138.4 174.7 131.6 115.2 74.8 37.9 1,378.3
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[3][2]

Demographics[edit]

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Mamurogawa peaked in the 1950s and has declined by more than half since then. It is now less than it was a century ago.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 11,050—    
1930 12,499+13.1%
1940 13,629+9.0%
1950 17,020+24.9%
1960 16,856−1.0%
1970 13,976−17.1%
1980 12,888−7.8%
1990 12,230−5.1%
2000 10,592−13.4%
2010 9,165−13.5%
2020 7,203−21.4%

History[edit]

The area of present-day Mamurogawa was part of ancient Dewa Province and the location of Sakenobe Castle in the Sengoku period. After the start of the Meiji period, the area became part of Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture. The village of Mamurogawa was established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. During World War II, an airbase for training pilots was established by the Imperial Japanese Army. The site is now a park, and part of the grounds of the local high school. Mamurogawa was elevated to town status on April 1, 1950. On August 1, 1954, it absorbed the neighboring villages of Araki and Nozoki.

Economy[edit]

The economy of Mamurogawa is based on agriculture and forestry. The main crops are rice and tara-no-me, a spring herb.

Education[edit]

Mamurogawa has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the town government and one public high school operated by the Yamagata Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation[edit]

Railway[edit]

East Japan Railway Company - Ōu Main Line

Highway[edit]

Local attractions[edit]

  • Kabusan Prefectural Park
  • Tokasaka Dam

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Mamurogawa town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. ^ a b 気象庁 / 平年値(年・月ごとの値). JMA. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  3. ^ 観測史上1~10位の値(年間を通じての値). JMA. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Mamurogawa population statistics

External links[edit]