Nakatsugawa 中津川市
City
Nakatsugawa City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Nakatsugawa in Gifu Prefecture
Nakatsugawa
Coordinates: 35°29′15.3″N 137°30′2.1″E / 35.487583°N 137.500583°E / 35.487583; 137.500583
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu
Prefecture	Gifu
Government
• Mayor	Setsuji Aoyama (since January 2012)[1]
Area
• Total	676.45 km2 (261.18 sq mi)
Population  (December 31, 2018)
• Total	78,930
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	0573-66-1111
Address	Kayanoki-chō 2-1, Nakatsugawa-shi, Gifu-ken 508-8501
Climate	Cfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Enkianthus campanulatus
Tree	Sciadopitys verticillata

Nakatsugawa (中津川市, Nakatsugawa-shi) is a city located in Gifu, Japan. As of 31 December 2018^[update], the city had an estimated population of 78,930, and a population density of 120 persons per km² in 30,788 households^[2] The total area of the city was 676.45 square kilometres (261.18 sq mi).

Geography

Nakatsugawa is in the Tōnō region of far eastern Gifu Prefecture, bordering on Nagano Prefecture. Mount Ena, the southernmost of the Kiso Mountains on the border between Nakatsugawa, Aichi and Nagano Prefecture is the highest point in the city, with an elevation of 2,191 metres (7,188 ft). The Kiso River and the Agi River flow through the city.

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Nakatsugawa is 13.5 °C (56.3 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,907.1 mm (75.08 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.1 °C (79.0 °F), and lowest in January, at around 1.1 °C (34.0 °F).^[3]

Neighbouring municipalities

• Gifu Prefecture
  • Ena
  • Gero
  • Shirakawa
  • Higashishirakawa
• Nagano Prefecture
  • Kiso
  • Ōtaki
  • Ōkuwa
  • Achi
  • Hiraya

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[5] the population of Nakatsugawa peaked around the year 2000 and has declined since.

History

The area around Nakatsugawa was part of traditional Mino Province. During the Edo period, much of the area was under the control of Owari Domain, Naegi Domain and Iwamura Domain, or was tenryō under direction control of the Tokugawa shogunate. Nakatsugawa-juku prospered as one of the 69 Stations of the Nakasendō along the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. In the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms, Ena District in Gifu prefecture was created, and Nakatsugawa was proclaimed a town per the April 1, 1897 establishment of the modern municipalities system. Nakatsugawa merged with the town of Naegi in 1951 and was elevated to city status on April 1, 1952. Nakatsugawa annexed the village of Nakamoto in 1954, Ochiai in 1956, and Agi in 1957. On February 13, 2005, the towns of Tsukechi, Fukuoka and Sakashita and the villages of Hirukawa, Kashimo and Kawaue (all from the former Ena District), and the village of Yamaguchi (from Kiso District, Nagano Prefecture) were merged into Nakatsugawa.^[6]

Government

Nakatsugawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 24 members.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Chukyo Gakuin University
• Nagoya University - Nakatsugawa campus

Primary and secondary education

Nakatsugawa has 19 public elementary schools and 12 public middle schools operated by the city government. The city has four public high schools operated by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education, and one public high school operated by the city government.

Transportation

Railway

• - JR Central - Chūō Main Line
  • Sakashita - Ochiaigawa - Nakatsugawa - Mino-Sakamoto
• Akechi Railway (Akechi Line)
  • Iinuma - Agi

Highway

• Chūō Expressway
• National Route 19
• National Route 256
• National Route 257
• National Route 363

Sister city relations

• - Registro, São Paulo, Brazil, since 1980

Domestic

• - Ōiso, Kanagawa, since 1973
• - Komoro, Nagano, since 1973

Local attractions

• Kurikinton - Nakatsugawa is known for its abundant chestnut harvest and the chestnut delicacy known as kurikinton (栗きんとん). Kurikinton is produced by boiling and mashing the chestnuts, then mixing them with sugar and reforming into a chestnut shape. It is widely available during the autumn months. Many families make their own, while purchased kurikinton is popular as well for home consumption and as gifts.
• Takamine Co., a Japanese guitar manufacturer known for its steel-string acoustic guitars is headquartered in Nakatsugawa.
• Misaka Pass, a National Historic Site

Notable people from Nakatsugawa

• Seison Maeda, Nihonga painter
• Junji Ito, horror mangaka