is a
townA town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...
located on the east coast of
Izu PeninsulaThe is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
in
Kamo Districtis a district located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.The district name is very ancient, and is mentioned in the Engishiki records. Kamo District was one of the original districts of Izu Province, having been separated from Suruga Province along with Tagata District in the cadastral reform of 680 AD...
,
Shizuokais a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
,
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated
populationA population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 8,074 and a
densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 80.1 persons per km². The total area is 100.79 km². Around March 31, 2010, the city of
Shimodais a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...
and three municipalities in Kamo District (Kawazu,
Matsuzakiis a town located in on the southwest coast of Izu Peninsula in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan.As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 7,709 and a density of 90.4 persons per km². The total area is 85.23 km². Sakuramochi is a noted local speciality.-Geography:Matsuzaki is...
, and
Minamiizuis a town located at the southern tip of Izu Peninsula in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 9,637 and a density of 87.1 persons per km². The total area is 110.58 km².-Geography:...
)
will mergeMunicipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan can take place within one municipality or between multiple municipalities and are required to be based upon consensus.- Merger policy:...
.
Geography
Kawazu occupies a portion of the eastern coastline of
Izu PeninsulaThe is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
, facing
Sagami BaySagami Bay , also known as the Sagami Gulf or Sagami Sea, lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshū, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while the...
and the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. It is bordered to the west by the
Amagi Mountainsis a range of volcanic mountains in central Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, forming the border between Izu City and Higashi-Izu Town. It is also referred to as the ....
. The town has a temperate maritime climate characterized by hot summers and short cool winters, with the weather moderated by the effects of the warm Kuroshio current offshore. Parts of the town are within the limits of the
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Parkis a national park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It consists of Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, the Izu Peninsula, and the Izu Islands....
. The area is noted for a large number of
hot springsAn is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
.
Neighbouring municipalities
- Shimoda
is a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...
- Nishiizu
is a town located in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 9,720 and a density of 92.1 persons per km². The total area is 105.52 km².-Geography:...
- Matsuzaki
is a town located in on the southwest coast of Izu Peninsula in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan.As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 7,709 and a density of 90.4 persons per km². The total area is 85.23 km². Sakuramochi is a noted local speciality.-Geography:Matsuzaki is...
- Ito
is a city located on the eastern shore of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 71,400 and the density of 578 persons per km². The total area was...
- Higashiizu
is a town located in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 14,562 and a density of 187 persons per km². The total area is 77.83 km².-Geography:...
History
During the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, the area around Kawazu was
tenryō territory controlled directly by the
Tokugawa shogunateThe Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
or various
hatamotoA was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
. During the cadastral reform of 1889, the village of Kawazu was created, along with Kamikawazu and Shimokawazu through the merger of 15 small hamlets within Kamo District. The town of Kawazu was created through the merger of the villages of Kamikazu and Shimokawazu in September 1958.
Economy
The local economy is based on farming and tourism centered on
hot spring resortAn is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
s.
External links