Kyonan

Kyonan (鋸南町, Kyonan-machi) is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2012, the town had an estimated population of 8,691, and a population density of 12 persons per km². The total area is 45.16 km².

Kyonan 鋸南町
Town
Kyonan Town Office
Flag Seal
Location of Kyonan in Chiba Prefecture
Kyonan
Coordinates: 35°07′N 139°50′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba Prefecture
District	Awa
Area
• Total	45.16 km^2 (17.44 sq mi)
Population  (April 2012)
• Total	8,691
• Density	192/km^2 (500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Camellia
- Flower	Narcissus
Phone number	0470-55-2111
Address	3458 Sakuma, Kyonan-machi, Awa-gun, Chiba-ken 299-2115
Website	http://www.town.kyonan.chiba.jp/

Geography

Kyonan is located near the southern tip of the Bōsō Peninsula, facing Tokyo Bay. The area has a warm maritime climate with hot summers and mild winters.

Neighboring municipalities

• Futtsu, Chiba
• Kamogawa, Chiba
• Minamibōsō, Chiba

History

The area of present-day Kyonan was part of ancient Awa Province. The modern town of Kyonan was formed by the merger of the towns of Katsuyama and Hota on March 30, 1959. With the creation of the city of Minamibōsō in 2006, Kyonan is the only remaining unincorporated portion of Awa District.

Economy

Kyonan serves as a commercial center for the surrounding region of southwest-central Chiba Prefecture. The primary industry is commercial fishing and agriculture (rice and flowers). Mount Saga has been used for narcissus cultivation at least from the Edo period 1603–1868, and Kyonan remains one of the largest producers of the flower in Japan.[1] The tourist industry is a growing component of the local economy.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East – Uchibō Line
  • Hota – Awa-Katsuyama

Highway

• Japan National Route 127

Noted people

• Hishikawa Moronobu (1618–1694), ukiyoe artist of the Edo period, was born in the village of Hodomura in present-day Kyonan. The Hishikawa family practiced dyeing and a gold and silver-thread embroidery in the area. Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Hall was built in Kyonan to commemorate his life and work.[2]

Local attractions

• Mount Nokogiri
• Nihon-ji temple complex
• Narcissus fields on Mount Saga
• Hota Beach, visited by Natsume Sōseki in 1899
• Hishikawa Moronobu Memorial Hall

References

1. 嵯峨山(in Japanese)
2. 菱川師宣記念館 Archived 2012-01-12 at the Wayback Machine(in Japanese)

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)