Hirogawa, Wakayama
Hirogawa
広川町 | |
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Town | |
 Hirogawa Town hall | |
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Lilium japonicum | |
| Tree | Japanese blue oak |
Hirogawa (広川町, Hirogawa-chō) is a town in Arida District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 November 2021[update], the town had an estimated population of 6,778 in 2833 households and a population density of 100 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the town is 65.33 square kilometres (25.22 sq mi).
Geography
Hirogawa is located on the coast in north-central Wakayama Prefecture, facing the Kii Channel. The Hirogawa River flows through the town. The climate is moderated by the influence of the Kuroshio Current offshore.
Neighboring municipalities
Wakayama Prefecture
Climate
Hirogawa has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hirogawa is 15.7 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1878 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.8 °C.[2] The area is subject to typhoons in summer.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Hirogawa has remained fairly steady over the past century.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 7,015 | — |
| 1930 | 8,305 | +18.4% |
| 1940 | 8,493 | +2.3% |
| 1950 | 10,410 | +22.6% |
| 1960 | 8,951 | −14.0% |
| 1970 | 8,920 | −0.3% |
| 1980 | 9,178 | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 8,809 | −4.0% |
| 2000 | 8,361 | −5.1% |
| 2010 | 7,717 | −7.7% |
History
The area of the modern town of Hirogawa was within ancient
The village of Hiro was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It was raised to town status on October 1, 1950. On April 1, 1955, Hiro merged with the neighboring villages of Minamihiro and Tsugi, becoming the town of Hirogawa.
In literature
George Trumbull Ladd briefly described his visit in another book In Korea with Marquis Ito (1908) as follows:
We had taken a trip to the village of Hiro Mura, where formerly lived Hamaguchi Goryo, the benevolent patron of his village, whose act of self-sacrifice in burning his rice straw in order to guide the bewildered villagers to a place of safety when they were being overwhelmed by a tidal wave in the darkness of midnight, has been made the theme of one of Lafcadio Hearn’s interesting tales. Mr. Hearn, it appears, had never visited the locality; and, indeed, we were assured that we were the first foreigners who had ever been in the village streets. A former pupil of mine is at the head of a flourishing school patronized by the Hamaguchi family; and having accepted his invitation, in the name of the entire region, to visit them and speak to the school and to the teachers of the Prefecture, the cordial greeting, hospitable entertainment, and the surpassingly beautiful scenery, afforded a rich reward for the three or four days of time required. For, as to the scenery, not the drive around the Bay of
Oiso and would reach Kyotothat very evening and arrange to see me the next day.
Government
Hirogawa has a
Economy
The economy of Hirogawa is centered on commercial fishing and horticulture.
Education
Hirogawa has three public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town governments and one public high school operated by the Wakayama Prefectural Board of Education.
Transportation
Railway
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Highways
Yuasa-Gobo Road
National Route 42
Local attractions
- Hiromura Embankment, National Historic Site
- Hiro Hachiman-jinja
See also
Further reading
- Ladd, George T. (1908). In Korea with Marquis Ito
References
- ^ "Hirogawa Town official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
- ^ Hirogawa climate data
- ^ Hirogawa population statistics
External links
Media related to Hirogawa, Wakayama at Wikimedia Commons- Hirogawa official website (in Japanese)
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