Kakuda, Miyagi

Kakuda (角田市, Kakuda-shi) is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 May 2020, the city had an estimated population of 28,539, and a population density of 190 persons per km² in 11,494 households. The total area of the city is 147.58 square kilometres (56.98 sq mi).

Kakuda 角田市
City
Kakuda city hall
Flag Seal
Location of Kakuda in Miyagi Prefecture
Kakuda
Coordinates: 37°58′37.3″N 140°46′55.4″E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
Government
• Mayor	Yasushi Ito
Area
• Total	147.53 km2 (56.96 sq mi)
Population  (May 31, 2020)
• Total	28,539
• Density	190/km2 (500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Live Oak
- Flower	Japanese Gentian
Phone number	0224-63-2111
Address	Kakuda Azadaibō 41, Kakuda-shi, Miyagi-ken 981-1592
Website	Official website

Taizan Park with H-II rocket

Panorama of Kakuda City

Geography

Kakuda is in southeastern Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The Abukuma River flows through the city.

Neighboring municipalities

Miyagi Prefecture

• Marumori
• Ōgawara
• Shibata
• Shiroishi
• Watari
• Yamamoto

Climate

Kakuda has a humid climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Kakuda is 12.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1259 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.6 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kakuda peaked around 1950 and has fluctuated in the decades since, with a general trend of decline.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	26,232	—
1930	28,839	+9.9%
1940	30,236	+4.8%
1950	37,376	+23.6%
1960	34,497	−7.7%
1970	31,170	−9.6%
1980	33,731	+8.2%
1990	35,431	+5.0%
2000	33,199	−6.3%
2010	31,336	−5.6%
2020	27,976	−10.7%

History

The area of present-day Kakuda was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and was the location of Kakuda Castle during the Sengoku period. It was part of the holdings of Sendai Domain during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate.

The town of Kakuda was established with the creation of the post-Meiji restoration modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It annexed the neighboring villages of Kitago, Sakura, Nishine, Higashine, Fujio, and Edano on October 1, 1954. Kakuda was raised to city status on October 1, 1958.

Government

Kakuda has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 18 members.　Kakuda, together with neighboring Marumori, contributes one seat to the Miyagi Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Miyagi 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Kakuda has a mixed economy based on light manufacturing of automotive parts and electrics, and on agriculture, primarily the cultivation of soybeans and plums. The area was traditionally noted for its sericulture.

Education

Kakuda has eight public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Miyagi Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the handicapped.

Transportation

Railway

AbukumaExpress – Abukuma Express Line

• Minami-Kakuda - Kakuda - Yokokura - Oka

Highway

• National Route 113
• National Route 349

Sister cities

• Greenfield, Indiana, United States, since September 12, 1990
• Ishikawa, Fukushima, Japan, since April 16, 1979
• Kuriyama, Hokkaido, Japan, since August 26, 1978

Local attractions

• JAXA Kakuda Space Center
• Site of Kakuda Castle
• Kōzō-ji – Buddhist temple
• Yanase-ura Site, archaeological site with Jomon period settlement traces, National Historic Monument

Noted people from Kakuda

• Shinichi Ito, motorcycle racer

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)
• Media related to Kakuda, Miyagi at Wikimedia Commons