Tsuno, Kōchi

Tsuno (津野町, Tsuno-chō) is a town located in Takaoka District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 August 2022, the town had an estimated population of 5,127 and a population density of 26 persons per km².The total area of the town is 197.85 square kilometres (76.39 sq mi).

Tsuno 津野町
Town
Tsuno town hall
Flag Chapter
Location of Tsuno in Kōchi Prefecture
Tsuno Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°27′N 133°12′E
Country	Japan
Region	Shikoku
Prefecture	Kōchi
District	Takaoka
Area
• Total	197.85 km2 (76.39 sq mi)
Population  (August 1, 2022)
• Total	5,127
• Density	26/km2 (67/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	471-1 Nagano, Tsuno-chō, Takaoka-gun, Kōchi-ken 785-0201
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Varied tit
Flower	Rhododendron
Tree	Hinoki

Shikoku karst landscape

Geography

Tsuno is located in the mid-western part of Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. The town is surrounded by the Shikoku Mountains and the landscape is steep, with about 90% occupied by forests, and the area ratio of agricultural land and residential land is low. In the Hayama area, the Shinjo River runs east and west in the central area, and in the Higashitsuno area are the headlands of the Shimanto River.

Neighbouring municipalities

Ehime Prefecture

• Kumakōgen

Kōchi Prefecture

• Niyodogawa
• Ochi
• Sakawa
• Shimanto Town
• Susaki
• Tosa
• Yusuhara

Climate

Tsuno has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light snowfall. The average annual temperature in Tsuno is 12.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2375 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 23.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.9 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsuno peaked around the year 1950 and has declined by roughly two-thirds in the decades since.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1920	13,437	—
1930	13,296	−1.0%
1940	12,721	−4.3%
1950	15,371	+20.8%
1960	13,249	−13.8%
1970	9,629	−27.3%
1980	8,712	−9.5%
1990	8,000	−8.2%
2000	7,258	−9.3%
2010	6,407	−11.7%
2020	5,291	−17.4%

History

As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Tsuno was part of ancient Tosa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tosa Domain ruled by the Yamauchi clan from their seat at Kōchi Castle. The villages of Kamihayama (上半山村), Shimohayama (下半山村) and Higashitsuno (東津野村) ere established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. Kamihayama and Shimohayama merged to form the village of Hayama on September 30, 1956. Hayama and Higahshi-Tsuno merged to form the town of Tsuno on February 1, 2005.

Government

Tsuno has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of ten members. Tsuno, together with the municipalities of Nakatosa, Yusuhara, and Shimanto, contributes two members to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Kōchi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Tsuno's economy is based on agriculture (notable rice and green tea) and forestry.

Education

Tsuno has three public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Tsuno has no passenger railway service. The nearest train stations as Susaki Station and Tosa-Shinjō Station on the JR Shikoku Dosan Line.

Highways

• National Route 197
• National Route 494

External links

• Media related to Tsuno, Kōchi at Wikimedia Commons
• Tsuno official website (in Japanese)