| Chikuhoku | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |
| Coordinates: | 36.4263°N 138.0153°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūbu (Kōshin'etsu) |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Nagano |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Higashichikuma |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Morihiko Ota (November 2021)[1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 99.47 |
| Population Total: | 4688 |
| Population As Of: | February 2018 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Symbols |
| Blank Info Sec1: | |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | • Tree |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | • Flower |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | • Bird |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Phone number |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0263-66-2111 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Address |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 2187 Sakakita, Chikuhoku-mura, Higashichikuma-gun, Nagano-ken 399-7601 |
is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan., the village had an estimated population of 4,688 in 1873 households, and a population density of 47 persons per km2.[2] The total area of the village is 99.47sqkm.[3]
Chikuhoku is located in the center of Nagano Prefecture in the Matsumoto Basin. Higashijo Dam and Onikuma Dam are located in Chikuhoku.
The village has a climate characterized by cool, humid summers and cold winters (Köppen climate classification Dfa). The average annual temperature in Chikuhoku is 9.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2515 mm with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.8 °C.[4]
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Chikuhoku has decreased by more than half over the past 70 years.
The area of present-day Chikuhoku was part of ancient Shinano Province. Most of the area was under the control of Matsumoto Domain during the Edo period. The villages of Honjō, Sakakita, and Sakai were created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The village of Chikuhoku was incorporated on October 11, 2005, by a merger of the three villages.[6]
Chikuhoku has three public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the village government, and one middle school operated jointly between Chikuhoku and neighboring Omi village. The village does not have a high school.