| Kawamoto | |||||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||||
| Seal Type: | Emblem | ||||
| Image Map1: | Kawamoto in Shimane Prefecture Ja.svg | ||||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Japan | ||||
| Coordinates: | 34.9942°N 132.4956°W | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Chūgoku San'in | ||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Shimane | ||||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Ōchi | ||||
| Extinct Title: | Now part of | ||||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||||
| Leader Title1: | Vice Mayor | ||||
| Unit Pref: | Metric | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 106.43 | ||||
| Population Total: | 3,051 | ||||
| Population As Of: | July 31, 2023 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||
| Timezone1: | JST | ||||
| Utc Offset1: | +09:00 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | City hall address | ||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 545-1 Kawamoto, Kawamoto-cho, Ochi-gun, Shimane-ken 696-8501 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa | ||||
| Module: |
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thumb|right|270px|Ruins of Iwami Maruyama Castle is a town located in Ōchi District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 3,051 in 1611 households and a population density of 29 persons per km².[1] The total area of the town is 106.43sqkm.
Kawamoto is located in the Chugoku Mountains of central Shimane Prefecture.
Shimane Prefecture
Kawamoto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year. The average annual temperature in Kawamoto is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Kawamoto was on 6 August 2021; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 28 February 1981.
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kawamoto in 2020 was 3,248 people. Kawamoto has been conducting censuses since 1960.
The area of Kawamoto was part of ancient Iwami Province. During the Edo Period, the area was tenryō territory under the direction control of the Tokugawa shogunate due to its proximity to the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Kawamoto was established within Ōchi District, Shimane on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Kawamoto was raised to town status on April 1, 1927.
Kawamoto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of eight members. Kawamoto, collectively with the towns of Ōnan and Misato, contributes one member to the Shimane Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Shimane 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Kawamoto is a very rural area, with an economy based on agriculture.
Kawamoto has one public elementary school and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Shimane Prefectural Board of Education.
Following the closure of the JR West Sankō Line on April 1, 2018, Kawamoto no longer has any passenger railway service. The nearest train station is Ōda Station on the JR West San'in Main Line.