| Kunigami | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Official Name: | Kunigami Village |
| Other Name: | Kunzan (Kunigami), Kunjan (Okinawan) |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Pushpin Image: | Japan natural location map with side map of the Ryukyu Islands.jpg |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |
| Coordinates: | 26.7458°N 128.1781°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kyushu |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Okinawa Prefecture |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1 April 1908 |
| Area Total Km2: | 194.80 |
| Population Total: | 4908 |
| Population As Of: | 2015 |
| Population Density Km2: | 25 |
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | City Symbols |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | – Tree |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Castanopsis sieboldii |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | – Flowering tree |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Schima wallichii |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | – Flower |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | Rhododendron tashiroi |
| Blank4 Name Sec1: | – Bird |
| Blank4 Info Sec1: | Okinawa rail |
| Blank5 Name Sec1: | – Fish |
| Blank5 Info Sec1: | Green humphead parrotfish |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate |
| Blank Info Sec2: | Cfa |
is a village in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the north tip of Okinawa Island, with the East China Sea to the west, Pacific Ocean to the east, and villages of Higashi and Ōgimi to the south.[1]
As of 2015, the village has a population of 4,908 and a population density of 25.20 persons per km2. The total area is 194.80 km2.
According to Chūzan Seikan, the goddess Amamikyu consecrated the first utaki in Asa Forest at Hedo, in what is now Kunigami; the forest is also mentioned in Omoro Sōshi.[1] Ceramics from the Jōmon-period resemble those found in the Amami Islands.[2] Chūzan Seikan records the prayers of the Kunigami council for the recovery of Shō Sei after an abortive attempt to occupy Amami Ōshima in 1537, while Kyūyō recounts the appointment of the son of the Kunigami Oyakata as aji after the successful takeover of the Amami Islands by Shō Gen in 1571.[1]
Kunigami District was established in 1896 and, upon the abolition of Kunigami magiri, Kunigami Village was founded in 1908. During the Battle of Okinawa, the area saw an influx of refugees fleeing the heavy fighting in the south. In September 1945, the occupying government merged the three villages of Kunigami, Higashi, and Ōgimi into the new city of ; the merger was reversed the following year.[1]
Kunigami is mountainous, with over 80% of the land area covered by subtropical evergreen forest. Endemic species include the Okinawa woodpecker and Okinawa rail.[3]
The village includes twenty-one wards.[4]
There is one municipal junior high school, Kunigami Junior High School (国頭中学校).[5]
Kunigami has the following municipal elementary schools:[5]
The following municipal elementary schools are permanently closed:[5]
There is one municipal kindergarten, Kunigami Nursery School (くにがみこども園).[5]
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