| Kuzumaki | |||||
| Native Name Lang: | ja | ||||
| Settlement Type: | Town | ||||
| Pushpin Map: | Japan | ||||
| Coordinates: | 40.0398°N 141.4365°W | ||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||
| Subdivision Name: | Japan | ||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Region | ||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Tōhoku | ||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture | ||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Iwate | ||||
| Subdivision Type3: | District | ||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Iwate | ||||
| Leader Title: | Mayor | ||||
| Area Total Km2: | 434.99 | ||||
| Population Total: | 5632 | ||||
| Population As Of: | January 1, 2020 | ||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time | ||||
| Utc Offset1: | +9 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Phone number | ||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0195-66-2111 | ||||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Address | ||||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Kuzumaki dai-16 jiwari 1-1, Kuzumaki-machi, Iwate-gun, Iwate-ken 028-5494 | ||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Climate | ||||
| Blank Info Sec2: | Dfb | ||||
| Module: |
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is a town located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 5,632, and a population density of 13 persons per km2. The total area of the town is 434.96sqkm. The town uses many alternative energy sources, producing a surplus of energy, including wind power and biomass.[1]
Kuzumaki is located in a basin in north-central Iwate Prefecture with an average elevation of 400 meters, surrounded by the 1000 meter mountains of the Kitakami Mountains. Approximately 60% of the town area is mountains and forests.[2] The Mabechi River flows through the town.
Iwate Prefecture
Kuzumaki has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) characterized by mild summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Kuzumaki is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around, and lowest in January, at around .
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Kuzumaki has declined over the past 60 years. It is now about half of what it was a century ago and about a third of its peak around 1960.
The area of present-day Kuzumaki was part of ancient Mutsu Province. It was under the control of the Nambu clan from the Muromachi period, and was part of Hachinohe Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The area was noted for its horse ranches.
The villages of Kuzumaki and Ekari within Kita-Kunohe District and the village of Tabe within Iwate District were created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipality system. Kita-Kunohe District and Minami-Kunohe Districts merged to form Kunohe District on April 1, 1897. Kuzumaki was raised to town status on December 25, 1940. On July 1, 1948, Kuzumaki and Isashi were transferred to Iwate District. Kuzumaki annexed neighboring Ekari and Tabe on July 15, 1955.
Kuzumaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 10 members. Kuzumaki, together with the city of Hachimantai and the town of Iwate, contributes two seats to the Iwate Prefectural legislature. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Iwate 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The local economy is based on agriculture, including dairy products and wine production.
Kuzumaki has five public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education.