Ino, Kōchi

Ino (いの町) is a town located in Agawa District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 21,672 in 10403 households and a population density of 46 persons per km². The total area of the town is 470.97 sqkm. The town is famous for the production of Japanese paper (和紙).

Geography
Ino is located in the Shikoku Mountains of north-central Kōchi Prefecture.

Neighbouring municipalities
Kōchi Prefecture Ehime Prefecture
 * Kōnan
 * Tosa
 * Tosa
 * Ōkawa
 * Ochi
 * Hidaka
 * Niyodogawa
 * Niihama
 * Saijō
 * Kumakōgen

Climate
Ino has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Ino is 12.2 C. The average annual rainfall is 3184.2 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.1 C, and lowest in January, at around 1.6 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Ino was 36.5 C on 11 July 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -10.8 C on 15 January 1985.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Ino in 2020 is 21,374 people. Ino has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History
As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Ino 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. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Ino was established within Agawa District, Kōchi with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. On October 1, 2004 the village of Gohoku, also from Agawa District, and the village of Hongawa, from Tosa District, were merged into Ino, increasing its size by almost a factor of five.

Government
Ino has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 18 members. Ino, together with the municipalities of Agawa District, 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
Traditionally, agriculture, forestry and paper production were mainstays of the local economy.

Education
Ino has seven public elementary schools and five public middle schools operated by the town government and two public high schools operated by the Kōchi Prefectural Department of Education.

Railway
JR Shikoku - Dosan Line Tosaden Kōtsū - Ino Line (tram line)
 * Edagawa - Ino - Hakawa
 * Ujidanchi-mae - Yashiro-dōri - Nakayama - Edagawa - Inoshō-mae - Kitauchi - Kitayama - Narutani - Ino-ekimae - Ino

Highways

 * JP Expressway E56.svg Kōchi Expressway

Sister city relations

 * 🇧🇷 - Cotia, São Paulo, Brazil, since June 16, 1966

Local attractions

 * Ino Paper Museum

Noted people from Ino

 * Arase Nagahide, sumo wrestler and television personality