Kusu, Ōita



Kusu (玖珠町) is a town located in Kusu District, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,085 in 6590 households, and a population density of 49 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 286.51 km2

Geography
Kusu is located in midwestern Ōita Prefecture, approximately 60 kilometers west of the prefectural capital at Ōita City, and slightly borders Kumamoto Prefecture in the south. The town area is in the Kyushu Mountains, and much of the town area is within the borders of the Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Park. In the northern part of the town is the Hiseidai Training Range, the largest training range for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in western Japan.

Neighbouring municipalities
Ōita Prefecture Kumamoto Prefecture
 * Hita
 * Nakatsu
 * Usa
 * Kokonoe
 * Oguni

Climate
Kusu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year but is somewhat lower in winter. The average annual temperature in Kusu is 14.1 C. The average annual rainfall is 1878.0 mm with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.7 C, and lowest in January, at around 2.5 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Kusu was 38.8 C on 18 July 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -14.7 C on 3 February 2012.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kusu in 2020 is 14,386 people. Kusu has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History
The area of Kusu was part of ancient Bungo Province. During the Edo period the area was mostly part of the holdings of Mori Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Mannen (万年村) within Kusu District, Ōita was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Mannen was raised to town status on April 1, 1927 and was renamed Kusu.OnMarch 1,1955 Kusu annexed the neighboring town of Mori and the villages of Kitayamata, and Yahata.

Government
Kusu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Kusu, together with Kokonoe, contributes one member to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Ōita 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy
The economy of Kusu is centered on agriculture and forestry.

Education
Kuso has nine public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high school operated by the Ōita Prefectural Board of Education.

Railways
JR Kyushu - Kyūdai Main Line
 * Sugikawachi - Kita-Yamada - Bungo-Mori

Highways

 * JP Expressway E34.svg Ōita Expressway

Local attractions

 * Tsunomure Castle ruins

Notable people from Kusu

 * Seishiro Etō, politician
 * Kurushima Takehiko, former children's literature author