Okuizumo



Okuizumo (奥出雲町) is a town located in Nita District, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. As of August 1, 2023, the town has a population of 11,056 and a density of 30 persons per km2. The area of the town is 368.01 sqkm.

Geography
Okuizumo is located in mountainous far southeast Shimane. The steep mountains are limited to the area near the prefectural border and the border with Unnan, and the entire town is covered in heavy snowfall. The area is the headwaters of the Hii River, and the main mountains include Mt. Sarumasa (1267m), which is the highest peak in the Izumo region. Parts of the town are within the borders of the Hiba-Dogo-Taishaku Quasi-National Park.

Neighboring municipalities
Shimane Prefecture Hiroshima Prefecture Tottori Prefecture
 * Yasugi
 * Unnan
 * Shōbara
 * Nichinan

Climate
Okuizumo 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 Okuizumo is 12.3 C. The average annual rainfall is 1754.6 mm with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.6 C, and lowest in January, at around 0.7 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Okuizumo was 36.3 C on 19 August 2010; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -13.1 C on 28 February 1981.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Okuizumo in 2020 is 11,849 people. Okuizumo has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History
The area of Okuizumo was the center of ancient Izumo Province, and was one of the early centers of Tatara steel production from the Kofun period. During the Edo Period, the area was mostly under the control of Matsue Domain, which was ruled mostly by various branches of the Matsudaira clan under the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Minari (三成村) was established on April 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on July 1, 1941. Minari merged with four surrounding villages to form the town of Nita (仁多町) on April 15, 1955. The town of Okuizumo was formed on March 31, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Nita and Yokota.

Government
Okuizumo has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Okuizumo contributes one member to the Shimane Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Shimane 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy
The economy of Okuizumo is centered on agriculture and forestry. Komaki mine was used to produce tungsten from 1911 to 1984.

Education
Okuizumo has ten public elementary school and two public junior high schools operated by the city government, and one public high schools operated by the Shimane Prefectural Board of Education.

Railway
JR West (JR West) - Kisuki Line
 * Izumo Yashiro - Izumo Minari - Kamedake - Izumo Yokota - Yakawa - Izumo Sakane - Miinohara