Misato, Miyagi

Misato 美里町
Town
Kogota Yamanokami Shrine
Flag Seal
Location of Misato in Miyagi Prefecture
Misato
Coordinates: 38°32′40″N 141°03′25″E / 38.54444°N 141.05694°ECoordinates: 38°32′40″N 141°03′25″E / 38.54444°N 141.05694°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Miyagi
District	Tōda
Area
• Total	74.95 km^2 (28.94 sq mi)
Population (September 2015)
• Total	24,740
• Density	330/km^2 (900/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- Tree	Flowering Dogwood
- Flower	Rose
Phone number	0229-43-2111
Address	13-banchi Kitaura Komagome, Misato-chō, Tōda-gun, Miyagi-ken 987-0005
Website	Official website

Misato town hall

Misato (美里町 Misato-machi) is a town located in Tōda District, Miyagi Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of northern Japan. As of May 2014, the town had an estimated population of 29,740 and a population density of 330 persons per km². The total area was 74.95 square kilometres (28.94 sq mi).

Geography

Misato is located in north-central Miyagi Prefecture.

Neighboring municipalities

• Miyagi Prefecture
  • Ishinomaki
  • Higashimatsushima
  • Ōsaki
  • Wakuya
  • Matsushima

History

The area of present-day Misato was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jomon period by the Emishi people. During the Nara period, gold was discovered in the area. During later portion of the Heian period, the area was ruled by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Sengoku period, the area was contested by various samurai clans before it came under the control of the Date clan of Sendai Domain during the Edo period, under the Tokugawa shogunate.

The modern villages of Kogota and Nangō were established on June 1, 1889 with the establishment of the municipalities system. Kogota was raised to town status on April 1, 1907. It annexed the town of Fudodo and the villages of Kitaura and Nakazone on April 1, 1954 and the village of Shikitama on August 1, 1954. Nangō was raised to town status on July 1, 1954. Misato was formed on January 1, 2006 by the merger of the towns of Kogota and Nangō.

Economy

The economy of Misato is largely based on agriculture, primarily the cultivation of rice.

Education

Misato has six elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools, as well as two special education schools.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Tōhoku Main Line
  • Kogota
• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Ishinomaki Line
  • Kogota
• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Rikuu East Line
  • Kogota - Kitaura - Rikuzen-Yachi

Highway

• National Route 108
• National Route 346

International Relations

•  USA – Winona, Minnesota, USA ^[1]
•  China - Changqing District, Jinan, Shandong Province, China ^[2]

Noted people from Misato

• Hiroshi Mitsuzuka – politician and cabinet minister

References

1. City of Winona Sister-City Website
2. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

• www.town.misato.miyagi.jp/%20official%20website (Japanese)