Rokunohe

Rokunohe 六戸町
Town
Rokunohe Town Office
Flag Seal
Location of Rokunohe in Aomori Prefecture
Rokunohe
Coordinates: 40°36′34.3″N 141°19′29.3″E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Aomori
District	Kamikita
Area
• Total	83.89 km^2 (32.39 sq mi)
Population  (January 31, 2023)
• Total	10,812
• Density	130/km^2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	0176-55-3111
Address	Inuotose, Rokunohe-machi, Kitakami-gun, Aomori-ken 039-2932
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Lark
Flower	Mountain cherry
Tree	Maple

Komaki Onsen

Rokunohe (六戸町, Rokunohe-machi) is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 January 2023^[update], the town had an estimated population of 10,812 in 4645 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km².^[1] The total area of the town is 83.89 square kilometres (32.39 sq mi)

Geography

Rokunohe is in east-central Aomori Prefecture, in relatively flat lands. The Oirase River, which originates from Lake Towada, flows through the southern part of the town from east to west. The central and northern part is a plateau called Sanbonkibara, and the Inogawa (Sanbonkibara irrigation canal), which branches off from the Oirase River at Towada City, flows eastward.

Neighboring municipalities

Aomori Prefecture

• Gonohe
• Misawa
• Oirase
• Tōhoku
• Towada

Climate

The town has a humid climate characterized by cool short summers and long cold winters with heavy snowfall (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Rokunohe is 9.7°C. The average annual rainfall is 1201 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.6°C, and lowest in January, at around -2.2°C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[3] the population of Rokunohe has remained relatively stable over the past 50 years.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	9,911	—
1960	11,281	+1.30%
1970	10,193	−1.01%
1980	10,532	+0.33%
1990	10,615	+0.08%
2000	10,481	−0.13%
2010	10,242	−0.23%
2020	10,447	+0.20%

History

Rokunohe began as one of a series of fortified settlements established by the Nanbu clan in the early Kamakura period to control their new territories in Nukada District of northern Ōshū, although the area never developed into an independent village. During the Edo period, the area was controlled by Morioka Domain, becoming part of the territory assigned to Shichinohe Domain in the later half of the Edo period. During the post-Meiji restoration establishment of the modern municipalities system on 1 April 1889, Rokunohe Village was proclaimed from the merger of seven small hamlets. On February 1, 1948, a portion of Rokunohe was merged into neighbouring Misawa. The remaining portion of Rokunohe was elevated to town status on October 1, 1957.

Economy

The economy of Rokunohe is heavily dependent on agriculture and stockraising. Primary crops include rice, Japanese yam, carrots and garlic.

Education

Rokunohe has three public elementary schools and two public middle schools operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Aomori Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

The Towada Kankō Electric Railway Line, which had the following five stations in the town, was discontinued in 2012. Since that time, Rokunohe has not had any passenger railway service.

• Ōmagari - Yanagisawa - Shichihyaku - Furusato - Sannōkō-mae.

Highway

• Kamikita Expressway
• Second Michinoku Toll Road
• National Route 4
• National Route 45

Local attractions

• Komaki onsen
• Kumano Jinja (claimed to have been founded in 844 AD)

Noted people from Rokunohe

• Tatsuya Araidai – professional karate athlete

References

1. Rokunohe Town official statistics
2. Rokunohe climate data
3. Rokunohe population statistics

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)