Kamikuishiki, Yamanashi
Encyclopedia
was a village
located in Nishiyatsushiro District
, Yamanashi Prefecture
, Japan
.
As of 2006, the village had an estimated population
of 1,501 and a density
of 17 persons per km². The total area was 86.59 km².
Kamikuishiki achieved nationwide fame in Japan as a major center of the notorious cult religion Aum Shinrikyo
which built its religious center and several facilities there, including a production center for nerve gases which were used in attacks on the Tokyo subway and in Matsumoto. It was in one of these buildings that the leader of the cult Shoko Asahara
was arrested on May 16, 1995http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/prophet/21.html.
On March 1, 2006:
According to the last mayor Makoto Kobayashi, "financial reasons" made the decision inevitable. Economic decline made the villagers leave for larger areas where jobs are more readily available. Reduced tax collections and aging population also played their role.
Villages of Japan
A is a local administrative unit in Japan.It is a local public body along with , , and . Geographically, a village's extent is contained within a prefecture....
located in Nishiyatsushiro District
Nishiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi
is a district located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2006, the district has an estimated population of 17,878 and a density of 238 persons per km²...
, Yamanashi Prefecture
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
As of 2006, the village had an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 1,501 and a density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 17 persons per km². The total area was 86.59 km².
Kamikuishiki achieved nationwide fame in Japan as a major center of the notorious cult religion Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
which built its religious center and several facilities there, including a production center for nerve gases which were used in attacks on the Tokyo subway and in Matsumoto. It was in one of these buildings that the leader of the cult Shoko Asahara
Shoko Asahara
, born on March 2, 1955, is a founder of the controversial Japanese new religious group Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway and several other crimes, for which he was sentenced to death...
was arrested on May 16, 1995http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/prophet/21.html.
On March 1, 2006:
- The northern part of Kamikuishiki (the localities of Furuseki and Kakehashi), along with the town of NakamichiNakamichi, Yamanashiwas a town located in Higashiyatsushiro District, Yamanashi, Japan.On March 1, 2006 Nakamichi, along with the northern part of the village of Kamikuishiki , was merged into the city of Kōfu....
, from Higashiyatsushiro DistrictHigashiyatsushiro District, YamanashiHigashiyatsushiro was a district located in Yamanashi, Japan.As of March 2006, the district has an estimated population of 513. The total area is 37.15 km²....
, was merged into the city of KōfuKofu, Yamanashiis the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had a estimate population of 197,540, with 85,794 households. The total area is 212.41 km².-History:Kōfu's name means "capital of Kai Province"...
. - The southern part of Kamikuishiki (the localities of Fujigane, Motosu, and Shoji) was merged into the town of FujikawaguchikoFujikawaguchiko, Yamanashiis a town located in Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.As of September 1, 2011 the town has an estimated population of 26,084. The total area is 158.51 km².Lake Kawaguchi , one of the Fuji Five Lakes, features prominently....
, of Minamitsuru DistrictMinamitsuru District, Yamanashiis a district located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 49,180 and a population density of 122.73 persons per km²...
. Kamikuishiki officially ceased to exist.
According to the last mayor Makoto Kobayashi, "financial reasons" made the decision inevitable. Economic decline made the villagers leave for larger areas where jobs are more readily available. Reduced tax collections and aging population also played their role.
Miscellaneous topics
- Lake Shoji and Lake Motosu, two of the famous Fuji Five LakesFuji Five Lakesis the name of the area located at the base of Mount Fuji in the Yamanashi prefecture of Japan. It has a population of about 100,000. and sits approximately 1,000 meters above sea level. The name Fuji Five Lakes comes from the fact that there are five lakes formed by previous eruptions of Mount Fuji...
, are in Kamikuishiki. The place is historically known for beautiful views, unspoiled by byproducts of advancing industrial civilization and calm, traditionally relaxed general attitude of inhabitants towards life, typical for Japan's countryside.
External links
- Kamikuishiki official website (in Japanese)
- The 'De-nationalization' of AUM Followers: Its Hidden Political Purpose' ('Tsukuru', November 1999 - in English)