Kisakata was a town

Towns of Japan

A town is a local administrative unit in Japan. It is a local public body along with prefecture , city , and village...

 located in Yuri District

Yuri District, Akita

Yuri was a district located in Akita, Japan.There were three towns left before the district dissolved.* Kisakata* Konoura* NikahoOn October 1, 2005, all towns merged to form the city of Nikaho which will dissolve Yuri District....

, Akita

Akita Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

, 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...

.

On October 1, 2005, along with the town of Konoura

Konoura, Akita

Konoura was a town located in Yuri District, Akita, Japan.On October 1, 2005, along with the town of Kisakata, Konoura was merged into the town of Nikaho, all from Yuri District, to become the city of Nikaho....

, Kisakata was merged into the town of Nikaho

Nikaho, Akita

is a city located in Akita, Japan.On October 1, 2005, the town of Nikaho merged with the towns of Kisakata and Konoura, all from Yuri District, to form the city of Nikaho. The new city has an area of 240.61km², and an estimated population of 27,245 as of October 2011.-City Symbols:The city tree is...

, all from Yuri District

Yuri District, Akita

Yuri was a district located in Akita, Japan.There were three towns left before the district dissolved.* Kisakata* Konoura* NikahoOn October 1, 2005, all towns merged to form the city of Nikaho which will dissolve Yuri District....

, to become the city of Nikaho

Nikaho, Akita

is a city located in Akita, Japan.On October 1, 2005, the town of Nikaho merged with the towns of Kisakata and Konoura, all from Yuri District, to form the city of Nikaho. The new city has an area of 240.61km², and an estimated population of 27,245 as of October 2011.-City Symbols:The city tree is...

.

In 2003, the town 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 12,836 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 103.50 persons per km². The total area was 124.02 km².

The poet Bashō

Matsuo Basho

, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...

 visited Kisakata as part of his 1689 travels in Honshū

Honshu

is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

, and composed a famous waka

Waka (poetry)

Waka or Yamato uta is a genre of classical Japanese verse and one of the major genres of Japanese literature...

 about Kisakata's islands. However, an eruption of Mount Chōkai

Mount Chokai

is the second tallest mountain in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It stands on the border of Yamagata and Akita prefectures, and is tall.Mount Chōkai is regarded as sacred by followers of the Shugendō branch of Shinto and is popular with hikers. It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan.-External...

in 1804 caused the sea bed to rise, and the islands are now surrounded by land, not water. There is a statue of Bashō at the Kanman Temple, which he visited.

For hikers and climbers Kisakata is the jumping-off point for trips to Mount Chōkai. There are also a number of pictureseque waterfalls, including the Naso no Shirataki (奈曽の白滝) and the Mototaki (元滝).