Matsuo was a village

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 Iwate District

Iwate District, Iwate

is a district located in Iwate, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 142,495. The total area is 2,846.44 km². The district covers the northern part of Morioka Metropolitan Area...

, Iwate

Iwate Prefecture

is the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...

, 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 September 1, 2005 Matsuo, along with the towns of Ashiro

Ashiro, Iwate

was a town located in Iwate District, Iwate, Japan.On September 1, 2005 Ashiro, along with the town of Nishine, and the village of Matsuo, was merged to form the city of Hachimantai and no longer exists as an independent municipality....

 and Nishine

Nishine, Iwate

was a town located in Iwate District, Iwate, Japan.On September 1, 2005 Nishine, along with the town of Ashiro, and the village of Matsuo, was merged to form the city of Hachimantai and no longer exists as an independent municipality....

, was merged to form the city of Hachimantai

Hachimantai, Iwate

is a city located in Iwate, Japan.Hachimantai was founded on September 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Ashiro and Nishine and the village of Matsuo, all from Iwate District....

 and no longer exists as an independent municipality

Municipalities of Japan

Japan has three levels of government: national, prefectural, and municipal. The nation is divided into 47 prefectures. Each prefecture consists of numerous municipalities. There are four types of municipalities in Japan: cities, towns, villages and special wards...

.

It was formerly known as the home of Japan's largest sulfur

Sulfur

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...

 mine—the Matsuo Gouzan mine—and, later, as the home of the Matsugawa geothermal power

Geothermal power

Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...

 plant.

As of 2003, 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 6,879 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 29.29 persons per km². The total area was 234.85 km².

History

• April 1, 1889 - in accordance with the municipal system, the former villages of Matsuo, Noda and Yosegi are merged to create the village of Matsuo, North Iwate District.
• March 29, 1896 - following the merging of North Iwate District and South Iwate District, Matsuo become a part of the newly formed Iwate District
  Iwate District, Iwate
  is a district located in Iwate, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 142,495. The total area is 2,846.44 km². The district covers the northern part of Morioka Metropolitan Area...
  
  
• September 1, 2005 - Matsuo is merged with the towns of Nishine
  Nishine, Iwate
  was a town located in Iwate District, Iwate, Japan.On September 1, 2005 Nishine, along with the town of Ashiro, and the village of Matsuo, was merged to form the city of Hachimantai and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
  
   and Ashiro
  Ashiro, Iwate
  was a town located in Iwate District, Iwate, Japan.On September 1, 2005 Ashiro, along with the town of Nishine, and the village of Matsuo, was merged to form the city of Hachimantai and no longer exists as an independent municipality....
  
   to form the city of Hachimantai
  Hachimantai, Iwate
  is a city located in Iwate, Japan.Hachimantai was founded on September 1, 2005 from the merger of the towns of Ashiro and Nishine and the village of Matsuo, all from Iwate District....
  
  

Sister cities

Miyako, Iwate

Miyako, Iwate

is a city located in Iwate, Japan.It was founded on February 11, 1941.The city lies along the coast where the flows into the Pacific Ocean. It is connected to Morioka by an east-west train line and highway and the coastal highway also goes through the town...

 Nago, Okinawa

Nago, Okinawa

is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 60,598 and the density of 288 persons per km². The total area is 210.30 km². The city was founded on August 1, 1970, and hosted the G-8 Summit in 2000.-...

Friendship and cooperation cities:
Altenmarkt

Altenmarkt im Pongau

Altenmarkt im Pongau is a small town in the Salzburg state of Austria. Altenmarkt is situated 65 km South East of Salzburg. The town occupies an area of approximately 48 km² and sits at 842 metres above sea level.The town is principally known for its winter tourism...

, Salzburg

Salzburg (state)

Salzburg is a state or Land of Austria with an area of 7,156 km2, located adjacent to the German border. It is also known as Salzburgerland, to distinguish it from its capital city, also named Salzburg...

Famous places

• Hachimantai hot spring resort
  • Toushichi hot spring
• Matsuogawa hot spring
• East Hachimantai hot spring resort
• Kanezawa spring

External links

• Official website of Hachimantai in Japanese