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 Fuji District

Fuji District, Shizuoka

was a district located in Shizuoka Prefecture. The district covered the entire area of the city of Fujinomiya and parts of the city of Fuji.Until the day before the dissolution, the district had only one town....

, Shizuoka

Shizuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

, 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 2009, 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 9,344 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 126 persons per km². The total area was 74.18 km².

Geography

Shibakawa is located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, in the southwest foothills of Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...

, and is bordered by the Fuji River

Fuji River

The is a river in Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures of central Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . With the Mogami River and the Kuma River, it is regarded as one of the three most rapid flows of Japan....

. The area has a temperate maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters.

Surrounding municipalities

• Shizuoka Prefecture
  • Shizuoka
    Shizuoka, Shizuoka
    is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
    
    
  • Fujnomiya
    Fujinomiya, Shizuoka
    is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 122,464 and the density of 389 persons per km². The total area was 314.81 km².-Geography:...
    
    
  • Fuji
    Fuji, Shizuoka
    is a city in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture. Fuji is the 3rd largest city in terms of population in Shizuoka Prefecture, trailing Hamamatsu and Shizuoka. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 254,113 and a population density of 1040 persons per km²...
    
    

• Yamanashi Prefecture
  • Nanbu, Yamanashi
    Nanbu, Yamanashi
    is a town located in Minamikoma District, Yamanashi, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 10,475 and a density of 52.21 persons per km². The total area is 200.63 km²....
    
    

History

Shibakawa was located in the far eastern portion of former Suruga Province

Suruga Province

was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:...

, and was largely tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

 in the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

 in 1889, the area was reorganized into two villages (Yuzuno, Shibafuji) within Fuji District and one village (Uchibo Village) within Ihara District

Ihara District, Shizuoka

was a rural district located in central Shizuoka, Japan.As of the end of 2008 , the district had an estimated population of 26,859 and a population density of 497.85 persons per km²...

. Uchibo and Shibafuji merged in 1955 to form Fujihara Village, which was renamed Shibakawa in 1956 after it annexed neighboring Yuzuno Village. On March 23, 2010, Shibakawa was merged into the city of Fujinomiya

Fujinomiya, Shizuoka

is a city located in central Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 122,464 and the density of 389 persons per km². The total area was 314.81 km².-Geography:...

. As a result of the merger, Fuji District was dissolved.

Economy

The economy of Shibakawa is largely based on agriculture, and tourism. The town also serves as a bedroom community for the industrial zones in neighboring Fuji.

Rail

• JR Central
  Central Japan Railway Company
  The is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and in Japanese as . Its headquarters are located in the JR Central Towers in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.The company's operational hub is Nagoya Station...
  
   - Minobu Line
  • Shibakawa Station
    Shibakawa Station
    is a railway station on the Minobu Line of Central Japan Railway Company located in the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is located 19.2 rail kilometers from the southern terminus of the Minobu Line at Fuji Station, and is located next to a large factory of the Oji...
    
    , Inako Station