is 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 Kitashitara District

Kitashitara District, Aichi

is a rural district located in northeastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan.As of August 2010, the district had an estimated population of 10,797 and a population density of 19.5 persons per km²...

, Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

, 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 2010, 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 5,747 and a population 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 21 persons per km². The total area was 273.96 km².

Geography

Shitara is located in the extreme northeast corner of Aichi Prefecture. Much of the town’s area is covered by mountains and forest, and portions of the town are within the borders of the Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park

Tenryū-Okumikawa Quasi-National Park

is a quasi-national park in the Tokai region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. The park includes the gorges of the upper Tenryū River, Sakuma Dam and its surrounding forests, Atera Seven Falls, Chausu Mountains and Mount Horaiji. It straddles the border...

.

Neighboring municipalities

Aichi Prefecture

• Shinshiro
  Shinshiro, Aichi
  is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 49,731 and the population density of 99.7 persons per km². The total area was 499.00 km².-Geography:...
  
  
• Toyota
  Toyota, Aichi
  is a city located in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of Nagoya.Toyota's main plant, the Tsutsumi plant, is located here. The longstanding ties between the Toyota Motor Corporation and the town of Toyota-shi, formerly known as Koromo, gave the town its current...
  
  
• Kitashitara District
  • Toyone
    Toyone, Aichi
    is a village located in Kitashitara District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the village had an estimated population of 1,315 and a population density of 8.43 persons per km². The total area was 155.91 km².-Geography:...
    
    
  • Toei
    Toei, Aichi
    is a town located in Kitashitara District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the town had an estimated population of 3,735 and a population density of 30.3 persons per km². The total area was 123.40 km².-Geography:...
    
    

Nagano Prefecture

• Shimoina District
  Shimoina District, Nagano
  is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of May, 2008, the district has an estimated Population of 65,359 and a Density of 51.4 persons/km²...
  
  
  • Neba
    Neba, Nagano
    is a village located in Shimoina District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 1,289 and a density of 14.33 persons per km². The total area is 89.95 km².- History :...
    
    

History

During 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....

 most of present Shitara was tenryō 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...

. After the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

, the area was organized into several villages within Kitashitara District. Taguchi Village, the site of the district administrative office, was elevated to town status on October 10, 1900. The town of Shitara was established on September 30, 1956 through the merger of Taguchi with the neighboring villages of Damine, Nagura and Furikusa. The village of Tsugu was also formed on the same day through the merger of Kamitsugu and Shimotsugu villages. Shitara and Tsugu merged

Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

Municipal mergers and dissolutions carried out in Japan can take place within one municipality or between multiple municipalities and are required to be based upon consensus.- Merger policy:...

 on October 1, 2005.

Primary schools

• Taguchi Primary School
• Seirei Primary School
• Damine Primary School
• Nagura Primary School
• Tsugu Primary School

Highway

• Japan National Route 257
• Japan National Route 420
• Japan National Route 473

Local attractions

• Kurabune Ruins (鞍船遺跡) – Jomon period
  Jomon period
  The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...
  
   archaeological site excavated in 1922
• Damine Castle (田峯城) – ruins of a Sengoku period
  Sengoku period
  The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
  
  castle
• Soezawa Onsen - hot spring resort

External links

• Shitara official website in Japanese (with link to pages in English)