Shimosuwa, Nagano
Encyclopedia
is a town
located in Suwa District
, Nagano
, Japan
. It is located on Lake Suwa
, a large, natural lake surrounded by mountains.
As of 2006, the town has an estimated population
of 22,421. The total area is 66.90 km².
Shimosuwa is the location of two of the shrines that make up the famous Suwa Taisha
or Suwa Grand Shrine. The Harumiya (春宮) and Akimiya (秋宮) shrines are symbolically renewed every six years during the Onbashira
festival. Huge trees are cut in a Shinto
ceremony, then the logs are dragged from the mountains down to the shrines.
Shimosuwa was the 29th station on the 59-station Nakasendo
(literally 'the route through the mountains') and was featured in the woodblock print series of the Nakasendo by the artist Hiroshige
. Shimosuwa was also a stop on the Kōshū Kaidō
.
Shimosuwa is also the site of several onsen
or natural hot spring spas. Shimosuwa is located on the Chūō Line
of JR East, about three hours from Tokyo
.
Shimosuwa maintains an exchange relationship with Kaifeng
, Henan
Province in the People's Republic of China
.
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 Suwa District
Suwa District, Nagano
is a district located in Nagano, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 46,162 and a density of 181.18 persons per km². The total area is 254.79 km².-Towns and villages:*Fujimi*Hara*Shimosuwa...
, Nagano
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
, 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...
. It is located on Lake Suwa
Lake Suwa
is a lake in the central part of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It ranks 24th in Japan in surface area.Lake Suwa is the site of , an interesting natural phenomenon. The lake has a natural hot spring under the surface, so that when the top freezes in the winter, the lower waters are still warm and...
, a large, natural lake surrounded by mountains.
As of 2006, the town has 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 22,421. The total area is 66.90 km².
Shimosuwa is the location of two of the shrines that make up the famous Suwa Taisha
Suwa Taisha
, or Suwa Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Nagano prefecture, Japan. Over 1200 years old, it is one of the oldest shrines in existence, and is mentioned in the Kojiki, an 8th century text...
or Suwa Grand Shrine. The Harumiya (春宮) and Akimiya (秋宮) shrines are symbolically renewed every six years during the Onbashira
Onbashira
Onbashira is a festival held every six years in the Lake Suwa area of Nagano, Japan. The purpose of the festival is to symbolically renew the Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. "Onbashira" can be literally translated as "the honored pillars"....
festival. Huge trees are cut in a Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
ceremony, then the logs are dragged from the mountains down to the shrines.
Shimosuwa was the 29th station on the 59-station Nakasendo
Nakasendo
The , also called the , was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo to Kyoto in Japan. There were 69 stations between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi, Kōzuke, Shinano, Mino and Ōmi provinces...
(literally 'the route through the mountains') and was featured in the woodblock print series of the Nakasendo by the artist Hiroshige
Hiroshige
was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. He was also referred to as Andō Hiroshige and by the art name of Ichiyūsai Hiroshige ....
. Shimosuwa was also a stop on the Kōshū Kaidō
Koshu Kaido
The was one of the five routes of the Edo period and it was built to connect Edo with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in Nagano Prefecture...
.
Shimosuwa is also the site of several onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
or natural hot spring spas. Shimosuwa is located on the Chūō Line
Chuo Main Line
The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faster, while the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the fastest rail...
of JR East, about three hours from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Shimosuwa maintains an exchange relationship with Kaifeng
Kaifeng
Kaifeng , known previously by several names , is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, Central China. Nearly 5 million people live in the metropolitan area...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
Province in the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.