Tōnoshō, Chiba

This article is about a town in Chiba Prefecture. For a town in Kagawa Prefecture, see Tonoshō, Kagawa.

Tōnoshō 東庄町
—  Town  —
Location of Tōnoshōin Chiba
Tōnoshō
Coordinates: 35°50′N 140°40′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba
District	Katori District
Area
• Total	46.16 km2 (17.82 sq mi)
Population (February 2011)
• Total	15,103
• Density	327/km2 (850/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Symbols
- Insect	Sasakia charonda
- Bird	Ochre-rumped Bunting
Phone number	0478-86-1111
Address	4713-131 Sasakawa Katori-gun, Tōnoshō -machi, Chiba-ken 285-8510
Website	Town of Tōnoshō

Tōnoshō Town Hall

Tōnoshō (東庄町, Tōnoshō-machi) is a town located in Katori District, Chiba, Japan. As of February 2011, the town had an estimated population of 15,103 and a population density of 327 persons per km². The total area was 46.16 km².

Geography

Tōnoshō is located in far northeastern Chiba Prefecture. It is bordered to the north by the Tone River, which also forms the border with Ibaraki Prefecture. The land is mostly flat, and much is from 40–50 meters above sea level in average elevation.

Neighboring municipalities

• Choshi, Chiba
• Asahi, Chiba
• Katori, Chiba
• Kamisu, Ibaraki

History

The area around Tōnoshō has been inhabited since at least the Japanese Paleolithic, and archaeologists have found stone tools and tombs from the Kofun period. During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the area was under control of the Chiba clan. After the start of the Edo period, much of the area of Tōnoshō was part of Omigawa Domain, a minor feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, the villages of Tōjō, Tachibana, Jindai and Sasagawa were founded on April 1, 1889 within Katori District of Chiba Prefecture. Sasagawa was elevated to town status on August 1, 1907. The area rapidly developed with the coming of the Narita Line railway and the development of the Kashima Industrial Complex in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture after World War II. The town of Tōnoshō was created on July 20, 1955 through the merger of Sasagawa with Tachibana, Jindai and Tōjō villages.

Economy

Tōnoshō is a regional commercial center whose economy is primarily agricultural, with some light manufacturing industries. The main crops include rice and turnips. Industry includes fish processing and the production of soy sauce.

Transportation

Railway

• JR East - Narita Line
  • Sasagawa - Shimōsa-Tachibana

Highway

• Route 356 (Japan)

Noted people

• Motoo Hayashi - politician

External links

• Tōnoshō official website in Japanese