Tōnoshō, Chiba

Tōnoshō

東庄町
Tōnoshō 東庄町
Town
	Tōnoshō Town Hall
	Flag Seal
	Location of Tōnoshōin in Chiba Prefecture
	Tōnoshō
	Coordinates: 35°50′N 140°40′E / 35.833°N 140.667°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Chiba Prefecture
District	Katori
Area
• Total	46.16 km2 (17.82 sq mi)
Population (April 2012)
• Total	14,852
• Density	322/km2 (830/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
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	http://www.town.tohnosho.chiba.jp/

Tōnoshō (東庄町, Tōnoshō-machi) is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2012, the town had an estimated population of 14,852, and a population density of 322 persons per km². The total area is 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

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.