Katsuyama, Okayama
Katsuyama (勝山町, Katsuyama-chō) was a town located in Maniwa District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.
Katsuyama
勝山町 | |
|---|---|
Former municipality | |
Former Katsuyama town hall | |
Katsuyama Location in Japan | |
| Coordinates: 35°5′15.4″N 133°41′28.8″E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūgoku |
| Prefecture | Okayama Prefecture |
| District | Maniwa |
| Merged | March 31, 2005 (now part of Maniwa) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 138.79 km2 (53.59 sq mi) |
| Population (2003) | |
| • Total | 9,027 |
| • Density | 65.04/km2 (168.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+09:00 (JST) |
| Symbols | |
| Flower | Osmanthus fragrans |
| Tree | Chamaecyparis obtusa |
As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 9,027 and a density of 65.04 persons per km2. The total area was 138.79 km2.
On March 31, 2005, Katsuyama, along with the town of Hokubō (from Jōbō District), and towns of Kuse, Ochiai and Yubara, and the villages of Chūka, Kawakami, Mikamo and Yatsuka (all from Maniwa District) were merged to create the city of Maniwa.
To coincide with the 2005 merger, Katsuyama residents were given a book commemorating the last 50 years of Katsuyama's existence as a town and a special purple cloth with the town logo imprinted on it.
Local to Katsuyama is the Kanba waterfall (神庭の滝, Kanba no taki), the only Okayama waterfall on the list of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls and home to Japanese macaque monkeys.
Recently, Katsuyama has also become known for its noren adorning the shops and houses along a 1 km stretch of the Katsuyama Historical Preservation District, wherein the Edo Period landscape of the town remains. The noren are all made by one craftswoman, Yoko Kano, who has her own workshop along the street.