Kyōtango, Kyōto Prefecture, Kansai Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Kyōtango is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The modern city of Kyōtango was established in 2004, from the merger of the towns of Mineyama and Omiya, the towns of Amino, Tango, and Yasaka, and the town of Kumihama. The Naka, Takeno, and Kumano Districts were dissolved as a result of the merger.

Geography Kyōtango is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan on the western side of the Tango Peninsula in the north-western corner of Kyoto Prefecture. The entire area of Kyōtango is in the eastern part of the San'in Kaigan Geopark.

Neighbouring municipalities Hyōgo Prefecture • Toyooka; Kyoto Prefecture • Ine • Miyazu • Yosano.

Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Kyōtango peaked around 1950 and has been slowly declining since.

History The area of Kyōtango was a major cultural centre during the Yayoi and Kofun periods, and had direct trade contacts with the Asian mainland. Numerous burial mounds were constructed, including the Amino Chōshiyama Kofun, which is one of the largest kofun on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The Mineyama neighborhood was the centre of ancient Tanba Province in the early 8th century, and became the centre of Tango Province after that province was separated from Tanba in 713. During the Muromachi period, the area was under the control of the Isshiki clan, who were replaced by the Kyōgoku clan by the Edo Period Tokugawa shogunate. A cadet branch of the Kyōgoku clan ruled Mineyama Domain until the Meiji restoration, with some portions of the area under the direction control of the Shogunate and ruled from the Kumihama daikansho in the Kumihama neighborhood. The villages of Amino, Tango and Yasaka.

With the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889 the villages of Mineyama and Omiya (in Naka District), Amino, Tango, and Yasaka (in Takeno District), and Kumihama (in Kumano District) were created. All were subsequently raised to town status. The 1927 Kita Tango earthquake caused major damage in the region and killed around 3,000 people. The city of Kyōtango was established on April 1, 2004, from the merger of these six municipalities with the former Mineyama town hall as the new city hall. Naka, Takeno, and Kumano Districts were dissolved as a result of the merger.

Government Kyōtango has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 22 members. Kyōtango contributes one member to the Kyoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kyoto 5th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Military The Japan Air Self-Defense Force maintains a facility in the city called the Kyogamisaki Sub-Base. It is part of the Basic Air Defense Ground Environment. The Kyogamisaki Communications Site, a USFJ missile monitoring station, is located nearby.

Economy Kyōtango has mostly a rural economy based agriculture and commercial fishing. Mineyama, now part of Kyōtango, has a close connection with the Hagoromo legend. The Kumihama area is well known for its many hot springs, while Amino is one of the major producers of Tango Chirimen cloth.

Education Kyōtango has 17 public elementary schools and six public middle schools operated by the city government and five public high schools operated by the Kyoto Prefectural Department of Education. A campus of the Kyoto Institute of Technology and a campus of the Kyoto Seika University are also located in the city.

Transport: Rail Kyoto Tango Railway – Miyazu Line • Kyōtango-Ōmiya - Mineyama - Amino - Yūhigaura-Kitsu-onsen - Shōtenkyō - Kabutoyama - Kumihama.

Transport: Road • San'in Kinki Expressway • National Route 178 • National Route 312 • National Route 482.

National Historic Sites • Akasakaimai Tumuli • Amino Chōshiyama Kofun • Hakoishihama Site • Shinmeiyama Kofun • Ubusunayama Kofun.

National Place of Scenic Beauty • Kotohiki Beach.