Tosashimizu, Kōchi Prefecture, Shikoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Tosashimizu is a city located in the south-west of Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded in 1954. As of 31 July 2022, the city had an estimated population density of 47 persons per km². The total area of the city is 266.34 square km (102.83 sq mi).

Geography Tosashimizu is located in far western Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park.

Neighbouring municipalities Kōchi Prefecture • Sukumo • Shimanto City • Ōtsuki • Mihara.

Demographics Of the 11 cities in Kochi Prefecture, Tosashimizu has the second-lowest population as of March 31, 2015.

History As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Tosashimizu was part of ancient Tosa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tosa Domain ruled by the Yamauchi clan from their seat at Kōchi Castle. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Shimatsu (清松村) within Hata District, Kōchi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. It changed its name to Shimizu and was elevated to town status in 1924. On August 1, 1954, Shimizu merged with the neighboring towns of Shimokawaguchi, Misaki and Shimokae to form the city of Tosashimizu.

Government Tosashimizu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 12 members. Tosashimizu contributes one member to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kōchi 2nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Tosashimizu is the only city on Shikoku island that hosts a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) base.

Economy The largest industry is fishing, especially deep-sea fishing. Sōdabushi, locally called mejikabushi, is one of the main seafood produce in the area with a market share of approximately 70%. It uses sōdagatsuo (frigate mackerel) and is manufactured using a similar process to katsuobushi. The local fishermen's union registered their catch of blue mackerel Scomber australasicus as "Tosano shimizusaba", or blue mackerel of Shimizu, Tosa.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan has a branch in Tosashimizu, and Osaka Aquarium Biological Research Institute of Iburi Center (OBIC) provides one third of those marine animals displayed at the aquarium in Osaka. The centre conducts scientific studies at its facility including a 1,600 ton tank.

Education Tosashimizu has six public elementary schools and one public middle school operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Kōchi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transport: Rail Tosashimizu has no passenger railway services. The nearest train station is Nakamura Station, the terminus of the Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Line, located in Shimanto city. A bus service connects Tosashimizu with Nakamura Station, taking approximately 60 minutes.

Transport: Road • National Route 321.

Cape Ashizuri The 70 km coastline stretching from the north-east to south-west boundaries of Tosashimizu attracts over 800,000 tourists to Tosashimizu each year. Ashizuri-Uwakai National Park includes Ashizuri, the largest peninsula in the area. Tosashimizu is the nearest city to Ashizuri peninsula which is protruding into the Pacific Ocean. Cape Ashizuri is 80 meters above sea level at the south-eastern end on the peninsula. The peninsula is covered by subtropical plants including camellia, holm oak, and colony of Livistona Livistona chinensis, and the sea is a prime fishing ground for katsuo fish, or skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis. While there are small islands to the south of it, the cape is recognised as the southernmost location on Shikoku island at 32°43′24″N 133°1′12″W.

Tatsukushi geologic strata with layers of sandstone and mudstone form joints and layers. A gate-like rock on the coast, Hakusandōmon is on the west side of the cape. Tōjindaba Site is a prehistoric megalithic site with stone circle, located on the west hill on Cape Ashizuri.

Birthplace of Nakahama Manjirō On the western shore of Ashizuri peninsula, lies the village of Nakanohama within Tosashimizu, where Nakahama Manjirō was born and became one of the first Japanese to travel to the United States. Manjirō, a young fisherman, was shipwrecked off the coast of Japan in 1841 and rescued by whaling captain William H. Whitfield of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Whitfield brought the young Manjirō back to Fairhaven and New Bedford at the end of the whaling voyage, and Manjirō spent several years there before eventually making his way back to Japan. Because of this history, Tosashimizu became the sister city of both Fairhaven and New Bedford in 1987. He became popular as John Manjirō after Ibuse Masuji depicted him in his novel John Manjiro. The Castaway: His Life and His Adventures.

Wildlife tours There are several wildlife tours popular on Ashizuri peninsula; wildlife swims are organized in the town of Iburi on the foot of Ashizuri peninsula.

Whale shark swim Whale sharks migrate off the Ashizuri Peninsula between June and September, and some are kept captive in a cage 300 m offshore.

Ocean sunfish swim Between April and the end of July each year, ocean sunfish are kept in a net cage 10 m by 10 m and 5 m deep. When the water temperature rises, they release the fish into the wild.

Whale watching Whale watching is also offered on the east side of the peninsula, based at Kubotsu town to the middle and Shimonokae to the north.

The Shikoku Pilgrimage The Shikoku Pilgrimage passes through the city, and the longest stretch of 80.7 km on the route is between the 37th temple (Iwamoto-ji (岩本寺)) in Shimanto and the 38th temple (Kongōfuku-ji (金剛福寺)) on Cape Ashizuri. Descending from Itsuta pass (伊豆田峠) toward Tosashimizu, there is Shinnenan (真念庵), a small wayside hermitage 28 km from Kongōfuku-ji. It was designated to provide a free lodging for pilgrims on that section, where people could also leave their luggage while visiting Kongōfuku-ji, come back to Shinnenan and continue on to the 39th Enkō-ji in Sukumo 50.8 km away.

Roadside stations Mejikano sato Tosashimizu roadside station is near scenic Tatsukushi along route 321. Mejika means sōdagatsuo (frigate mackerel) in the local dialect, and they manufacture and sell sōdabushi, the main sea food produce of the city, processed for demonstration at the factory at the back of the store for direct selling. Farm produce is also sold at this roadside station.