Information

Information

Location

• N. Lat. 37°54’–38°04’
• E. Long. 140°41’–140°51’
• Located in the Tohoku Region in the south of the Miyagi Prefecture
• Approx. 300km (186 miles) north of Tokyo
• Approx. 40 km (25 miles) south of Sendai, the prefecture's capital
• 13.336 meters (.0083 miles) above sea level (at City Hall)

Area

• 147.58 sq. km. (91.7 sq. miles)
• 15.15km (9.41 miles) EW, 18.35km (11.4 miles) NS

Topography

Kakuda City nestles amongst low hills (no more than 300 meters high) linked to the Abukuma Mountains. The gentle slopes are ideal for cultivating fruit. The Abukuma River, meandering from southwest to northeast on its way to the Pacific Ocean, is fed by a series of smaller rivers, all of which make the plain one of the richest rice producers in the Miyagi Prefecture. (Kakuda is known worldwide for its ’sasanishiki’ strain of rice.)

Climate

The area experiences four distinct seasons. Summer is hot and humid, and the winters are cold and dry.

• From 2008 to 2009, the climate averages have been as follows:
  • Average temperature: 11.7°C(53.06°F)
  • Average high temperature: 33.5°C(92.3°F)
  • Average low temperature: −9.8°C(14.36°F)
  • Average rainfall: 1,302mm

Population

• 32,341 as of March 2009

History

In 1598 the Ishikawa Clan took over the area and built the castle town from which the streets of modern-day Kakuda sprang. Shipping along the Abukuma River flourished so much that in 1868, at the outset of the Meiji Era, it was known as the hub of commerce for the Sennan district. With the advent of the railway, the area's trading activities gave way to agriculture.

In 1889, a law governing municipal organization established Kakuda as the chief town of a region incorporating six villages: Edano, Fujio, Higashine, Sakura, Kitago, and Nishine. Much later, in October 1954, a new law was enacted to merge all seven, and thus was born the new town of Kakuda. The town was formally made a city in October 1958. Since then it has built on its agricultural and metropolitan foundations to grow into the thriving business center that it is today.