Muroto
室戸市
City
View of the Pacific Ocean from Cape Muroto
View of the Pacific Ocean from Cape Muroto
Flag of Muroto
Flag
Official seal of Muroto
Emblem
Location of Muroto in Kōchi Prefecture
Muroto is located in Japan
Muroto
Muroto
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°17′24″N 134°09′07″E / 33.29000°N 134.15194°E / 33.29000; 134.15194
CountryJapan
RegionShikoku
PrefectureKōchi
Government
 • MayorSoichiro Ueta
Area
 • Total248.18 km2 (95.82 sq mi)
Population
 (June 30, 2022)
 • Total12,121
 • Density49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address25-1 Ukitsu, Muroto-shi, Kōchi-ken 781-7185
ClimateCfa
WebsiteOfficial website
Symbols
BirdJapanese white-eye
FlowerHamayū
TreeUbamegashi (Quercus phillyraeoides)
Muroto City Hall
Muroto-Anan Kaigan Quasi-National Park
Muroto city center aerial photograph

Muroto (室戸市, Muroto-shi) is a city located in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. As of 30 June 2022, the city had an estimated population of 12,121 in 7079 households and a population density of 49 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 248.18 square kilometres (95.82 sq mi).

Geography

Muroto is located in the southeastern tip of Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It occupies Cape Muroto which juts out into the Pacific Ocean. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Muroto-Anan Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The entire territory of Muroto is "Muroto Global Geopark" which is a member of the Japanese Geoparks Network and Global Geoparks Network since 2011 on account of its outstanding geological heritage, educational programs and projects, and promotion of geotourism.[2]

Geology

Cape Muroto is made up of Oligocene to Pleistocene-aged sedimentary rocks and loose Holocene-aged alluvial deposits. The rocks belong to the Shimanto Supergroup, represented in the peninsula as mudstone, and the Tonohama Group made up of chiefly of sandstone and gravel.[3] Several active, WNW-dipping, thrust faults are exposed at the western coast and southern tip of the peninsula. Off-shore west of the Cape Muroto, tip of the peninsula, there faults dips to the west.[3]

There are uplifted marine terraces at Muroto. Dating of these terraces reveal that since their formation in an interval 123 to 96 thousand years ago (k B.P.), in an epoch corresponding to the Eemian interglacial. Since then land in the tip of the peninsula has risen 1.2–1.6 meters every thousand years (m/kyr). Closer to the mainland the uplift rate has been in the order of 0.3–0.7 m/kyr.[3] While these are long-term averages individual large non-megathrust earthquakes are known to have uplifted the coast around one meter. These earthquakes are more rare than megathrust ones occurring every 1000 to 2000 years.[3] Uplift of the coast has left fossil tube worm colonies attached to rocks on land.[2]

Neighbouring municipalities

Kōchi Prefecture

Climate

Muroto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Muroto is 16.9 °C (62.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,465.0 mm (97.05 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.3 °C (79.3 °F), and lowest in January, at around 7.7 °C (45.9 °F).[4] The highest temperature ever recorded in Muroto was 35.0 °C (95.0 °F) on 30 July 1942; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −6.6 °C (20.1 °F) on 26 February 1981.[5]

Climate data for Cape Muroto, Muroto (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1920−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 20.8
(69.4)		 21.1
(70.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 25.8
(78.4)		 28.2
(82.8)		 30.1
(86.2)		 35.0
(95.0)		 34.5
(94.1)		 32.9
(91.2)		 29.5
(85.1)		 26.4
(79.5)		 22.0
(71.6)		 35.0
(95.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 10.6
(51.1)		 11.4
(52.5)		 14.3
(57.7)		 18.2
(64.8)		 21.7
(71.1)		 23.9
(75.0)		 27.6
(81.7)		 29.0
(84.2)		 26.5
(79.7)		 22.2
(72.0)		 17.7
(63.9)		 13.0
(55.4)		 19.7
(67.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.7
(45.9)		 8.2
(46.8)		 11.0
(51.8)		 15.2
(59.4)		 18.8
(65.8)		 21.5
(70.7)		 25.0
(77.0)		 26.3
(79.3)		 24.0
(75.2)		 19.8
(67.6)		 15.1
(59.2)		 10.2
(50.4)		 16.9
(62.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.1
(41.2)		 5.4
(41.7)		 8.1
(46.6)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.5
(61.7)		 19.6
(67.3)		 23.2
(73.8)		 24.4
(75.9)		 22.0
(71.6)		 17.6
(63.7)		 12.7
(54.9)		 7.7
(45.9)		 14.6
(58.2)
Record low °C (°F) −5.4
(22.3)		 −6.6
(20.1)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 2.2
(36.0)		 7.1
(44.8)		 12.6
(54.7)		 16.5
(61.7)		 17.9
(64.2)		 14.4
(57.9)		 6.8
(44.2)		 1.8
(35.2)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 −6.6
(20.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 89.5
(3.52)		 113.8
(4.48)		 177.4
(6.98)		 203.2
(8.00)		 240.6
(9.47)		 330.8
(13.02)		 267.9
(10.55)		 210.2
(8.28)		 322.3
(12.69)		 251.8
(9.91)		 164.3
(6.47)		 93.3
(3.67)		 2,465
(97.05)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 6.5 7.6 10.6 10.1 10.6 13.9 11.1 10.9 11.9 10.0 8.0 6.1 117.3
Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Average relative humidity (%) 61 63 67 71 78 87 89 86 80 72 68 63 74
Mean monthly sunshine hours 179.0 172.1 194.7 199.7 196.1 132.3 177.8 227.9 171.2 178.5 169.3 180.4 2,178.9
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[5][4]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Muroto in 2020 is 11,742 people.[6] Muroto has been conducting censuses since 1920.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 22,207—    
1925 23,851+7.4%
1930 26,103+9.4%
1935 25,967−0.5%
1940 25,081−3.4%
1945 30,227+20.5%
1950 32,667+8.1%
1955 32,878+0.6%
1960 30,498−7.2%
1965 28,746−5.7%
1970 27,445−4.5%
1975 26,660−2.9%
1980 26,086−2.2%
1985 25,309−3.0%
1990 23,308−7.9%
1995 21,430−8.1%
2000 19,472−9.1%
2005 17,490−10.2%
2010 15,210−13.0%
2015 13,524−11.1%
2020 11,742−13.2%
Muroto population statistics[6]

History

As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Muroto 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 Muroto was established within Aki District, Kōchi with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. In 1934, a typhoon caused tremendous devastation, killing 3,000 people. Muroto merged with the towns of Murotomisaki, Kiragawa, Sakihama and Hane and was elevated to city status on March 1, 1951.

Government

Muroto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 12 members. Muroto, together with the town of Tōyō, contributes one member to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kōchi 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Commercial fishing dominates the local economy of Muroto. The city is suffering from depopulation due to the decline of the fishery industry.

Education

Muroto has five public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government and one public middle school operated by the Kōchi Prefectural Department of Education.

Transportation

Railway

Muroto has no passenger railway service. The nearest train station is Nahari Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railways Asa Line. Plans to extend the line from Nahari to Muroto have been floated since 1971, but no action has been taken.

Highways

Local attractions

References

  1. ↑ "Muroto city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. 1 2 Muroto Global Geopark
  3. 1 2 3 4 Matsu'ura, Tabito (2015). "Late Quaternary uplift rate inferred from marine terraces, Muroto Peninsula, southwest Japan: Forearc deformation in an oblique subduction zone". Geomorphology. 234: 133–150. Bibcode:2015Geomo.234..133M. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.01.012.
  4. 1 2 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  5. 1 2 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Muroto population statistics
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