Article

04444 ／しかまちょう

Miyagi Prefecture 加美郡

Shikama Town

Steps lead up to a burial mound's top.

Idate Shrine, on a burial mound

Photo by Bachstelze (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Isora Shrine

Priests here have taken the surname "Kappa"generation after generation, to this day.

The Isora Shrine is known as "Okappa-sama." Its origin record dates its founding to 803, at the enshrining of a deity by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, as the town tells it. A man who guided him by water is said to have been given the surname Kappa. Reeds that kappa are said to like grow in the grounds.

Priests take the surname "Kappa"
Origin record: founded in 803
One-sided reeds in the grounds

02 ／ Kiln site

Kilns that fired tiles for the founding years of Tagajoremain on a south-facing hillside.

The Hinodeyama Kiln Site, a National Historic Site, has seven kilns: six fired tiles and Sue ware, and one fired only Sue ware. The town says tiles made here were found to date to the earliest stage at Tagajo, the time of its founding, and are thought to have been produced from the early to the middle 8th century.

National Historic Site, 1976
Seven kilns (six for tiles and Sue ware, one for Sue ware only)
Thought made early to mid 8th century

03 ／ Burial mounds

Of one keyhole-shaped mound and 22 round ones,the keyhole-shaped mound yielded a house-shaped stone coffin.

The Neyaji Tumulus Cluster, a Prefectural Historic Site, lies on a small hill on the right bank of the Naruse River. Its keyhole-shaped mound, about 52 m long on its main axis, stands at the hilltop, and a 1997 excavation found a house-shaped stone coffin in it. The cluster is thought to have been built around the 5th century as tombs of local chiefs.

Prefectural Historic Site, 1992
One keyhole-shaped mound, 22 round mounds
About 52 m on the main axis

Shikama Town from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot November 2023)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

From Furukawa Station, 33 minutes by local bus.

about 7,000 people
Rural district town

There is no railway station in the town. The town tells visitors to take a bus from Furukawa Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen to the Shikama Town Office stop. In the Miyako Bus Shikama Line timetable revised on May 18, 2026, the fastest bus from Furukawa Station to that stop takes 33 minutes on weekdays, weekends and holidays.

People living here: 6,698people
Area: 109.28km²
Households: 1,965households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 2 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —2 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Shikama Town in Japan38.549°N 140.850°E

to FurukawaLocal bus33min

Travel times follow ミヤコーバス色麻線の時刻表（令和8年5月18日改正。加美町公式『ミヤコ－バス時刻表』が載せる画像のPDF https://www.town.kami.miyagi.jp/material/files/group/6/20260518_miyako-bus_shikamasen.pdf を 2026-10-28 に目で読んだ。ミヤコーバスの公式サイトのアドレスは見つからず）。下り・平日の古川駅前発→色麻町役場前着：6:40→7:13（33分）・7:20→7:55（35）・8:00→8:35（35）・8:35→9:10（35）・10:02→10:35（33）・11:45→12:25（40・大崎市民病院経由）・13:00→13:40（40）・14:15→14:48（33）・15:20→16:00（40）・16:27→17:00（33）・17:20→17:53（33）・18:30→19:03（33）・19:15→19:48（33）。土日祝：6:55→7:28・7:50→8:23・10:00→10:33・13:00→13:33・14:30→15:03・17:05→17:38（すべて33分）。平日・土日祝のどちらにも33分の便がある（毎日運転の最速33分）。注記のある便は見当たらない（画像の読み）。逆向き（色麻町役場前発→古川駅前着）は平日 6:35→7:08（33）ほか (checked 2026-10-28). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 6 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Shikama Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

14.0km

Miyagi Prefecture: Kami Town, Taiwa Town, Ohira Village, Osaki City, Sendai City
Yamagata Prefecture: Obanazawa City

Shikama Town isthis kind of town.

01Idate Shrine stands on top of a large round burial mound from the mid-Kofun period, and the town's guide map says tradition holds it was founded in 792 when Sakanoue no Tamuramaro had a deity enshrined
02The chief priest of Isora Shrine, known as Okappa-sama, takes the surname Kappa in every generation, which the town says was given to a man who guided Tamuramaro by water
03The Hinodeyama Kiln Site is a National Historic Site with seven kilns, and a house-shaped stone coffin was found in the keyhole-shaped mound of the Neyaji Tumulus Cluster, a Prefectural Historic Site

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Shikama Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes