Article

20402 ／まつかわまち

Nagano Prefecture 下伊那郡

Matsukawa Town

A town named for a river from the Alps.

Katagiri-Matsukawa River

Photo by Bakkai (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Buna Buried-Tree Traces

Trees caught in a mudflow are thoughtto have become holes in the cliff.

In the Misobeta Formation, a layer of volcanic mudflow deposits on the steep slope beside the Tenryu River, holes shaped like tree trunks have been found. The town says 109 were found in 2020, making 111 with 2 reported earlier. The largest is judged to be at least 30 cm across and 5.76 m long. It is a town natural monument.

111 holes, including 2 reported earlier
Largest at least 30 cm across and 5.76 m long
Town natural monument (Feb. 1, 2023)

02 ／ Oshima Castle Ruins

The moat around the gate's forecourtsurvives as a double crescent.

Crescent-shaped moats, regarded as a hallmark of Takeda castle-building technique, can be seen in two rings. Such a moat encircled the flat ground in front of a gate to guard the entrance, and the town says it was once filled with water. The earthen bridge linking the third enclosure and the outwork is made of four large stones. The site is now a park.

Moat in a double crescent
Earthen bridge of four large stones
Town-designated historic site

03 ／ Oshima Nanasugi Shrine

Giant cedars stand centered onseven sacred trees.

The shrine is traditionally said to have been enshrined in the late Heian period by the Oshima clan, a branch of the Katagiri clan, as the guardian shrine of its own domain. The precinct has giant cedars centered on seven sacred trees, and the shrine grove is designated a town natural monument.

7 sacred trees
Town natural monument (plants)

Matsukawa 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 April 2016)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

The Tenryu River runs through the middle of the town, north to south.

about 10,000 people
Rural district town

The town lies at the northern tip of Shimoina District, nearly in the center of the Ina Valley, 21 km east to west and about 6 km north to south, covering 72.79 km2. Terraces have formed on both sides of the river, and the town says the west side has housing and shops and thriving pear and apple growing. The gateway is Ina-Oshima Station on the JR Iida Line.

People living here: 12,530people
Area: 72.79km²
Households: 4,428households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 1 hospital ／ 4 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —3 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.

Shape

Borders 6 municipalities.

Matsukawa Town in Japan35.597°N 137.910°E

Territory of Matsukawa 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

11.6km

Nakagawa Village, Toyooka Village, Takamori Town, Iijima Town, Oshika Village, Iida City

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Matsukawa Town isthis kind of town.

01The town says its name comes from the Katagiri-Matsukawa River, which flows down from the Central Alps. It was founded in 1956 when Oshima Village and Kami-Katagiri Village merged, and in 1959 took in Ikuta Village and part of Takamori Town
02In the Misobeta Formation at Buna, on the steep slope beside the Tenryu River, 111 holes thought to be traces of trees caught in a volcanic mudflow have been found, and the site is a town natural monument. The double crescent moat of Oshima Castle and the cedar grove of Oshima Nanasugi Shrine are also town-designated
03The Tenryu River runs through the middle of the town from north to south, with terraces on both sides. Pear and apple growing thrives on the west side, and the gateway is Ina-Oshima Station on the JR Iida Line

See the town as it is now.

Facebookmatsukawatown ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Matsukawa Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

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