Kosugi no Osugi, Sakegawa Village
Article

06366 / さけがわむら

Yamagata Prefecture 最上郡

Sakegawa Village

One cedar, forked at the base.

Kosugi no Osugi

Photo by Cp9asngf (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 / Preserved salmon

Salmon cured in the cold under the eaves:the village's traditional preserved food.

The village writes that salmon have long run up the clear Sakegawa River, and presents Yo no Jingiri as its traditional preserved food: salted salmon cured in cold air under the eaves. In autumn a weir is set up on a tributary of the river, and the village mayor writes that salmon run upriver in autumn, as the name suggests.

  • Salted, then cured in cold air under the eaves
  • Weir on a tributary of the river
  • Salmon run upriver in autumn (mayor)

02 / Kabuki

A kabuki formed by merging four village troupesis a prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

Sakegawa Kabuki was formed by merging four village troupes from within the village. The prefecture says it carries on the traditions of all four and has many plays in its repertoire. On 14 June 2026 a special earthen-stage performance was held in the grounds of a village shrine.

  • Prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property, 2006
  • Four troupes merged
  • Kanadehon Chushingura and Yoshitsune Senbonzakura

03 / Kannon hall

The last stop on the Mogami 33 Kannon pilgrimage,with strongman figures carved on a hall beam.

Kannon hall in Sakegawa Village
Photo by Cp9asngf (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Niwatsuki Kannon is a Tendai temple on the bank of the Sakegawa River and the last stop on the Mogami 33 Kannon pilgrimage. The temple says two strongman figures are carved on an arched beam of its Kannon hall, and that such figures are concentrated in central to southern Akita and northern Yamagata.

  • Last stop of the Mogami 33 Kannon
  • Two strongman figures on a hall beam
  • Found mainly in Akita and northern Yamagata

Sakegawa Village from the sky

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

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

2016 (shot FY2016)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles(年度別空中写真(2016年度)/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

A village 20 km wide, ringed by Shinjo, Tozawa, Mamurogawa and Sakata.

  • about 4,000 people
  • Rural district town

The village lies in the north of Yamagata Prefecture, in the northwest of the Mogami area, and the village says it measures 20 km east to west and 12 km north to south, with a total area of 122.14 km². Shinjo City is to the east, Tozawa Village to the south, Mamurogawa Town to the north and Sakata City to the west. The only JR station in the village is Uzen-Toyosato Station on the Ou Main Line, served by local trains. The village runs three bus routes and a reservation-based shared bus.

People living here
3,902people
19952020

−9.6% since 2015

6,092 → 3,902

Area
122.14km²

41.8km² of it habitable

2024

Households
1,193households

3.3 people per household

2020

Rent (average for rentals)
—
Healthcare
0 hospitals / 2 clinics

5.1 per 10,000 people

2023

Area122.14km²Habitable land41.8km² / 34%
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.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Sakegawa Village in Japan38.796°N 140.222°E
TokyoOsakaSakegawa Village
Territory of Sakegawa Village
Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.

North to south

12.1km

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

Sakegawa Village isthis kind of town.

  1. 01Kosugi no Osugi is a cedar that rises forked at the base; the village describes it as a giant cedar counted at 1,000 years old, long treasured as a sacred tree by the local community
  2. 02Yo no Jingiri is the village's traditional preserved salmon, and Sakegawa Kabuki, formed by merging four village troupes, is a prefectural Intangible Folk Cultural Property
  3. 03Niwatsuki Kannon is the last stop on the Mogami 33 Kannon pilgrimage, with strongman figures carved on a hall beam, and the village's only JR station is Uzen-Toyosato on the Ou Main Line

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.