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is a coastal town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan. The town has the distinction of being the southernmost point of Japan's main island, Honshū. The central area of town is on a narrow isthmus, surrounded on both sides by the Pacific Ocean. Kushimoto is bordered by the towns of Susami on the west, Kozagawa on the north, and Nachi-Katsuura on the east. On April 1, 2005 Kushimoto absorbed the town of Koza, from Higashimuro District, to become the new town of Kushimoto. The former town of Kushimoto was part of Nishimuro District, but the town has strong ties with the city of Shingū and Higashimuro District, both for political and economic reasons. The town became part of Higashimuro District upon this merger. ==History== Though people were known to have inhabited the area since the Asuka Period, the first known documented settlements were established during the Edo Period. During that time, most of the area that encompasses Wakayama Prefecture today was known as Kii-no-Kuni (Kii Province) or Kishū. The area was owned by the Kii branch of the Tokugawa clan, headquartered at Wakayama Castle. Kushimoto did not experience significant growth until the 20th century. It was officially incorporated into a town in Nishimuro District in 1907. Over the next decades, the town grew as a result of numerous mergers with the surrounding neighborhoods: *1924: Incorporation of Fuji-Bashi *1955: Incorporation of Arita, Shiono-Misaki, Tanami, and Wabuka *1958: Incorporation of Oshima *On April 1, 2005: Kushimoto, formerly from Nishimuro District, absorbed the town of Koza, from Higashimuro District, to become the new town of Kushimoto, now in Higashimuro District. Being in a very strategic location, Kushimoto was home to many military installations during World War II, including the Kushimoto Seaplane Base and Shiono-Misaki Airfield. Both bases were attacked by the United States Navy and Air Force in 1945, including a naval bombardment on the night of 24/25 July. Shiono-Misaki Airfield now serves as a small base for the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. Kushimoto (or specifically, Shiono-Misaki) was the epicenter of the Great Nankai earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck the area on December 21, 1946 at 4:19am. This triggered a tsunami that enveloped the central part of town. Most of the Fuji-Bashi neighborhood was destroyed but has since been rebuilt. There are memorials around town marking the event, including signposts indicating how far the tsunami had penetrated inland. Of the 269 casualties in Wakayama Prefecture, the majority were in Kushimoto and in the city of Kainan. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kushimoto, Wakayama」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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