Hirono, Iwate

Hirono 洋野町
Town
JR Taneichi Station
Flag Seal
Location of Hirono in Iwate Prefecture
Hirono
Coordinates: 40°24′34″N 141°43′07″E / 40.40944°N 141.71861°ECoordinates: 40°24′34″N 141°43′07″E / 40.40944°N 141.71861°E
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Iwate
District	Kunohe
Area
• Total	303.24 km^2 (117.08 sq mi)
Population (February 2014)
• Total	16,899
• Density	55.7/km^2 (144/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Pinus densiflora
- Flower	Rhododendron
- Bird	Common gull
Phone number	0194-65-2111
Address	Taneichi dai-23 jiwari 27, Hirono-machi, Kunohe-gun, Iwate 028-7995
Website	Official website

Hirono (洋野町 Hirono-chō) is a town located in Kunohe District, Iwate, Japan. As of February 2014, the town had an estimated population of 16,899 and a population density of 55.7 persons per km². The total area was 303.24  km².

Geography

Hirono is located in far north-eastern Iwate Prefecture, bordered by Aomori Prefecture to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the east.

Neighboring municipalities

• Aomori Prefecture
  • Hashikami, Aomori
• Iwate Prefecture
  • Kuji, Iwate
  • Karumai, Iwate

History

The area of present-day Hirono was part of ancient Mutsu Province, dominated by the Nambu clan during the Edo period, who ruled Hachinohe Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. The villages of Taneichi, Nakano and Ōno within Kita-Kunohe District were created on April 1, 1889. Kita-Kunohe District and Minami-Kunohe Districts merged to form Kunohe District on April 1, 1897. Taneichi was raised to town status on April 1, 1951, annexing the village of Nakano on February 11, 1955. Taneichi merged with Ōno on January 1, 2006 and was renamed Hirono. The new name, combining characters for "ocean" (洋) and "fields" (野), reflected the combination of coastal Taneichi with inland Ōno. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami damaged local fishing ports and destroyed some houses in coastal areas, but the center of the town was protected by a 12-meter embankment, and the town suffered no casualties in the disaster.

Economy

Hirono is within the economic sphere of nearby Hachinohe, Aomori. The local economy is based on commercial fishing and to a lesser extent on agriculture.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company – Hachinohe Line
  • Kadonohama - Hiranai - Taneichi - Tamagawa - Shukunohe - Rikuchū-Yagi - Uge - Rikuchū-Nakano

Highway

• Japan National Route 45
• Japan National Route 395

Local Specialties

Taneichi takes pride in its sea urchins. It is common in restaurants and has its own yearly festival in July, the Taneichi Sea Urchin Festival. Some of the sea urchins are harvested by means of Nanbu diving (南部もぐり), which is taught in a special program at Taneichi Senior High School. Sea pineapples (class Ascidiacea) are also harvested in Taneichi. Ōno takes pride in its various dairy products.

Notable people from Hirono

• Ishinosuke Uwano – former Imperial Japanese Army soldier
• Kentaro Kudo – politician

External links

Media related to Hirono, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (Japanese)
• Taneichi Senior High School (Japanese)