Tsuwano, Shimane
 |
An attractive old street in Tsuwano |
Tsuwano (津和野町;
Tsuwano-chō) is a
town located in
Kanoashi District,
Shimane prefecture,
Japan. As of
2003, the town has an estimated
population of 5,711 and a
density of 40.84 persons per
km². The total area is 139.85 km².
Tsuwano-chō (the -chō means 'town') is surrounded by hills in a rather remote location. Though it is geographically closer to
Yamaguchi city which is the
prefectural capital of
Yamaguchi prefecture, it is part of
Shimane prefecture, which has a long thin shape. It takes 3-4 hours to get to
Matsue, the capital of
Shimane prefecture, by train. Many tourists visit the town of
Hagi on the
Sea of Japan coast and
Yamaguchi city together with Tsuwano as they are all close to each other.
 |
Catholic Church at Tsuwano |
The Catholic church in Tsuwano is probably an offshoot of the cathedral in
Yamaguchi which is dedicated to the memory of Saint
Francis Xavier, who was a missionary in Japan 1549-50.
The novelist
Mori Ōgai was born in Tsuwano, into a family of doctors. His birthhouse is preserved in the town. Mori travelled to Germany and studied medicine there. As a result Tsuwano is twinned with Berlin's central ward by an agreement signed on August 25, 1995.
The philosopher
Nishi Amane was born in Tsuwano. His ancestors were doctors for the daimyo of the
fief.
The town has two new art galleries. One, the Anno Art Museum (opened in 2001), is dedicated to
Mitsumasa Anno. Anno was born and raised in Tsuwano. His talent for art has taken him all over the world. He currently lives in Tokyo; however, it is not uncommon to see him in his home town. The second is the Shisei Kuwabara Photographics Museum, the name since
1 April 2004 of what was previously Tsuwano Documentary Photograph Gallery; this features photographs by and is named after
Shisei Kuwabara, famous for his work in
Minamata and Korea.
A popular
tourist destination, Tsuwano is served by the
steam locomotive Yamaguchi-gō which runs once daily on weekends and on national holidays (except in the winter) from
Shin Yamaguchi (formerly Ogori) station to Tsuwano and back. It only stops for about three hours in Tsuwano before returning to Shin Yamaguchi station.
The 2003 movie "Spy Sorge" (director Masahiro Shinoda) about
Richard Sorge includes a scene shot in the train for period effect. The train has carriages decorated in the styles of different eras:
Meiji,
Taishō,
Shōwa; as well as European. There is also an observation car at the back. The locomotive does not run entirely under its own steam, being helped along by a diesel engine.
