Kawamoto, Shimane

Kawamoto is a rural town in Ochi District, central Shimane Prefecture, Japan, set in the Chugoku Mountains and covering about 106.43 square kilometres. The 2020 census counted 3,248 people, and a local estimate in July 2023 put the figure near 3,051, a density of only about 29 people per square kilometre. The area was part of the ancient province of Iwami and, in the Edo period, was territory held directly by the Tokugawa shogunate because it lay close to the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. Kawamoto Village was created in 1889 and was raised to town status on 1 April 1927. The climate is humid subtropical, with very warm summers, cool winters and a wettest month of July. The economy is based on agriculture, and the town runs one public elementary school and one junior high school. Passenger rail ended when the JR West Sanko Line closed on 1 April 2018, so the nearest station is Oda on the San'in Main Line; National Route 261 passes through.