Muroto, Kōchi

Muroto is located in the southeastern tip of Kōchi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It occupies Cape Muroto which juts out into the Pacific Ocean. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Muroto-Anan Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The entire territory of Muroto is "Muroto Global Geopark" which is a member of the Japanese Geoparks Network and Global Geoparks Network since 2011 on account of its outstanding geological heritage, educational programs and projects, and promotion of geotourism.[http://www.muroto-geo.jp/en/ Muroto Global Geopark]

Cape Muroto is made up of Oligocene to Pleistocene-aged sedimentary rocks and loose Holocene-aged alluvial deposits. The rocks belong to the Shimanto Supergroup, represented in the peninsula as mudstone, and the Tonohama Group made up of chiefly of sandstone and gravel. Several active, WNW-dipping, thrust faults are exposed at the western coast and southern tip of the peninsula. Off-shore west of the Cape Muroto, tip of the peninsula, there faults dips to the west.

There are uplifted marine terraces at Muroto. Dating of these terraces reveal that since their formation in an interval 123 to 96 thousand years ago (k B.P.), in an epoch corresponding to the Eemian interglacial. Since then land in the tip of the peninsula has risen 1.2–1.6 meters every thousand years (m/kyr). Closer to the mainland the uplift rate has been in the order of 0.3–0.7 m/kyr.{{cite journal |last1=Matsu'ura |first1=Tabito |date=2015 |title=Late Quaternary uplift rate inferred from marine terraces, Muroto Peninsula, southwest Japan: Forearc deformation in an oblique subduction zone |journal=Geomorphology |volume=234 |pages=133–150 |doi=10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.01.012 |bibcode=2015Geomo.234..133M |doi-access=free }} While these are long-term averages individual large non-megathrust earthquakes are known to have uplifted the coast around one meter. These earthquakes are more rare than megathrust ones occurring every 1000 to 2000 years. Uplift of the coast has left fossil tube worm colonies attached to rocks on land.

Kōchi Prefecture

• Kitagawa
• Nahari
• Tōyō

Muroto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Muroto is {{convert|16.9|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|2465.0|mm}} with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{convert|26.3|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{convert|7.7|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Muroto was {{cvt|35.0|C}} on 30 July 1942; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-6.6|C}} on 26 February 1981.

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Cape Muroto, Muroto (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1920−present)

|Jan record high C = 20.8

|Feb record high C = 21.1

|Mar record high C = 23.1

|Apr record high C = 25.8

|May record high C = 28.2

|Jun record high C = 30.1

|Jul record high C = 35.0

|Aug record high C = 34.5

|Sep record high C = 32.9

|Oct record high C = 29.5

|Nov record high C = 26.4

|Dec record high C = 22.0

|Jan record low C = -5.4

|Feb record low C = -6.6

|Mar record low C = -3.5

|Apr record low C = 2.2

|May record low C = 7.1

|Jun record low C = 12.6

|Jul record low C = 16.5

|Aug record low C = 17.9

|Sep record low C = 14.4

|Oct record low C = 6.8

|Nov record low C = 1.8

|Dec record low C = -2.1

|Jan high C = 10.6

|Feb high C = 11.4

|Mar high C = 14.3

|Apr high C = 18.2

|May high C = 21.7

|Jun high C = 23.9

|Jul high C = 27.6

|Aug high C = 29.0

|Sep high C = 26.5

|Oct high C = 22.2

|Nov high C = 17.7

|Dec high C = 13.0

|Jan mean C = 7.7

|Feb mean C = 8.2

|Mar mean C = 11.0

|Apr mean C = 15.2

|May mean C = 18.8

|Jun mean C = 21.5

|Jul mean C = 25.0

|Aug mean C = 26.3

|Sep mean C = 24.0

|Oct mean C = 19.8

|Nov mean C = 15.1

|Dec mean C = 10.2

|Jan low C = 5.1

|Feb low C = 5.4

|Mar low C = 8.1

|Apr low C = 12.5

|May low C = 16.5

|Jun low C = 19.6

|Jul low C = 23.2

|Aug low C = 24.4

|Sep low C = 22.0

|Oct low C = 17.6

|Nov low C = 12.7

|Dec low C = 7.7

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 89.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 113.8

|Mar precipitation mm = 177.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 203.2

|May precipitation mm = 240.6

|Jun precipitation mm = 330.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 267.9

|Aug precipitation mm = 210.2

|Sep precipitation mm = 322.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 251.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 164.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 93.3

|year precipitation mm = 2465.0

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.5

|Feb precipitation days = 7.6

|Mar precipitation days = 10.6

|Apr precipitation days = 10.1

|May precipitation days = 10.6

|Jun precipitation days = 13.9

|Jul precipitation days = 11.1

|Aug precipitation days = 10.9

|Sep precipitation days = 11.9

|Oct precipitation days = 10.0

|Nov precipitation days = 8.0

|Dec precipitation days = 6.1

|Jan snow cm = 0

|Feb snow cm = 0

|Mar snow cm = 0

|Apr snow cm = 0

|May snow cm = 0

|Jun snow cm = 0

|Jul snow cm = 0

|Aug snow cm = 0

|Sep snow cm = 0

|Oct snow cm = 0

|Nov snow cm = 0

|Dec snow cm = 0

|year snow cm = 0

|unit snow days = 1 cm

|Jan snow days = 0

|Feb snow days = 0

|Mar snow days = 0

|Apr snow days = 0

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0

|Nov snow days = 0

|Dec snow days = 0

|humidity colour= green

|Jan humidity = 61

|Feb humidity = 63

|Mar humidity = 67

|Apr humidity = 71

|May humidity = 78

|Jun humidity = 87

|Jul humidity = 89

|Aug humidity = 86

|Sep humidity = 80

|Oct humidity = 72

|Nov humidity = 68

|Dec humidity = 63

|Jan sun = 179.0

|Feb sun = 172.1

|Mar sun = 194.7

|Apr sun = 199.7

|May sun = 196.1

|Jun sun = 132.3

|Jul sun = 177.8

|Aug sun = 227.9

|Sep sun = 171.2

|Oct sun = 178.5

|Nov sun = 169.3

|Dec sun = 180.4

|year sun = 2178.9

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_s.php?prec_no=74&block_no=47899&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = April 17, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_ym.php?prec_no=74&block_no=47899&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = April 17, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data, the population of Muroto in 2020 is 11,742 people. Muroto has been conducting censuses since 1920.

{{Historical populations

| 1920 | 22207

| 1925 | 23851

| 1930 | 26103

| 1935 | 25967

| 1940 | 25081

| 1945 | 30227

| 1950 | 32667

| 1955 | 32878

| 1960 | 30498

| 1965 | 28746

| 1970 | 27445

| 1975 | 26660

| 1980 | 26086

| 1985 | 25309

| 1990 | 23308

| 1995 | 21430

| 2000 | 19472

| 2005 | 17490

| 2010 | 15210

| 2015 | 13524

| 2020 | 11742

|align = none

| footnote = Muroto population statistics[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/japan/kochi/ Muroto population statistics]

}}

As with all of Kōchi Prefecture, the area of Muroto was part of ancient Tosa Province. During the Edo period, the area was part of the holdings of Tosa Domain ruled by the Yamauchi clan from their seat at Kōchi Castle. Following the Meiji restoration, the village of Muroto was established within Aki District, Kōchi with the creation of the modern municipalities system on October 1, 1889. In 1934, a typhoon caused tremendous devastation, killing 3,000 people. Muroto merged with the towns of Murotomisaki, Kiragawa, Sakihama and Hane and was elevated to city status on March 1, 1951.

Muroto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 12 members. Muroto, together with the town of Tōyō, contributes one member to the Kōchi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Kōchi 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Commercial fishing dominates the local economy of Muroto. The city is suffering from depopulation due to the decline of the fishery industry.

Muroto has five public elementary schools and four public middle schools operated by the city government and one public middle school operated by the Kōchi Prefectural Department of Education.

Muroto has no passenger railway service. The nearest train station is Nahari Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railways Asa Line. Plans to extend the line from Nahari to Muroto have been floated since 1971, but no action has been taken.

• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|55}}

• Cape Muroto
• Hotsumisaki-ji, 24th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage
• Kongōchō-ji, 26th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage
• Shinshō-ji, 25th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Muroto, Kochi}}

• {{url|http://www.city.muroto.kochi.jp|Muroto City official website}} {{in lang|ja}}
• [http://www.muroto-geo.jp/en/ Muroto Global Geopark] in English
• [http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/kochi/murotomisaki.html Muroto-Anan Coast Quasi-National Park] in English
• {{osmrelation-inline|4034495}}

{{Kōchi Prefecture}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muroto, Kochi}}

Category:Cities in Kōchi Prefecture

Category:Global Geoparks Network members

Category:Geoparks in Japan

Category:Populated coastal places in Japan

Category:Muroto, Kōchi

{{Kochi-geo-stub}}