Mifune, Kumamoto

Mifune

御船町
Mifune 御船町
Town
	Mifune town hall
	Flag Chapter
	Location of Mifune in Kumamoto Prefecture
	Mifune Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 32°42′52″N 130°48′07″E / 32.71444°N 130.80194°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Kumamoto
District	Kamimashiki
Area
• Total	99.03 km2 (38.24 sq mi)
Population (August 21, 2024)
• Total	17,254
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	995-1 Oaza Mifune, Mifune-cho, Kamimashiki-gun, Kumamoto-ken 861-3296
Website	Official website
Symbols
Flower	Wisteria floribunda
Tree	Ternstroemia gymnanthera

Mifune (御船町, Mifune-machi) is a town located in Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.^[1] As of 31 July 2024^[update], the town had an estimated population of 17,254 in 7647 households, and a population density of 170 persons per km².^[2] The total area of the town is 99.03 km² (38.24 sq mi).

Geography

Mifune is located in central Kumamoto Prefecture.

Palaeontology

In March 2014, a piece of sandstone was found in Mifune that was revealed to contain a tooth dated to the Late Cretaceous, 90 million years ago. The tooth is the oldest thus found in Japan and is assumed to be a back tooth from the left, upper jaw of a carnivore similar to a Deltatheridium, an ancient marsupial relative that lived in what is now Mongolia between 145 and 66 million years ago.^[3] The find was announced by the Mifune Dinosaur Museum in August 2017. The museum and town also partner with Montana State University's Museum of the Rockies.^[4]

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture

Climate

Mifune has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mifune is 14.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1965 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.23 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.7 °C.^[5]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Mifune is as shown below

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1940	18,119	—
1950	23,383	+29.1%
1960	21,543	−7.9%
1970	17,716	−17.8%
1980	17,536	−1.0%
1990	17,952	+2.4%
2000	18,532	+3.2%
2010	17,888	−3.5%
2020	16,303	−8.9%

History

The area of Mifune was part of ancient Higo Province, and was the site of several battles in the Nanboku-chō period, Sengoku period and in the Satsuma rebellion. Its name comes from a legend that this is where Kofun period Emperor Keiko's ship was docked during his residence in Kyushu. During the Edo Period it was part of the holdings of Kumamoto Domain, under which it flourished as a mercantile town. After the Meiji restoration, the town of Mifune was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Government

Mifune has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 14 members. Mifune, collectively with the other municipalities of Kamimashiki District contributes two members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of the Kumamoto 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on light manufacturing, commerce and agriculture.

Education

Mifune has six public elementary schools and one public junior high school operated by the town government, and one public high schools operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education. The Heisei College of Music is located in Mifune.