East [village] - Azuma

Japanese: 東[村] - あずま

A village in Sawa County in the southeast of Gunma Prefecture. Population 18,402 (1995). Located on a gentle slope at the southern foot of Mount Akagi, with the Hayakawa River flowing south. Agriculture used to be centered on rice, wheat, and sericulture, but in recent years, watermelons, pumpkins, and other vegetables, as well as livestock farming, have increased. Adjacent to Isesaki City, the Isesaki East Distribution Complex has been developed, and there are many small and medium-sized factories. The population has been increasing since around 1970. Kunisada in the north is the birthplace of Kunisada Tadatsugu, a gangster from the late Edo period. [Chiba Tatsuya]

Azuma [East village]

A village in Agatsuma County in central Gunma Prefecture. Population 2,546 (1995). It occupies the south bank of the Agatsuma River, at the northeastern foot of Mt. Haruna. The main settlement is located on the river terrace of the Agatsuma River. Most of the village area is forest. Okazaki at the foot of Mt. Haruna was a new rice-field settlement in the early modern period, which was developed by drawing water from the Numao River, which flows down from Lake Haruna. In recent years, there are many commuters from the village to Shibukawa City and other places. Trout are farmed on Hakojima, on the south bank of the Agatsuma River, using groundwater that springs up, and there is also a prefectural trout farm. Since the 1960s, there has been a rapid outflow of population, and the area has been designated a depopulated area.

Azuma [East village]

A village in Seta County, on the eastern edge of Gunma Prefecture. Population 3,657 (1995). Bordering Tochigi Prefecture. It occupies the mountainous area from the southern slope of Mt. Kesamaru to the Ashio Mountains, with the Watarase River flowing through the center. The main settlement is on a terrace along the Watarase River. During the Edo period, Hanawa and Soiri were post stations on the Copper (Akagane) Highway, which transported copper from the Ashio mines, and were home to a copper wholesaler for the government. Most of the village area is covered by forest, producing timber, shiitake mushrooms, and other products. In Kusaki and Soiri, hanako rock is quarried and processed within the village.

Higashi [East village]

A village in Nishishirakawa District, southeastern Fukushima Prefecture. Population 5,990 (1995). Located in the south of the Nakadori region, it borders Shirakawa City to the west. The village spreads across alluvial hills that gently slope to the east, with the Abukuma River at its northern end and its tributary, the Yabu River, flowing east through the center. The cultivated land consists of flat land in the river basin and orchards created by clearing the hills. The central settlement, Kamanoko, was the site of a jin'ya (camp) in the Echigo Takada Domain in the early modern period. Rice and tobacco cultivation have been carried out in the past, but in recent years, fruit cultivation (apples, peaches, and grapes) and livestock farming have also been introduced.

Higashi [East village]

A village in Kunigami County, Okinawa Prefecture. Population 1963 (1995). Located in the northern part of Okinawa Island (main island), it faces the Pacific Ocean to the east and borders Nago City to the southwest. An uplifted marine plateau, dissected from the mountain backbone such as Mt. Iyudake (446m) and Mt. Tamachiji (289m) in the northeast, slopes gently to the south, and there is flat land on the coast of Taira Bay. It used to be an isolated area with difficult transportation, and until the early 1960s forestry was the main industry, but since then the development of the terrace surface has progressed and pineapple cultivation has been carried out.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

群馬県南東部，佐波（さわ）郡の村。人口1万8402(1995)。赤城山南麓の緩斜面に位置し，早川が南流する。米麦と養蚕を中心とする農業が営まれていたが，近年はスイカ，カボチャなどの野菜や畜産が増えている。伊勢崎市に隣接して，伊勢崎東流通団地が造成され，中小工場も多い。1970年ころから人口が増加している。北部の国定は幕末の俠客国定忠次の出身地。【千葉立也】

あずま【東[村]】

群馬県中央部，吾妻（あがつま）郡の村。人口2546(1995)。吾妻川の南岸，榛名山北東麓を占める。おもな集落は吾妻川の河岸段丘上に位置する。村域の大半は山林である。榛名山麓の岡崎は近世の新田集落で，榛名湖から流下する沼尾川の水をひき，開田された。近年は渋川市をはじめ村外への通勤者が多い。吾妻川南岸の箱島では湧出する地下水を利用してマスの養殖が行われており，県営養鱒場もある。1960年代以降，人口の流出が激しく，過疎地域に指定されている。

あずま【東[村]】

群馬県東端，勢多郡の村。人口3657(1995)。栃木県と接する。袈裟丸山南斜面から足尾山地にかけての山間を占め，中央を渡良瀬川が流れる。おもな集落は渡良瀬川沿いの段丘上にある。花輪，沢入（そうり）は江戸時代，足尾鉱山から銅を運んだ銅（あかがね）街道の宿駅で，御用銅問屋が置かれていた。村域の大部分は山林で占められ，用材やシイタケなどを産する。草木，沢入では花コウ岩が切り出され，村内で加工されている。

ひがし【東[村]】

福島県南東部，西白河郡の村。人口5990(1995)。中通り地方の南に位置し，西は白河市に接する。東にゆるく傾斜する洪積丘陵地帯に村域が広がり，北端を阿武隈川，中央部をその支流矢武川が東流する。耕地は河川流域の平たん地と，丘陵を開いて造成した果樹園などからなる。中心集落の釜子（かまのこ）は，近世には越後高田藩領で陣屋が置かれた。稲作と葉タバコ栽培が営まれてきたが，近年はリンゴ，モモ，ブドウの果樹栽培や畜産などもとり入れている。

ひがし【東[村]】

沖縄県国頭（くにがみ）郡の村。人口1963(1995)。沖縄島(本島)北部にあり，東は太平洋に面し，南西は名護市に接する。北東の伊湯岳(446m)，玉辻（たまちじ）山(289m)などの脊梁山地から開析された隆起海食台地が緩傾斜で南に開け，平良（たいら）湾岸に平地がある。かつては交通の困難な隔絶地域で，1960年代前半までは林業が主産業であったが，その後，段丘面の開発が進み，パイナップル栽培が行われる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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