Kitahata [village] - Kitahata

Japanese: 北波多[村] - きたはた

A village in Higashi Matsuura County in northwest Saga Prefecture. Population 4,925 (1995). It borders Karatsu City to the north and Imari City to the southwest. The village is long and narrow from north to south, with the Tokusue River, a tributary of the Matsuura River, flowing north through the center. Coal mines were opened during the Kyoho era (1716-1736), and the village flourished as part of the Karatsu coalfields from the Meiji era through World War II. However, with the collapse of the coal industry after the war, many mines were closed, and today all of them are closed. The main industry is agriculture, with the cultivation of rice, mandarin oranges, and tea, as well as greenhouse cultivation of strawberries and other crops. It is the production area of Kishidake ware, a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

佐賀県北西部，東松浦郡の村。人口4925(1995)。北は唐津市，南西は伊万里市に接する。村域は南北に細長く，中央を松浦川支流の徳須恵川が北流する。享保年間(1716‐36)に炭鉱が開かれ，明治～第2次世界大戦中は唐津炭田の一部として活況を呈したが，戦後の石炭産業崩壊により閉山があいつぎ，現在はすべてが閉山されている。主産業の農業は，米，ミカン，茶の栽培のほか，イチゴなどの施設園芸も盛ん。中世以来の伝統をもつ岸岳焼の生産地である。

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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