Komoro is located in eastern Nagano Prefecture. The Chikuma River flows thorough the southern and western part of the city. Some extinct volcanic mountains are located between Komoro and neighboring Tsumagoi. The highest point in Komoro is Mt. Kurofu. Its peak is above sea level. The lowest point is. The old city center is at about. There are many slopes, so Komoro is known as a "hilly city".
Per Japanese census data, the population of Komoro peaked at around the year 2000 and has declined slightly since.
Climate
Komoro is far from the sea and surrounded by mountains, so the rainfall is lower and diurnal temperature range is greater than many locations in Japan, and average annual temperature of Komoro is relatively cool because of the high altitude. The city has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters. The average annual temperature in Komoro is 10.8 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1108 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.7 °C.
History
Pre-modern
The area of present-day Komoro was part of ancient Shinano Province. The Tōsandō, one of the national routes passed Komoro, which was the location of an Umaya, or post station for government officials and army. However, the name "Komoro" first appears in written history in the Kamakura period chronicle, Azuma Kagami. In these days, Komoro Tarō Mitsukane, a gokenin assigned by the shogunate to govern the area. During the Muromachi period, the region came under the control of the Ogasawara Ōi clan. The area had a very unsettled history during the Sengoku period. Under the Edo periodTokugawa shogunate, much of the area was under the control of Komoro Domain and the town developed into a jōkamachi around Komoro Castle.
The modern town of Komoro was established on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of the Meiji period municipalities system. The town of Komoro annexed villages of Kawabe, Kitaoi and Osato on February 1, 1954. The city of Komoro was established on April 1, 1954 after absorbing the villages of Minamioi and Mitsuoka. On April 1, 1959 parts of the town of Tobu was merged into Komoro and the city has been unchanged since.
Komoro is s regional commercial center and has a primarily agricultural economy based on cultivation of rice, vegetables and fruits. Among agricultural products in Komoro, potatoes, soba, apples, and peaches are popular. Komoro has many soba restaurants and apple orchards, so a lot of visitors come there from Shutoken. Komoro is also known for its miso.
Kaikoen, a park in the center of Komoro containing the foundations of Komoro Castle as well as a museum dedicated to Shimazaki Toson and a zoo. The third gate of castle and the fourth gate are Important Cultural Properties of Japan, as is the Kyu Komoro Honjin. Kaikoen is known for cherry blossoms, and has been selected as one of the Top 100 Cherry Blossom Viewing Sites in Japan.
Nunobikisan Shakuson-ji , a Buddhist temple dating from 748 AD located at the top of a deep ravine. Kan'nondo Kūden, the oldest surviving building was built in 1252 and is an Important Cultural Property. You can also see Shidare zakura in April.
Mountain hiking in Takamine, close to the active volcanoMt Asama, and Mt.Kurofu is about a 30-minute drive uphill from Komoro. You can also enjoy skiing in winter, and Onsen in all seasons there.
Teranouchi Stone Age Settlement ruins, a Jōmon-period settlement trace and National Historic Site
Notable residents
Shimazaki Toson, poet and writer. Toson spent a period teaching in Komoro, and is featured in a dedicated museum located within Komoro's Kaikoen park.
, a leaf-flute Zen Master who lived as a hermit in Komoro's Kaikoen Park until 1980. Yokoyama was inspired by an earlier resident of Komoro, the poet and writer Shimazaki Toson. See Arthur Braverman's excellent for some personal recollections of Yokoyama.
Shuichi Abe, the current governor of Nagano prefecture. He and his family have been living in Komoro since 2014.
