Toyosato, Shiga


Toyosato is a town located in Inukami District, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2016, Toyosato's estimated population was 7,588 and had a density of 980 persons per km². The total area is 7.78 km², which makes it the smallest town in Shiga Prefecture. It is said to be the home of Gōshū ondo.
From Feudal to modern times, Toyosato has been the home of many merchants because of economic encouragement from daimyō and because traffic can flow smoothly, although it was not an area that had good irrigation for agriculture. Successful merchants such as the founder of Itochu contributed to the modernization of the town. Tetsujirō Furukawa donated ferroconcrete school buildings designed by William Merrell Vories for the Toyosato Elementary School in 1937. The Toyosato Elementary School moved to a new building in 2004, but the residents of Toyosato moved to preserve the historic school. In 2009, the anime K-On! featured a school modeled on Toyosato Elementary, which drew the attention of otakus.

Temples and Shrines

Toyosato has several Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
;Tengahiko-jinja
;Yuinen-ji
;Hakusan-jinja
;Senju-ji
;Aigoki-jinja