Kusatsu, Gunma
868365
219403170
2008-06-15T01:45:37Z
Amake
2570277
{{Infobox City Japan
|Name= Kusatsu
|JapaneseName= 草津町
|MapImage= Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture Ja.svg
|Region= [[Kantō region|Kantō]]
|Prefecture= [[Gunma Prefecture|Gunma]]
|District= [[Agatsuma District, Gunma|Agatsuma]]
|Area_km2= 49.74
|PopDate= 2008
|Population= 7419
|Density_km2= 149
|Coords= {{coor dm|36|37|N|138|36|E|region:JP_type:city}}
|Tree=
|Flower= Rhododendron
|Flowering tree=
|Bird=
|Butterfly=
|Fish=
|Others=
|SymbolImage= Senshitsushugi.jpg
|SymbolDescription=
|Mayor= Takashi Nakazawa
|CityHallPostalCode= 377-1792
|CityHallAddress= 28 Ōaza Kusastsu, Kusatsu-machi, Agatsuma-gun, Gunma-ken
|CityHallPhone= 0279-88-0001
|CityHallLink= [http://www.town.kusatsu.gunma.jp Town of Kusatsu]
}}
[[Image:Kusatsu.jpg|right|thumb|Kusatsu]]
{{nihongo|'''Kusatsu'''|草津町|Kusatsu-machi}} is a small [[towns of Japan|town]] in [[Agatsuma District, Gunma|Agatsuma District]] in [[Gunma Prefecture]], Japan. Kusatsu is situated about 1200 meters above sea level. The active volcano [[Mount Shirane]] (2160 m high) and the inactive [[Mount Tengu]] (1385 m high) and [[Mount Motoshirane]] (2171 m high) are located west of Kusatsu.
===Climate===
Due to the altitude Kusatsu's annual average temperature is 7 °C, with a maximum temperature of around 30 °C during summer and a minimum temperature of -14 °C in winter. The main rainy season is from June to September.
===Population, economy, and infrastructure===
Kusatsu has a [[population]] of 7419, which is slowly decreasing. The town's main income is [[tourism]] (about 90% of the working population is employed in the [[Tertiary sector of economic activity|tertiary sector]]), there is only very little [[industry]] and almost no [[agriculture]]. Kusatsu's [[infrastructure]] is well developed: Besides the road 292, there is a bus connection from the Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi station as well as a bus connection from [[Shinjuku, Tokyo]]. During the winter season the streets are kept free of snow using [[Onsen]] water.
===Onsen===
Kusatsu is one of the most popular [[Onsen|hot springs resorts]] in Japan and regularly achieves high rankings in Japan-wide surveys.
There are about 100 [[Onsen]] in Kusatsu with a total amount of about 34000 liters water per minute pouring out of the ground. The water is [[sulfur]]ous and [[acid]]. The hot springs are said to help curing the following [[ailment]]s: [[arthralgia]], stiff shoulders, [[paralysis]], hardenings, [[bruise]]s, [[sprain]]s, chronic [[indigestion]], [[hemorrhoids]], chills, [[arteriosclerosis]], burns, chronic [[gynecological]] disorders.
The water from the Onsen is used not only for bathing but also for the heating of the primary and secondary schools, the municipal welfare center, the streets during winter and many households, as well as for the municipal swimming pool.
===Sister cities===
Kusatsu has quite a few sister cities in Japan and all over the world. In Japan these are mostly Onsen towns or Sea resorts such as:
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Hayama, Kanagawa]]
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Noboribetsu, Hokkaidō]]
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Gero, Gifu]]
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Arima Onsen]]
Another sister city is {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Kusatsu, Shiga]].
Outside Japan Kusatsu has the following sister cities:
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Bietigheim-Bissingen]], [[Germany]]. The town in which Kusatsu's benefactor [[Erwin Bälz]] was born. The contacts with this sister town are the most intensive. There is an annual student exchange.
*{{flagicon|Austria}} [[Neustift im Stubaital|Neustift]], [[Austria]]. Winter sport resort town. Contact established through the Austrian national ski team.
*{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Karlovy Vary]] (Karlsbad, Carlsbad), [[Czech Republic]]. Spa resort town, was compared with Kusatsu by [[Erwin Bälz|Bälz]].
*{{flagicon|Australia}} [[Snowy River Shire Council|Snowy River]], [[Australia]]. This town is located on the same latitude as Kusatsu, only on the southern half of the world.
Kusatsu is member of the {{nihongo|"Romantic road Japan"|日本ロマンチック街道|Nihon romanchikku kaidō}} from [[Komoro, Nagano]] to [[Nikkō, Tochigi]]. This road is a "partner road" to the German [[romantic road]].
==History==
===Yayoi period===
The legendary origin of Kusatsu goes back to the second century during the Yayoi period. Following the legend, either [[Yamato Takeru]] or [[Yamabushi]] discovered the hot springs around Kusatsu. There is no historical evidence, however. There is evidence that Yamato Takeru named the towns [[Tsumagoi, Gunma|Tsumagoi]] and [[Agatsuma, Gunma|Agatsuma]] after his wife ("tsuma" means "wife" in Japanese). Since both towns are in the proximity of Kusatsu, we do know that people at least settled near Kusatsu at that time.
===Kamakura period===
Up to the 12th century there is no specific record of Kusatsu. The local lore tells that in 1193, [[Minamoto Yoritomo]] came to Kusatsu in pursue of fleeing [[Taira clan]] warriors. He then bathed in the {{nihongo|Yubatake|湯畑}}. The {{nihongo|Gozaishi|御座石||illustrious seat, royal seat}} on which Yoritomo sat, and the {{nihongo|Yoritomo-gū|頼朝宮||Yoritomo Palace}} in which he is said to have bathed, can be visited until this day, near the Yubatake. The narration also tells, that there was a lot of undergrowth near the Yubatake, which was cut by Yoritomo, so we can reason that there wasn't a settlement near today's Kusatsu yet. Kusatsu's history began in 1200 when {{nihongo|Kōsenji|光泉寺||Light of the hot springs temple}} was founded. Records can be found in the annals of Kusatsu.
===Sengoku period===
Almost 400 years later, during the Sengoku period, there is more evidence for the existence of Kusatsu, which, in the meantime, had grown to what is nowadays known as a hot springs resort. Mostly wounded [[Samurai]] came here to tend to their wounds. In the {{nihongo|Tokyo University Historiographical Book Of Facsimiles|東大史料編纂所影写本|Tōdai shiryō hensanjo eishabon}} we can find a correspondence between [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] and [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] on the following issue: In the year 1595 ([[Bunroku]] 4) Hideyoshi recommended the Kusatsu hot springs to Ieyasu. The latter, however was ill and couldn't go to Kusatsu himself, so he advised his servants to fetch some water from Kusatsu and bring it to his residence in [[Edo]] (Tokyo).
Actually it can be reasoned that Ieyasu only feigned illness in order to avoid going to Kusatsu, as the [[Sanada clan|Sanada]] clan, which was hostile towards Ieyasu, resided in the vicinity of Kusatsu, in [[Ueda Castle]] Castle.
===Edo period===
During the Edo period, especially the [[Bakumatsu]], Kusatsu experienced an unprecedented economic growth and became one of Japan's best known hot springs. Although an ever increasing number of Japanese infected themselves with [[venereal disease]]s like [[gonorrhoea]] and [[syphilis]] in Tokyo's red light districts like [[Yoshiwara]], at the time, besides bathing in hot springs, there was no medicine or treatment known in Japan for these ailments. The saying: {{nihongo|"Kusatsu sengen Edo gamae"|草津千軒江戸構え}} also goes back to this time and means: A thousand stores, just like in (the shopping districts in) [[Edo]].
[[Image:Yubatake Taishô.jpg|thumb|Yubatake at the beginning of the 20th century]]
===Meiji period===
In the year 1869 ([[Meiji period|Meiji]] 2) Kusatsu burned to the ground. The town was reconstructed within a few years, however many townspeople eventually ran into debts. In the wake of these debts many small enterprises, especially [[Ryokan]] went bankrupt during the next 20 years. At that time many of the inhabitants of Kusatsu abandoned the traditional practice of {{nihongo|"Fuyuzumi"|冬住み}}, which meant leaving Kusatsu in wintertime and returning to their hometowns, located further down the mountains. The townspeople sold their old homes, in order to repay their debts and began to live in Kusatsu all year long. In 1876 ([[Meiji period|Meiji]] 9) Dr. [[Erwin Bälz]], a German [[internist]] came to Kusatsu for the first time. Dr. [[Erwin Bälz]] was one of the fathers of modern western medical science in Japan and court physician to the emperor. He was convinced of the healing power of the hot springs in Kusatsu, thus began the scientific research of the hot springs and convinced the townspeople of the necessity to teach the correct application of the hot springs to Japanese medical doctors. Furthermore he made Kusatsu well-known in Europe, a fact for which the inhabitants of Kusatsu are grateful even today.
===From Taishō to Heisei===
In 1914 ([[Taishō period|Taishō]] 3) the Kusatsu ski club was founded.
In 1926 (Taishō 15) the construction of the {{nihongo|Kusakaru railway line|草軽電気鉄道|Kusakaru denki tetsudō}} between Kusatsu and [[Karuizawa]], which had been begun in 1908 ([[Meiji period|Meiji]] 41) was finished.
In 1948 ([[Shōwa period|Shōwa]] 23) a ski lift was erected on Mount Tengu, near Kusatsu. It was the first ski lift in Japan and Kusatsu became one of the first ski resorts in Japan, too.
In 1964 (Shōwa 39) the service of the railway line was terminated, as it became unprofitable, due to the shut down of a [[sulfur]] pit nearby.
In 1992 ([[Heisei period|Heisei]] 4) and 1994 (Heisei 6) Kenji Ogiwara from Kusatsu won two Olympic gold medals in the [[Nordic combined]] team events, as well as three world cup championships (twice individual, once team) in [[Nordic skiing]] between 1993 and 1997. His brother [[Tsugiharu Ogiwara|Tsugiharu]] won the world championship with the Japanese team in 1995.
==Sights and events==
==='''Yubatake'''===
[[Image:Yubatake Heisei.jpg|left|thumb|Yubatake]]
[[Image:Yubatake yoru.jpg|thumb|Yubatake at night]]
The Yubatake, one of the biggest hot springs and main attraction of the town, is located in the center of Kusatsu. The spring water pours out of the rock and is then conducted through several rows of wooden boxes. In those wooden boxes {{nihongo|Yu no hana|湯の花}} one of Kusatsus specialties is cultivated. The word Yubatake accordingly means "hot water field." Around the Yubatake there are 100 name plates of famous persons that visited Kusatsu attached. Internationally well-known are: [[Erwin Bälz]] (German [[internist]]), [[Julius Scriba]] (German medical doctor, [[surgeon]]), [[Bruno Taut]] (German architect), [[Ernest Satow]] (British researcher of Japan, diplomat), [[Kakuei Tanaka]] (Japanese prime minister 1972 - 1974), [[Rikidōzan]] (famous [[Professional wrestling|pro wrestler]]). On the lower part of the Yubatake there is a small cascade and the rock has an emerald shade. This is one of the most popular spots for souvenir pictures.
[[Image:Yumomi.jpg|thumb|Yumomi]]
===Netsu no yu===
The {{nihongo|Netsu no yu|熱の湯|lit. "hot water"}}, though located adjacent to the Yubatake, is a hot spring in it's own right. The water is about 54 degrees hot, so, naturally, it is not possible to bathe in it. For that reason there is the ancient tradition of {{nihongo|Yumomi|湯もみ}}, which means kneading or bashing the water. Using 1.80 meters long wooden boards the hot water is stirred, bashed, kneaded and thus cooled down. The simple method, pouring cold water into the hot water is not practiced because the healing power of the water would diminish. During the Yumomi ceremony the Kusatsu song is sung and [[Japanese traditional dance]] is performed.
===The Bälz museum===
The Bälz museum is another of Kusatsu's attractions. Located at the entrance of Kusatsu visitors can inform themselves about the life and work of [[Erwin Bälz]]. Furthermore there is a souvenir shop with goods mostly from Germany and the Czech republic.
===Onsen===
There are more than 100 [[Onsen]] in Kusatsu. The biggest and most popular are:
[[Image:Ootaki no yu.jpg|thumb|Ootaki no yu]]
*{{nihongo|Ōtaki no yu|大滝の湯||lit. "great waterfall hot spring"}} is named after spring water forming a waterfall. The building itself is made from wood and there is one basin on the inside and one on the outside ([[Rotenburo]]). The service in this Onsen is very extensive: There are massage chairs, footbaths, relax rooms and more.
[[Image:Sai no kawara.jpg|left|thumb|Sai no kawara]]
*{{nihongo|Sai no kawara|西の河原|lit. "western riverbed"}} is an outside basin of approximately 500 ㎡, which can be used by more than 100 guests at once. For the separation of genders it is divided by a wooden fence. Located in a valley overflowing with hot springs it is one of the most beautiful Rotenburo of Japan.
*The Bälz Onsen Center, situated on a plateau near Mount Tengu ski area, offers a great scenery with lots of nature all around. It is popular as an [[Après-ski]] recreation.
===Flowers===
[[Image:Rengetsutsuji.jpg|thumb|Rengetsutsuji]]
Another of Kusatsu's attractions are the mountain flowers growing in and around Kusatsu. The most famous ones are:
[[Image:Zazensô.jpg|left|thumb|Zazensō]]
*Watasuge (Eriophorum Vaginatum, Hare's tail cotton grass)
*Zazensō (Simplocarpus foetidus, Skunk cabbage)
*Azumashakunage (Rhododendron Metternichii var. Japonica, a kind of Rhododendron)
*Hakusanshakunage (Rhododendron brachycarpum, a kind of Rhododendron)
*Rengetsutsuji (Rhododendron molle subsp. Japonicum, a kind of Azalea)
[[Image:Ezolindô.jpg|thumb|upright|Ezolindō]]
*[http://aoki2.si.gunma-u.ac.jp/BotanicalGarden/HTMLs/yanagiran.html Yanagiran] (Epilobium angustifolium, Rosebay Willowherb)
*Nanakamado (Sorbus commixta, Japanese Rowan)
*Ezorindō (Gentiana triflora var. Japonica, blue Gentian)
*Komakusa (Dicentra peregrina, a kind of Magnolia)
==='''Festivals and events'''===
[[Image:Himuro.jpg|thumb|Himuro no sekku]]
During the year there are a number of traditional festivals as well as a number of other events happening in Kusatsu.
*One of the most important festivals is the Music Academy in summer, which attracts famous musicians from all over Japan and even from abroad. The Japanese empress also visits the Music academy every year.
*The {{nihongo|Kōsenji flower festival|光泉寺花祭り|Kōsenji hanamatsuri}} on the 7th and 8th of May is a much more traditional festival. The children of the [[Kindergarten]] near Kōsenji pull an elephant made of paper around the Yubatake in celebration of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]]'s birthday.
*The {{nihongo|Ice-cave festival|氷室の節句|Himuro no Sekku}} happens on the first of June. Ice is brought from a cave in Mt.Shirane, which was formed by an [[eruption]] of the volcano, and then it is used to make tea with it. According to the legend anyone who drinks this special tea will not get ill in the following year.
[[Image:Himuro no Sekku.jpg|left|thumb|Himuro no sekku tea ceremony]]
[[Image:Yuki no kairô.jpg|thumb|Yuki no kairō]]
*During the first three days of August the {{nihongo|Onsen gratitude festival|温泉感謝祭り|Onsen kansha matsuri}} takes place. This traditional festival has its origins in the {{nihongo|Ushiyu matsuri|丑湯祭り}}, which in accordance with the [[Chinese calendar]] is celebrated during the hottest time of the year on the day of the ox. According to the lore those that bathe in an Onsen in the hour of the ox (one to three AM) will not get ill for one year. In contrast, today's ceremony is totally different: The goddess of Onsen descends the stairs at Kōsenji symbolizing the descent from heaven. She then gathers water from seven big hot springs in Kusatsu and distributes the water to the baths in Kusatsu. On the third day she ascends the stairs to Kōsenji, representing the ascent to heaven. Through this ceremony the blessing of the gods is granted, which will make sure that the springs won't run dry.
*In addition, the following events are taking place in Kusatsu: Tour de Kusatsu (amateur bicycle race), {{nihongo|Yuki no kairō walking|雪の回廊ウォーキング}}, hiking through a valley of snow walls several meters high}}), soccer and skiing events.
===Souvenirs===
[[Image:Yu no hana.jpg|left|thumb|Yu no hana]] [[Image:Hanaingenmame.jpg|thumb|Hanaingenmame]]
*Yu no hana, which means "hot water flower," is extracted from the hot water at the Yubatake and consists of mineral [[sediment]] (mostly [[sulfur]]), which, dried, is sold as powder by the town. Using Yu no hana, guests can experience [[Onsen]] at home.
*{{nihongo|Hanaingen mame|花インゲン豆}} is a kind of sweet made of a special sort of highland beans, which doesn't bear any fruit below 700 meters above sea level. First the beans are dried, then put into water and finally they are cooked in sugar. The details of the making process are a company secret.
*[[Manjū]] is a well-known sweet in Japan, consisting of a pastry crust made of flour, [[rice flour]] and [[buckwheat]] and a filling made of [[Azuki bean]] paste. In Onsen resorts [[manjū]] were often steamed using the steam rising from the hot springs.
===Lakes and waterfalls===
[[Image:Yugama b-L.jpg|left|thumb|Yugama]]
[[Image:Yumiike.jpg|thumb|Yumiike]]
There are a number of impressive waterfalls and beautiful [[crater lake]]s. The most famous ones are:
{{nihongo|Yugama|湯釜}} located 2100 meters above sea level is the crater lake of Mount Shirane. It boasts a very high acidity and an emerald-green surface. The {{nihongo|Yumiike|弓池||lit. "bow lake"}}, 2000 meters above sea level is located between Mount Shirane and Mount Motoshirane. Its water is crystal clear. The {{nihongo|Ōsen no taki|嫗仙の滝}} and the {{nihongo|Jōfu no taki|常布の滝}} are waterfalls near Kusatsu.
[[Image:Tenguyama.jpg|thumb|Tenguyama skiing area]]
===The ski area===
The {{nihongo|Kusatsu international ski area|草津国際スキー場|Kusatsu kokusai sukijō}} on Mount Tengu and Mount Shirane is over 90 years old and besides the Onsen one of the main attractions of Kusatsu. The ski area extends from 2100 meters above sea level down to 1300 meters above sea level. The snow quality is very good and there are ten different routes for all difficulty levels as well as twelve lifts. The longest route is eight kilometers long.
==See also==
*[[Kenji Ogiwara]]
*[[Tsugiharu Ogiwara]]
*[[Erwin Bälz]]
==External links==
*[http://www.town.kusatsu.gunma.jp Kusatsu official website] (In Japanese)
*[http://www.kusatsu-onsen.ne.jp/eng/index.html Kusatsu Onsen Resort website]
*[http://www.kusatsu-onsen.org/index.html Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association website]
==Sources==
*Kawaai Yūtarō, Onsenshiwa, 1966, Gunma-ken, Agatsuma-Gun, Kusatsu-Machi, 3-7-2 Shigehara
*Kusatsu Kyōikuiinkai, Kusatsuonsen no Bunkazai, 1998, Asahiinsatsukōgyō Kabushikigaisha
*Erwin von Bälz Museum, director Okitsu Hiroyoshi, Toki No Utsuroi (not published)
*Kazumine Daiji, Manga Kusatsumachishi, 2000, Kusatsumachi
*Kusatsu Ryokankyōkai, Meiyukusatsu Onsen Hyakka
*Kusatsu Kankō Kyōkai, Kusatsu Style, 2007
*Kusatsu municipal business division, Kusatsu – The Kusatsu Guide 2002 (edited 2007)
*Kusatsu municipal tourism division, Kusatsu – Kusatsu tourism index
*Kusatsu town hall, special project division, Yubatake VIPs – 100 famous people that visited Kusatsu, 1999
[[Category:Towns in Gunma Prefecture]]
[[Category:Spa towns in Japan]]
[[Category:Onsen]]
[[de:Kusatsu (Gunma)]]
[[eo:Kusacu (urbeto)]]
[[ja:草津町]]
[[zh:草津町]]