Kurotaki, Nara

Kurotaki 黒滝村
Village
Kurotaki Village Hall
Flag Emblem
Location of Kurotaki in Nara Prefecture
Kurotaki Location in Japan
Coordinates: 34°18′33″N 135°51′08″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Nara
District	Yoshino
Area
• Total	47.70 km2 (18.42 sq mi)
Population  (January 1, 2025)
• Total	536
• Density	11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	77 Terato, Kurotaki-mura, Yoshino-gun, Nara-ken 638-0292
Website	Official website
Symbols
Tree	Cryptomeria

Kawawake Jinja in Kurotaki

Kurotaki (黒滝村, Kurotaki-mura) is a village located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 January 2025, the village had an estimated population of 536 and a population density of 10 persons per km². The total area of the village is 47.70 km² (18.42 sq mi).

Geography

Kurotaki is located in central Nara Prefecture, north of Mount Yoshino, and Mount Ōmine. it is part of the municipalities in the Kii Mountain Range.

• Mountains: Mount Kashihara, Hyakukaidake

Surrounding municipalities

Nara Prefecture

• Gojō city
• Kawakami village
• Shimoichi town
• Tenkawa village
• Yoshino town

Climate

Kurotaki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kurotaki is 12.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2119 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 0.5  °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kurotaki is as shown below:

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	3,496	—
1960	2,978	−14.8%
1970	2,009	−32.5%
1980	1,788	−11.0%
1990	1,472	−17.7%
2000	1,194	−18.9%
2010	840	−29.6%
2020	623	−25.8%

History

The area of Kurotaki was part of ancient Yamato Province. The village of Minamiyoshino was established on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system. On July 1,1912 - Minamiyoshino was divided into Kurotaki village and Niu villages.

Government

Kurotaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral village council of six members. Higashiyoshino, collectively with the other municipalities of Yoshino District, contributes two members to the Nara Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the village is part of the Nara 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture and forestry. Garlic is a noted local crop.

Education

Kurotaki has one public elementary school and one public junior high schools operated by the village government. The village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railways

Kurotaki has no passenger railway service. The nearest train station is Shimoichiguchi Station on the Kintetsu Yoshino Line in Yoshino.

Highways

• National Route 309

External links

• Media related to Kurotaki, Nara at Wikimedia Commons
• Kurotaki official website (in Japanese)