Kusunoki-cho is located in the western part of Yamaguchi prefecture near the Seto Inland Sea. To the north of Kusunoki is Shuho-cho, the gateway to the beautiful scenic spot, Akiyoshidoh, and a semi-national park, Akiyoshidai. To the west is Mine-shi which boasts the largest underground resources of limestone in Japan.
Kusunoki-cho was created by the merger of a town and two villages in April 1955 with a total population of 14,067. Due to revolutionary changes in the types of energy used in postwar years, Kusunoki-cho's key industry, coal, went into a decline along with its population. Additionally, many young people of Kusunoki-cho left for education and employment.
In an effort to develop and repopulate this coal mining area, countermeasures were launched. As a result of actively inviting businesses, a high-tech industry born in this area in April, 1985. This has had a large impact in energizing this town. Now Kusunoki-cho is renowned as a hot spot for the high-tech industry. It is also nationally known as a center of production of Akama Suzuri-inkstone, a traditional craft, and kotos, Japanese harp-like instruments, for this prefecture.
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Kusunoki Town Map
