Ibigawa
Geography. Ibigawa is located in far western Gifu Prefecture, bordering on Shiga Prefecture to the west and Fukui Prefecture to the north. The Ibi River flows through the town, which is located in a hilly to mountainous area. Parts of the town are within the borders of the Ibi-Sekigahara-Yōrō Quasi-National Park. Climate. The town has a climate characterized by characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (Köppen climate classification "Cfa"). The average annual temperature in Ibigawa is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average  in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The mountainous areas of the town are noted for extremely heavy snow in winter. Demographics. Per Japanese census data, the population of Ibigawa has declined over the past 40 years. History. The area around Ibigawa was part of traditional Mino Province. During the Edo period, it initially part of a 30,000 "koku" domain controlled by the Nishio clan, but from 1623 was divided between territory controlled by Owari Domain and "tenryō" holdings directly controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate. During the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms, the area was organised into  Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture. The town of Ibigawa was formed on July 1, 1889 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. On January 31, 2005 the former villages of Fujihashi, Kasuga, Kuze, Sakauchi, and Tanigumi merged with Ibigawa, resulting in a nearly 20-fold increase in area. Education. Ibigawa has six public elementary schools and five public middle school operated by the town government. The town has one public high school operated by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education.