Naruko, Miyagi
Naruko was a town located in Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
On March 31, 2006, Naruko, along with the city of Furukawa, the town of Iwadeyama, the towns of Kashimadai, Matsuyama and Sanbongi, and the town of Tajiri, to create the new city of Ōsaki. Tamatsukuri District and Shida District were dissolved as a result of this merger.
Geography
Nestled in the mountainous backbone of Tōhoku region, Naruko is located entirely within the Kurikoma Quasi-National Park. Haiku poet Matsuo Bashō passed through the area on the trip that became his masterwork Oku no Hosomichi.Tourism and Sightseeing
The volcanically active area is famous for the Naruko Hot Spring Villages, a cluster of five villages—Naruko, East Naruko, Nakayamadaira, Kawatabi and Onikōbe—with abundant hot springs. The reputed curative properties of the springs make them especially popular with people in ill health. Several ski resorts also operate nearby in the winter.Naruko is one among many places to claim to have originated the kokeshi, a cylindrical wooden doll emblematic of Tōhoku. The Japan Kokeshi Museum is located in Naruko, and some 80 craftsmen work full-time at the art today.