Katsuyama, Okayama

Katsuyama (勝山町, Katsuyama-chō) was a town located in Maniwa District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.

Katsuyama 勝山町
Former municipality
Former Katsuyama town hall
Katsuyama Location in Japan
Coordinates: 35°5′15.4″N 133°41′28.8″E
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku
Prefecture	Okayama Prefecture
District	Maniwa
Merged	March 31, 2005 (now part of Maniwa)
Area
• Total	138.79 km2 (53.59 sq mi)
Population  (2003)
• Total	9,027
• Density	65.04/km2 (168.5/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
Symbols
Flower	Osmanthus fragrans
Tree	Chamaecyparis obtusa

As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 9,027 and a density of 65.04 persons per km². The total area was 138.79 km².

On March 31, 2005, Katsuyama, along with the town of Hokubō (from Jōbō District), and towns of Kuse, Ochiai and Yubara, and the villages of Chūka, Kawakami, Mikamo and Yatsuka (all from Maniwa District) were merged to create the city of Maniwa.

To coincide with the 2005 merger, Katsuyama residents were given a book commemorating the last 50 years of Katsuyama's existence as a town and a special purple cloth with the town logo imprinted on it.

Local to Katsuyama is the Kanba waterfall (神庭の滝, Kanba no taki), the only Okayama waterfall on the list of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls and home to Japanese macaque monkeys.

Recently, Katsuyama has also become known for its noren adorning the shops and houses along a 1 km stretch of the Katsuyama Historical Preservation District, wherein the Edo Period landscape of the town remains. The noren are all made by one craftswoman, Yoko Kano, who has her own workshop along the street.