| Shimotsuke | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |
| Coordinates: | 36.3872°N 139.8421°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kantō |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Tochigi |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Toshio Hirose <広瀬寿雄> (from August 2006) |
| Area Total Km2: | 74.59 |
| Population Total: | 60274 |
| Population As Of: | August 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | City Symbols |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | - Tree |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Zelkova serrata |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | - Flower |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Calabash |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | - Bird |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | Japanese bush warbler |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Phone number |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0285-40-5551 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Address |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 1127 Koganei, Shimotsuke-shi, Tochigi-ken 329-0492 |
right|thumb|250px|Reconstructed portion of Shimotsuke Kokubun-ji is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 60,274 in 24,654 households,[1] and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is 74.59sqkm.
Shimotsuke is located in southern Tochigi Prefecture.
Shimotsuke has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Shimotsuke is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1373 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.[2]
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Shimotsuke has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.
The city of Shimotsuke was established on January 10, 2006, from the merger of the towns of Minamikawachi (from Kawachi District), and the towns of Kokubunji and Ishibashi (both from Shimotsuga District).
Shimotsuke has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature council of 18 members. Shimotsuke contributes one member to the Tochigi Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Tochigi 1st district and the Tochigi 4th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Agriculture and light manufacturing are mainstays of the local economy, with production of Kanpyō, turmeric and spinach being prominent local crops. The city is increasingly a bedroom community for neighboring Utsunomiya.
JR East – Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line)
Dietzhölztal, Hesse, Germany, friendship city[4]