is a city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,507 in 45653 households and a population density of 190 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Tsuyama is located in north-central Okayama Prefecture, with the Chugoku Mountains separating it from Tottori Prefecture to the north. It is the largest city in the northern part of the prefecture in terms of population and economy. Adjoining municipalities Okayama Prefecture Maniwa Kagamino Shōō Nagi Misaki Tottori Prefecture Tottori Chizu Climate Tsuyama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and cold winters. The average annual temperature in Tsuyama is 13.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1501 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in January, at around 25.6 °C, and lowest in January, at around 1.9 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Tsuyama in 2020 is 99,937 people. Tsuyama has been conducting censuses since 1950. History Tsuyama was the center of ancient Mimasaka Province and the location of its kokufu and the Mimasaka Kokubun-ji. It was also on the pilgrimage route to Izumo Shrine and had a number of inn stations. In the latter half of the Sengoku period, Mori Ranmaru's younger brother, Mori Tadamasa, received received the area as his domain and constructed Tsuruyama Castle on the site of an ancient castle which had been erected by the Yamana clan and laud out a new castle town which became the nucleus of the modern city. At the same time, Tsuruyama was renamed "Tsuyama". Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tsuyama Castle was the headquarters of a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan and the center of Tsuyama Domain. Tsuyama is known for the 17th century Tsuyama Castle, whose grandeur was said to rival that of Himeji Castle in neighboring Hyōgo Prefecture. The castle was destroyed in 1874, and today only the stone foundations remain, save for a single turret that was reconstructed in 2005. The castle ruins remain Tsuyama's main tourist attraction along with Joto Street, a narrow street of old, traditional buildings that was once part of the pilgrimage route from Kyoto to Izumo, and Shūraku-en, a traditional Japanese garden constructed in 1657. Following the Meiji restoration, the town of Tsuyama was established on June 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was