is a town located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The town is known for its association with Edo period general Honda Tadakatsu, and its prominent castle. , the town had an estimated population of 8,982 in 3820 households and a population density of 69 persons per km². The total area of the town is , making it the largest of Chiba Prefecture's towns and villages. Etymology The name of the town of Ōtaki in the Japanese language is composed of three kanji characters: the first, ō (大), meaning "large", the second, ta (多), meaning "many", and the third, ki (喜), meaning "happiness". Geography Ōtaki is a landlocked town in the center of the Bōsō Peninsula, about 35 kilometers from the prefectural capital at Chiba and 60 to 70 kilometers from central Tokyo. The southwest area of Ōtaki is mountainous, with elevations gradually lowering towards the northeast of the town. Approximately 70% of Ōtaki is covered by forest. The Isumi River flows through the town to the northeast, and in the western part of the town the Yōrō River flows to the north. The town extends for about 12 kilometers east to west by about 19 kilometers north to south. Surrounding municipalities Chiba Prefecture Ichihara Kimitsu Katsuura Kamogawa Isumi Mutsuzawa Chōnan Climate Ōtaki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Ōtaki is 14.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1828 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around 5.3 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Ōtaki has been decreasing over the past 70 years and is now less than it was a century ago. History Early history Ōtaki was settled in prehistoric times, as evidenced by the Jōmon period remains in Oikawa. In the Asuka period the Ōtaki region became part of Kazusa Province at the western end of the Tōkaidō region, which was formed as a result of the Taika Reform of 654. In the Sengoku period Ōtaki was established as a castle town, which successively controlled by different regional clans, most notably the Takeda clan and the Toki clan. The Ōtaki region ultimately came under the control of the powerful Awa Province-based Satomi clan in 1544. Edo Period In 1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu took