was a town located in Motoyoshi District, in the extreme northeast of Miyagi Prefecture, bordering Kesennuma to the north-west and Rikuzentakata, part of Iwate Prefecture, to the north, and with Kesennuma Bay including Oshima island to the west, Hirota Bay to the north-east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and east. On March 31, 2006, Karakuwa was merged into the expanded city of Kesennuma and is no longer an independent municipality. The highest point in former Karakuwa is Sasanagane-yama (笹長根山 meaning 'bamboo grass with long roots mountain') (520 m), near the border with Rikuzentakata, and the lowest point is sea level. Name origin Karakuwa's name (唐桑) literally means "China (Tang dynasty, specifically) Mulberry", and has been used to refer to the area back to the times when it was part of a larger Kesen District in Mutsu Province. According to the story of where the name came from, a Chinese shipwrecked on the rocky coast, and in its hold was a mulberry tree. The tree was rescued and planted, and it survived and spread to become common in the area, as did the legend. History Around 700 A.D., there is record of Emishi presenting local marine products at the Imperial Court, which may have encouraged immigration to the area. The area remained peaceful during the Nara period, due to the powerful influence of the Minamoto clan. However, during the Heian period, the Minamotos were defeated by Taira no Kiyomori in the Heiji rebellion. The Kasai Clan received the region but were left heirless near the end of the Azuchi–Momoyama period. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the area was given to Date Masamune as part of his lands. During the Meiji Restoration, it was taken from the Date clan as punishment for their involvement and given to the Takasaki Clan to administer, becoming part of Motoyoshi District in 1868, then becoming part of several short-lived prefectures before finally becoming part of Miyagi Prefecture on April 18, 1876. In 1889, the two villages in the area, Karakuwa and Koharagi (小原木 meaning 'small, original tree') merged to form a larger village called Karakuwa, then incorporated into a town in 1955. In 2004 and 2005, there were discussions with Motoyoshi and Kesennuma regarding a merge to create a larger city. Although Motoyoshi withdrew from the talks, an agreement to merge was made with Kesennuma. On March 31, 2006, Karakuwa ceased to