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 km<sup>2</sup>. The total area of the town is , making it the largest of Chiba Prefecture's towns and villages.
The name of the town of à Âtaki in the Japanese language is composed of three kanji characters: the first, à  (大), meaning "large", the second, ta (å¤Â), meaning "many", and the third, ki (Ã¥ÂÂ), meaning "happiness".
à Âtaki is a landlocked town in the center of the Bà Âsà  Peninsula, about 35 kilometers from the prefectural capital at Chiba and 60 to 70 kilometers from central Tokyo. The southwest area of à Âtaki is mountainous, with elevations gradually lowering towards the northeast of the town. Approximately 70% of à Âtaki is covered by forest. The Isumi River flows through the town to the northeast, and in the western part of the town the Yà Ârà  River flows to the north. The town extends for about 12 kilometers east to west by about 19 kilometers north to south.
Chiba Prefecture
à Âtaki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in à Âtaki is 14.9 ðC. 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 ðC, and lowest in January, at around 5.3 ðC.
Per Japanese census data, the population of à Âtaki has been decreasing over the past 70 years and is now less than it was a century ago.
à Âtaki was settled in prehistoric times, as evidenced by the Jà Âmon period remains in Oikawa. In the Asuka period the à Âtaki region became part of Kazusa Province at the western end of the Tà Âkaidà  region, which was formed as a result of the Taika Reform of 654. In the Sengoku period à Âtaki was established as a castle town, which successively controlled by different regional clans, most notably the Takeda clan and the Toki clan. The à Âtaki region ultimately came under the control of the powerful Awa Province-based Satomi clan in 1544.
In 1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of all of Kazusa Province. Ieyasu granted à Âtaki to his famed general Honda Tadakatsu, and established the à Âtaki Domain as a 100,000 koku feudal domain. Tadakatsu built à Âtaki Castle on the site of the earlier castle and laid out a large-scale castle town. Honda Tadakatsu's placement at à Âtaki was a strong buffer against the military power of the Satomi clan to the south. The ownership of the castle changed hands many times after Honda Tadakatsu's control, but from 1703 the Matsudaira clan held the castle for nine generations. Despite the Matsudaira clan's control of the castle, the majority of the à Âtaki region was controlled as tenryà  territory by hatamoto in direct service to the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1609 a Spanish galleon, the San Francisco, ran aground near à Âtaki . The survivors were housed in à Âtaki Castle, and later, the sailors were given a ship by the shogunate to return to Mexico. One of the survivors was Governor General of the Philippines Rodrigo de Vivero, who was subsequently granted an audience with shà Âgun Tokugawa Ieyasu.
After the Meiji Restoration the administrative structure of the region changed frequently. à Âtaki was successively part of à Âtaki Prefecture, then Kisarazu Prefecture, before becoming part of the present-day Chiba Prefecture. On April 1, 1889, under the same administrative reforms, the four villages of Oikawa, Nishihata, Fusamoto, Kamitaki and the town of à Âtaki were formed. The five were brought together to become present-day town of à Âtaki on October 5, 1954.
à Âtaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral town council of 12 members. à Âtaki, together with the city of Katsuura, contributes one member to the Chiba Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the town is part of Chiba 11th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
The economy of à Âtaki was based largely on rice production, forestry, and traditional charcoal production, but after World War II all three industries have declined. The town produces shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots as special agricultural products. Tourism has increased as a result of visits to à Âtaki Castle, the à Âtaki Prefectural Forest, and various scenic spots. Golf courses were developed in à Âtaki, but have caused problems with flooding and deforestation.
Isumi Railway - Isumi Line
Kominato Railway - Kominato Line
à Âtaki hosts the Oshiro-matsuri, or castle festival, in September, which involves a parade and various plays and demonstrations on the grounds of one of the town's elementary schools. Representatives from à Âtaki's sister city, Cuernavaca, Mexico, often visit to attend the festival.