city, Tochigi ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies at the eastern foot of the Ashio Highlands. The central part of the city was a post town during the Tokugawa period (1603–1867); it later developed as a market for hemp seed. Kanuma is now a minor industrial centre, producing lumber, furniture, rope, and brooms. The city is called the source of a certain gardening soil called Kanuma-tsuchi. The western part of the city is a prefectural natural park. From Kanuma, an avenue of Japanese cedars runs northwest to the ancient city of Nikkō. Pop. (2005) 104,148.