Kitakyushu was formed in 1963 from a merger of municipalities centered on the historic city of Kokura, and its name literally means "North Kyushu" in Japanese. It is located at the northernmost point of Kyushu on the Kanmon Straits, separating the island from Honshu, across from the city of Shimonoseki. Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki are connected by numerous transport links including the Kanmon Bridge and the Kanmon Tunnels (Roadway, Railway, and Shin-Kanmon). Kitakyushu's Urban Employment Area forms part of the Fukuoka-Kitakyushu Greater Metropolitan Region, which, with a population of 5,738,977 (2005–2006), is the largest metropolitan area in Japan west of the Keihanshin region.
History
Kokura Prefecture
Kokura Prefecture was founded separately from Fukuoka Prefecture in 1871 when the clan system was abolished. The old wooden-built Kokura Prefectural Office is still standing and is being restored. It is opposite Riverwalk Kitakyūshū. In 1876, Kokura Prefecture was absorbed by Fukuoka Prefecture. The city of
Kokura was founded in 1900.
World War II
Yahata in Kitakyushu was the target for the beginning of the US bombing raids on the home islands on June 16, 1944, when 75 Boeing B-29 Superfortresses flew out from mainland China.
[Shigeru Mizuki, A History of Japan Vol 3 Showa 1944-1953, p.152]
Kokura was the primary target of the nuclear weapon "Fat Man" on August 9, 1945. Major Charles Sweeney had orders to drop the bomb visually. All three attempts failed due to clouds and smoke from Yahata, which is only west of Kokura and had had air raids on the previous day, preventing him from identifying the target clearly. Additionally, a smoke screen was created by industrial workers burning barrels of coal tar and/or electric plant workers releasing steam.
City
The city of Kitakyushu was founded on February 10, 1963, and was designated on April 1, 1963, by government ordinance. The city was born from the merger of five municipalities (Moji, Kokura, Tobata, Yahata and Wakamatsu) centered around the ancient feudal city of Kokura. The city's symbol mark is a flower with the
kanji kita in the middle and five petals representing the towns that merged.
Geography and administrative divisions
Demographics
, the city had an estimated
population of 945,595 and a total area of .
The average population density is . It is now the country's 15th most populated city.
It has a much larger total area than that of
Fukuoka which is only .
Wards
Kitakyushu has seven wards (
ku):
|
|
|
| 1 | Kokurakita-ku
(administrative center) | 小倉北区 | | 39.27 |
|
| 2 | Kokuraminami-ku | 小倉南区 | | 170.25 |
| 3 | Moji-ku | 門司区 | | 73.37 |
| 4 | Tobata-ku | 戸畑区 | | 16.66 |
| 5 | Yahatahigashi-ku | 八幡東区 | | 36.36 |
| 6 | Yahatanishi-ku | 八幡西区 | | 83.04 |
| 7 | Wakamatsu-ku | 若松区 | | 67.86 |
The city of Nakama, Fukuoka was to become the eighth ward of Kitakyushu in 2005 (to be called Nakama-ku). However, the merger was rejected on December 24, 2004 by Nakama's city council, despite having been initiated by Nakama City.
Cityscape
File:KokuraSkylines01.jpg|Skyline of Kokura (2021)
File:KokuraStation01.jpg|Kokura Station (2021)
File:West Japan Industrial Club garden side.jpg|West Japan Industrial Club (2020)
File:140721 Mojiko Retro Kitakyushu Japan01s3.jpg|Port of Kitakyushu (2014)
File:1 Chome-1 Asano, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū-shi, Fukuoka-ken 802-0001, Japan - panoramio (1).jpg|Downtown of Kokura (2014)
File:Wakato Bridge-4.jpg|Wakato Bridge (2008)
Climate
Economy
Nippon Steel Corporation is a major employer, but the Yahata and Tobata plants are much reduced from their heyday of the 1960s. The
Zenrin company known for its mapping and navigation software is based here
[" Corporate Info." Zenrin. Retrieved on March 6, 2019.] and so is Toto Ltd.
[" Corporate Data ." TOTO. Retrieved on April 9, 2014.] and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.
, an airline, is headquartered on the grounds of Kitakyushu Airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū.
[" 会社概要." StarFlyer. Retrieved on December 20, 2010. "本社 〒800-0306 福岡県北九州市小倉南区空港北町6番 北九州空港スターフライヤー本社ビル"] Previously the airline's headquarters were in the
Shin-Kokura Biru in Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū.
[" Company Profile." StarFlyer. Retrieved on May 26, 2009. Location Shin-Kokura Bldg., 2-2-1 Komemachi Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyusyu-shi Fukuoka 802-0003 JPN][" 会社概要." StarFlyer. March 24, 2008. Retrieved on December 20, 2010. "本社 〒802-0003 福岡県北九州市小倉北区米町二丁目2番1号 新小倉ビル JR小倉駅より徒歩10分."]
A smaller scale shopping center known as Cha Cha Town, next to the Sunatsu bus depot in Kokura Kita ward, was created by the Nishi-Nippon Railroad and bus company.
In 2009 Bridgestone Corporation opened a plant in Kitakyushu to produce large and ultralarge off-the-road radial tires for construction and mining vehicles.
The GDP in Greater Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu Metropolitan Employment Area was US$55.7 billion in 2010.[ Conversion rates - Exchange rates - OECD Data]
Education
Universities and colleges
National universities
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Kyushu Institute of Technology
Public universities
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Kyushu Dental University
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University of Kitakyushu
Private universities
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Kyushu International University
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Kyushu Kyoritsu University
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Kyushu Nutrition Welfare University
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Kyushu Polytechnic College
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Kyushu Women's University
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Nishinippon Institute of Technology
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Seinan Women's University
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University of Occupational and Environmental Health
Junior colleges
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Higashi Chikushi Junior College
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Kyushu Women's Junior College
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Orio Aishin Junior College
-
Seinan Jo Gakuin University Junior College
Technology colleges
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Kitakyushu National College of Technology
Vocational colleges
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Kyushu Medical Sports School
Research Institutes and graduate schools
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Kitakyushu Science and Research Park
-
Graduate School of International Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu
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Fukuoka University Institute for Recycling and Environmental Control Systems
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Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology
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Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems/Information, Production and Systems Research Center, Waseda University
Transportation
Located at a strategic position on the south side of the
Kanmon Straits, Kitakyushu is an important transport hub for traffic between
Honshu and
Kyushu and has a large port.
Air
Airports
The Kitakyushu Airport opened on March 16, 2006. It is larger than the previous
Kokura Airport and supports 24-hour operations thanks to its location on an artificial island in the Seto Inland Sea. It will eventually be connected with
Kokura Station by a new fast rail link. A new airline based in the city called
StarFlyer began operations when the airport opened. The airport has flights to Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo-Haneda.
The other nearby airport is Fukuoka Airport which is located 82 KM away from the city and that airport primarily connects to other major airports in Japan and the world.
Railways
Kokura Station, the city's central train station, is the penultimate stop on the
JR West Sanyō Shinkansen before the
Hakata Station terminus and all
Shinkansen services stop here. It is served by local and express trains on
JR Kyushu's Kagoshima and Nippō Main Lines. In the city, transport is provided the Kitakyushu Monorail and buses.
Mojikō Station in Moji-ku is the northern terminus of the Kagoshima Main Line, the most important line in the JR Kyushu network.
A tram network operated by the Nishi-Nippon Railroad known as the Kitakyushu Line once operated in the city; after dwindling passenger numbers in the 1970s the line was shut down in stages between 1980 and 2000. A railway using tram cars, the Chikuhō Electric Railroad, runs between and stations, serving Yahatanishi-ku and the neighboring city of Nōgata.
Roads
Expressways
The metropolitan area of Kitakyushu is covered by the Kitakyushu Expressway, which has five routes serving the city, totaling 53 kilometers of four-lane expressways. Some of these expressways are elevated, especially around the city center. Route 1 serves the city center, while route 2 serves the port area. Route 3 is a short connector between routes 1 and 2, and route 4 is the longest of the Kitakyushu Expressway network, serving most of the city from north to south. Route 5 is a short link serving the inner port area.
In addition, Kitakyushu is bypassed by the Kyushu Expressway, the main north–south route on the island of Kyushu. The new Higashikyushu Expressway begins in Kitakyushu and runs along the eastern coast of Kyushu. North of Kitakyushu, the Kyushu Expressway crosses the six-lane Kanmonkyo Bridge and turns into the Chūgoku Expressway, the second longest in Japan, serving western Honshu.
Bridges
There are several bridges in Kitakyushu and between the city and other places. The largest ones are the
Kanmonkyo Bridge linking Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki (on Kyushu and Honshū respectively) via the
Kanmon Straits and the
Wakato Bridge linking the wards of Tobata and Wakamatsu. There are smaller bridges over the
Onga River on the western border of the city.
On September 30, 2005, ownership of the Wakato Bridge was transferred from Japan Highway Public Corporation to Kitakyushu; on April 1, 2006, the bridge was transferred to the control of the Kitakyushu City Road Public Corporation.
Sea
Port
Kitakyushu is the largest
ferry port in
Kyushu, Chūgoku, and
Shikoku. Ferry services operate between Kitakyushu and
Shimonoseki, Matsuyama, Tokushima, Kōbe, Ōsaka,
Tokyo,
Ulsan (Korea),
Busan (Korea) and isolated islands in the city limits. The main ferry port is at Shin-Moji, and there are ferries at Moji and near
Kokura Station.
In the Kanmon-Kitakyushu area, there are three commuter lines: the Wakato Ferry, the Kanmon Straits Ferry, and the Kanmon Straits Liner.
Notable places
-
Kokura-jō was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1602. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan (from Harima) between 1632 and 1860. The castle was burnt down in 1865 in the war between the Kokura and Choshu clans.
-
lit. Flat Tail Plateau karst plateau and Adachi-san in Kokura Minami ward and Sarakura-san and Kawachi-chosuichi in Yahata Higashi ward are noted walking areas with fine scenery.
-
Kawachi Wisteria Garden is known for massive flower trellises.
The limestone outcroppings on Hiraodai are said to resemble grazing sheep, so the plateau, the highest in Kyushu at 400–600 meters, is also known as the Yogun Plain.
Some of the limestone caverns are open to the public.
The area contains the Sugao and Nanae Waterfalls. Sugao is about 20 meters. Nanae means "seven stages".
Culture
Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu
The Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) opened in May 1997 by former
Japan Foundation chief curator Nobuo Nakamura and Akiko Miyake. The centre has shown works of internationally renowned artists such as Maurizio Cattelan and
Anri Sala, and runs an internationally acclaimed studio programme for emerging artists.
Filming location
The 1986 family movie
Koneko Monogatari was filmed here. The English version of the film, which is the story of the friendship of a
kitten and a
pug dog, was released in America in 1989 as
The Adventures of Milo and Otis.
The 1958 comedy Rickshaw Man is based on a local folk hero of Kokura called Muhomatsu or "Wild Pine" and has been called the Japanese "Desperado". He is celebrated in the Kokura Gion Yamagasa festival. Toshiro Mifune plays the taiko drum in this movie.
Kitakyushu is featured in the late 2012 game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision as a DLC map called Magma. In the map the city has been abandoned due to a volcanic eruption, and parts of the city are completely covered in lava.
Rising Sun International Film Festival
The Rising Sun International Film Festival (RSIFF) has taken place in Kitakyushu each November since 2020, with screenings taking place in the Brick Hall and the Kitakyushu Beer and Brick Museum in Moji in its first two editions. It features many Asian and Japanese premieres.
For the third edition in 2022, another venue was added, the Tanga Table in
Kokura,
and in 2023, screenings were also held at the Theater Enya in the city of
Karatsu, with special guest, Hong Kong actress
Stephy Tang, presented with a special Award for Career Achievement.
the festival takes place in both Kitakyushu at the Brick Hall and Karatsu at Theater Enya over four days in November, and offers several awards in various categories of films.
Other festivals
There are festivals (matsuri) held in the summer in the city, including the Tobata Gion Yamagasa festival in Tobata-ku, Kitakyūshū.
- Kurosaki Gion (July)
It has been designated as an intangible cultural asset of Fukuoka Prefecture. People spin highly decorated "battle floats" as they pull them through the streets.
- Tobata Gion (July)
People carry yamagasa (tiered floats decorated with flags by day and lanterns by night) on their shoulders.
- Kokura Gion (July)
People pull
yamagasa parade floats along the street.
All the Gion festivals date back about 400 years. They were instituted to celebrate surviving an epidemic.
- Moji Minato Festival (May)
This port-city festival involves colorfully costumed people pulling floats through the streets.
[ 北九州ぐるりん観光ナビ【門司みなと祭】 . Kitakyushu-area.jp. Retrieved on 2013-12-09.]
- Wakamatsu Minato Festival (July)
This port-city festival celebrates fire, drums, and
kappa (mythical amphibious creatures who love cucumbers).
[ Festivals. Kqkicks.antazi.com. Retrieved on 2013-12-09.]
- Wasshoi Hyakuman Festival (August)
The Wasshoi Hyakuman Natsumatsuri brings all the festivals together for a grand parade and finale near City Hall in Kokura Kita ward. Kitakyushu was formed by the merging of Kokura, Yahata, Wakamatsu, Moji, and Tobata. As a result, the city began, on its tenth anniversary, to combine these local festivals into one. On the 25th anniversary, it was renamed Wasshoi Hyakuman because the city population had reached one million.
- Green Park Flea Market (monthly, except August and December)
There are over 200 shops.
[ フリーマーケット出店者の皆様へお知らせ - グリーンパーク【響灘緑地】 . Kpfmmf.jp. Retrieved on 2013-12-09.]
Sports
2021 Gymnastics Champtionships
Kitakyushu was selected as the host of the 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the 2021 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, which took place in October 2021, in Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium, and the West Japan Exhibition Centre respectively.
Professional teams
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Giravanz Kitakyushu – Football, J3
Sporting venues
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Anō Dome
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Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu – Home stadium for Giravanz Kitakyushu
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Honjō Athletic Stadium
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Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium
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Kitakyushu Media Dome – Indoor Keirin stadium
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Kitakyushu Municipal Baseball Stadium
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Kitakyushu Municipal Gymnasium
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JRA Kokura Racecourse
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Sayagatani Stadium
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Wakamatsu Kyōteijō – Wakamatsu Boat Races
Sister cities
Kitakyushu is twinned with the following cities outside Japan.
-
Surabaya, Indonesia, since 1992
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Dalian, Liaoning, China
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Incheon, South Korea
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Norfolk, Virginia, United States
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Tacoma, Washington, United States
-
Haiphong, Vietnam
-
Davao City, Philippines
-
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
-
Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil, since July 24, 1978
[ Câmara Municipal de Ipatinga: Lei Nº618 de 24/07/1978 - "Considera Kitakyushu, no Japão, cidade irmã de Ipatinga".]
One city in Japan is twinned with Kitakyushu;
-
Minamikyushu, Kagoshima, Japan
Notable figures
Samurai
-
Miyamoto Musashi, samurai swordsman, author of The Book of Five Rings and founder of the Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū, famous for its use of two swords. He lived in the Kokura castle under the patronage of the Ogasawara clan and Hosokawa clan clans from 1633 until his death.
Writers
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The novelist Mori Ōgai lived in Kokura for years and his house is open to the public in Kokura Kita ward. He wrote Kokura Nikki ( Kokura Diary) here. It is a ten-minute walk from Kokura Station.
-
The writer Seichō Matsumoto was born in Kokura. The Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum dedicated to his work is located in the city center near Kokura Castle.
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The writer Ashihei Hino was born in Wakamatsu ward and his birthplace can be visited.
Scientists
-
Ted Fujita, popularly known as "Mr. Tornado" in America, was born in Kikugaoka in what is now Kokura Minami ward.
Sportspeople
Musicians
Film directors
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Yamazaki Tokujirō, director of Call of the Foghorn and the Jiken Kisha series
-
Shinji Aoyama, director of Eureka and Sad Vacation
-
Motoyoshi Oda, director of Godzilla Raids Again
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Hirayama Hideyuki, director of Forget me Not
Actors
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Takeshi Tsuruno, Ultraman Dyna
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Kazuhisa Kawahara, , Initial D and Kamen Rider Decade
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Takahiro Fujimoto, Saka no Ue no Kumo, Jin and Segodon
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Saaya Irie, God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
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Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ninja, Dirty Hearts, Letters from Iwo Jima and Samurai Hustle (real name: Yun Yu-gu, Hangul: 윤유구)
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Junichi Haruta, Dai Sentai Goggle-V, Kagaku Sentai Dynaman, Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider W Returns and Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
Politicians
External links
