is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km² (3,547

sq mi The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...

). Kagoshima Prefecture borders

Kumamoto Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, M ...

to the north and

Miyazaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders ...

to the northeast.

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

is the capital and largest city of Kagoshima Prefecture, with other major cities including Kirishima, Kanoya, and

Satsumasendai is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The modern city of Satsumasendai was established on October 12, 2004, from the merger of the city of Sendai, the towns of Hiwaki, Iriki, Kedōin and Tōgō, and the Koshikijima Islands (whi ...

. Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southernmost point of Kyūshū and includes the Satsunan Islands group of the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture's mainland territory extends from the

Ariake Sea The is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters (165 ft) deep, and ext ...

to Shibushi Bay on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

coast, and is characterized by two large peninsulas created by

Kagoshima Bay also known as Kinkō Bay, is a deep inlet of the East China Sea on the coast of Japan.''Merriam Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition'', p. 562. Kagoshima Bay is on the south coast of the island of Kyūshū. The port city of Kag ...

. Kagoshima Prefecture formed the core of the Satsuma Domain, ruled from Kagoshima Castle, one of the most important Japanese domains of the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

and the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

History

Kagoshima Prefecture corresponds to the ancient Japanese provinces Ōsumi and

Satsuma Satsuma may refer to: * Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit * ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails Places Japan * Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town * Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture * Satsuma Domain, a sou ...

, including the northern part of the

('' Satsunan''). This region played a key role in the

(

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...

), and the city of

was an important naval base during Japan's 20th century wars and the home of admiral

Tōgō Heihachirō Marshal-Admiral Marquis , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He claimed descent from Samurai Shijo Kingo, and he was an integral part of preserving ...

. More recent incidents are the sinking of a North Korean spy ship (100 ton class) in 2001 by the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

, which was later salvaged and exhibited in Tokyo, and the abduction of an office clerk from a Kagoshima beach in 1978 by agents from the same country. This became known only recently under the Koizumi administration.

Demographics

The two main ethnic groups of Kagoshima Prefecture are the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

and the

Ryukyuans The Ryukyuan people ( ryu, 琉球民族 (るーちゅーみんずく), Ruuchuu minzuku or ryu, どぅーちゅーみんずく, Duuchuu minzuku, label=none, ja, 琉球民族/りゅうきゅうみんぞく, Ryūkyū minzoku, also Lewchewan or L ...

(Amami Islands).

Geography

Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu on the Satsuma Peninsula and

Ōsumi Peninsula 261x261px, Satellite image of Ōsumi Peninsula The projects south from the Japanese island of Kyūshū and includes the southernmost point on the island, Cape Sata. Its east coast lies on the Pacific Ocean, while to the west it faces the Satsuma ...

. This prefecture also includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest of Kyushu for a few hundred kilometers. The most important group is the

Amami Islands The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is an archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is southwest of ...

. Surrounded by the East China Sea to the west, Okinawa Prefecture in the south,

to the north, and

to the east, it has of coastline (including the 28 islands). It has a bay called

(Kinkowan), which is sandwiched by two peninsulas,

and Ōsumi. Its position made it a 'gateway' to Japan at various times in history. While Kyushu has about 13 million people, there are less than 2 million in this prefecture. The prefecture boasts a chain of active and dormant

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

es, including the great

Sakurajima Sakurajima ( ja, 桜島, literally "Cherry Blossom Island") is an active stratovolcano, formerly an island and now a peninsula, in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption connected it with the Ōsumi Peninsul ...

, which towers out of the Kagoshima bay opposite

city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from the

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

, punctuated by louder mini-eruptions on an almost daily basis. On active days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. Major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for record

daikon Daikon or mooli, ''Raphanus sativus'' var. ''longipinnatus,'' is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, root. Originally native to continental East Asia, daikon is harvested and consumed ...

radishes, roughly the size of a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. Many beaches around the Kagoshima Bay are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the southwestern tip of the prefecture, near the spa town of

Ibusuki is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, founded on April 1, 1954. In March 1, 2012, the city had an estimated population of 43,931, with 19,119 households and a population density of 294.82 persons per km2. However the census of 2020 c ...

, is home to a rare species of giant eel. As of 31 March 2019, 13% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Amami Guntō, Kirishima-Kinkowan, Unzen-Amakusa, and

Yakushima is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. Access to the island is by hydrofoil ferry (7 or 8 times a day from Kagoshima, depending on the season), slow car ferry (once or twic ...

National Parks; Koshikishima and Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Parks; and

Akune is a Cities of Japan, city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1952. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 23,887 and a population density of 178 persons per km2. The total area is 134.30 k ...

, Bōnoma, Fukiagehama, Imutaike, Ōsumi Nanbu, Sendaigawa Ryūiki, Takakumayama, and Tokara Rettō Prefectural Natural Parks. File:Jomon Sugi 06.jpg, Jōmon Sugi in

Yaku Island , native_name_link = , image_caption = Landsat image of Yakushima , image_size = , nickname = , location = East China Sea , coordinates = , map = Japan#Japan Kagoshima Prefecture , map_relief ...

File:Ishiharayoshiharaueno site3.JPG, Mangrove native forest in

Amami Island The The name ''Amami-guntō'' was standardized on February 15, 2010. Prior to that, another name, ''Amami shotō'' (奄美諸島), was also used. is an archipelago in the Satsunan Islands, which is part of the Ryukyu Islands, and is southwest of ...

File:出水・鶴IMGP1033.JPG, A crane observation centre in Izumi crane migration grounds File:Ohara festival in Kagoshima.jpg, Ohara style folk dance in Kagoshima Ohara Festival in November File:Ibusuki-Sand-Bath.JPG, Sand bath style in Ibusuki Spa File:Satsunan-Islands-Kagoshima-Japan.png, Map of Kagoshima Prefecture

Economy

Most of the economic sector is focused in Kagoshima City and the surrounding area, corresponding to the extent of the former

Satsuma Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Satsuma" in . Its abbreviation is . History Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai. D ...

. The eastern part of the prefecture, the former

Ōsumi Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga and Satsuma Provinces. Osumi's ancient capital was near modern Kokubu. During the Sengoku ...

, is mostly rural and shows a general population decline. The prefecture has strong agricultural roots, which are reflected in its most well-known exports: green tea, sweet potato,

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw ...

, Pongee

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

Satsuma ware is a type of Japanese pottery originally from Satsuma Province, southern Kyūshū. Today, it can be divided into two distinct categories: the original plain dark clay made in Satsuma from around 1600, and the elaborately decorated ivory-bodie ...

, Berkshire pork ("kurobuta") and local Black

Wagyu Wagyu ( ja, 和牛, Hepburn: ''wagyū'', ) is the collective name for the four principal Japanese breeds of beef cattle. All wagyū cattle derive from cross-breeding in the early twentieth century of native Japanese cattle with imported sto ...

beef. Kagoshima prefecture's production of

bonito flakes is simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna (''Katsuwonus pelamis'', sometimes referred to as bonito). It is also known as bonito flakes. ''Katsuobushi'' or similarly prepared fish is also known as . Shaved ''katsuobushi'' and dried kel ...

is second only to that of

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

. In addition, it produces Japan's largest volume of unagi eels. Kagoshima is also largest

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

and

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

producing prefecture in Japan. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has several facilities within the prefecture, including the country's main launch facility on

Tanegashima is one of the Ōsumi Islands belonging to Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 444.99 km2 in area, is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands, and has a population of 33,000 people. Access to the island is by ferry, or by air to Ne ...

and the

Uchinoura Space Center The is a space launch facility in the Japanese town of Kimotsuki, Kagoshima Prefecture. Before the establishment of the JAXA space agency in 2003, it was simply called the (KSC). All of Japan's scientific satellites were launched from Uchino ...

. The prefecture's

gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is oft ...

is approximately 5,548.7 trillion yen, with a work force of about 791,000 people (2018)

Municipalities

The following is a list of Kagoshima Prefecture's cities, and its administrative districts with their constituent towns and villages:

Cities

Nineteen cities are located in Kagoshima Prefecture:

Districts

These are the towns and villages in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Mergers

Culture

Food

Kagoshima Prefecture has a distinct and rich food culture. The warm weather and diverse environments allow for the agriculture and aquaculture of Kagoshima to thrive. Numerous restaurants around Kagoshima feature

local cuisine. Popular cuisine incorporating local agriculture include sweet potato, ''kibinago sashimi'' (silver-striped herring), ''buri'' amberjack, ''kampachi'' yellowtail, "Black Label Products" such as ''kuro-ushi'' Wagyu beef, ''kuro-buta'' Berkshire pork dishes, and ''kuro-Satsuma jidori'' chicken (sometimes served as raw, chicken ''sashimi''); smoked eel, keihan, and ''miki'' (fermented rice milk consumed among residents of the

''Satsuma-age''

Satsuma-age is a fried fishcake originating from Kagoshima, Japan. Surimi and flour is mixed to make a compact paste that is solidified through frying. It is a specialty of the Satsuma region. It is known by a variety of regional names throughout Jap ...

'', or deep-fried fish cake, comes in great variety in Kagoshima. Though the deep-fried fishcake can be found throughout the country, the Satsuma Domain (modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture) is commonly believed to be the birthplace of the snack. It is said, though, the concept was introduced from the Ryūkyū Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa Prefecture) by Satsuma Lord, Nariakira Shimazu.

Sweets

There are many types of sweets produced in Kagoshima Prefecture. has produced some of Japan's most popular and timeless sweets such as , , and green tea-flavored Hyōroku mochi, Minami " shirokuma" shaved ice desserts, etc. Traditional treats outside of Seika Food Co., Ltd. products include ''

karukan is a Japanese confection from Kyushu. The origin of the name is "light" (軽) yokan (羹). Originally, ''karukan'' was “saomono gashi” which is a traditional confection in the form of a long block; but “karukan manjū”, which is fil ...

'' (sweet cakes made from steamed yams and rice flour)
''jambo-mochi''
''kokutō'' brown sugar from the Amami Islands, ''getanha'' brown sugar cake, etc.

Beverages

In 1559, at in a carpenter wrote atop a wooden board "the Shintō Priest of this shrine is too stingy to offer me showing an early love for the spirits. Kagoshima Prefecture is officially recognized (by the World Trade Organization) as the home to one of the most traditional beverages of Japan, ''shōchū''. In Kagoshima there are 113+ distilleries, producing about 1,500 highly acclaimed brands, placing Kagoshima in the top for production quantity and shipment. While visiting Kagoshima, one may notice labels reading . ''Honkaku-shōchū'' is a distilled beverage produced with traditional skills using ingredients such as natural spring water, sweet potatoes, locally grown sugar cane, and grains. Varieties of ''honkaku-shōchū'' include , ''shōchū'' distilled from sweet potatoes, , distilled from barley, and distilled from rice. Another type of ''shōchū'' is , ''shōchū'' distilled with brown sugar). ''Shōchū'' has long gained international favor and has come to be comparable to Bordeaux for wine, Scotch for whiskey, and Cognac for brandy. Also, the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture are the only areas sanctioned to bear the label of ''kokutō-shōchū''. or black vinegar is another item of the "Black Label Products" of Kagoshima, the other of which is ''Kokutō-shōchū''. There are a number of ''kurozu'' farms around Kagoshima, most of which are located around the Kirishima area. Most ''kurozu'' farms produce ''kurozu'' bottled vinegar (fermented for a single year, 2+ years) along with other items such as salad dressing, powders, capsules, spices, candy, etc. ''Kurozu'' also comes in different flavors such as grape, orange, ''ume plum'', etc. though the most popular flavor by far is apple. The farms are open to visitations and often offer tours.

Dialect

Today, Kagoshima is home to a distinctive dialect of Japanese known as or , differing from the usual Kyushu dialects with its pronunciations of the

yotsugana are a set of four specific kana, じ, ぢ, ず, づ (in the Nihon-shiki romanization system: ''zi'', ''di'', ''zu'', ''du''), used in the Japanese writing system. They historically represented four distinct voiced morae (syllables) in t ...

. For the most part, Satsugū dialect is mutually unintelligible with

Standard Japanese is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been m ...

, though most Satsugū speakers know both as a result of language standardization in Japan.

Sport and recreation

Kagoshima Rebnise Kagoshima Rebnise is a Japanese professional basketball team located in Kagoshima, Kagoshima. The team currently competes in the B.League. Some players were not paid in 2016-17. Roster Notable players *Yoshihiko Amano *Christia ...

, a professional basketball team, was founded in 2003 and currently competes in the second division of the national B.League.

Kagoshima United FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan that was formed from the merger of ''Volca Kagoshima'' and ''FC Kagoshima''. Both clubs played in the Kyushu Soccer League before the merger. Their top t ...

, a soccer team, was founded in 2014 and competes in the J3 League. Although no major professional baseball teams are based in the prefecture, a number of Kagoshima's ballparks have hosted the spring training camps of

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

teams: *

Kamoike Ballpark Kamoike Ballpark, also known as Kamoike Kagoshima Prefectural Baseball Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Kagoshima, Japan. It is currently used mostly for baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of ...

, previous camp home of the

Chiba Lotte Marines The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. History The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...

(NPB) and

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pr ...

(

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

). Also hosts regular season games. * *Ibusuki Municipal Ballpark (指宿市営球場), camp home of the Kokutesu Swallows *Yunomoto Ballpark (湯之元球場), camp home of the

Yakult Atoms The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

Kagoshima Kamoike Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Kagoshima, Japan. It is currently used mostly for football and rugby union matches. It was formerly known as Kagoshima Kamoike Stadium. Since April 2018 it has been called Shiranami Stadium for the naming rights ...

, camp home of Júbilo Iwata (soccer) and

Toshiba Brave Lupus Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo is a Japanese rugby union team in the Top League. They are based in Fuchu, Tokyo, as is their local rival Suntory Sungoliath. They won the second ever Top League championship in the 2004-5 season and the Microsoft Cup ...

(rugby) *, camp home of

Sagan Tosu is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J1 League. The team is located in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. ''Sagan'' is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is in Japanese. This symbolises ...

(soccer) The

Kirishima-Yaku National Park is a national park in Kyūshū, Japan. It is composed of Kirishima-Kagoshima Bay, an area of Kagoshima Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture known for its active volcanoes, volcanic lakes, and onsen. The total area is . History On March 16, 1934 ...

is located in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Education

Universities and colleges

Kagoshima University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. History The university was established in 1949 consolidating the following schools because of educational reform in occupied Japan. * - e ...

National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya is a national university in Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan, founded in 1981. Four alumni participated in the swimming and volleyball events in the Beijing Olympics, including Athens Olympics swimming gold medalist Ai Shibata. Four players parti ...

The International University of Kagoshima is a private university in Kagoshima, Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It h ...

Kagoshima Immaculate Heart University is a private university, private women's university in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1933, and it was chartered as a junior university in 1961. In 1994, it became a four-year college and adopted the p ...

Daiichi Institute of Technology is a private university in Kirishima, Kagoshima is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Kirishima has the second largest population of the cities in Kagoshima Prefecture. It is a crossroads for commerce between Kagoshima and Miyaz ...

* Shigakukan University * Kagoshima Prefectural College * Kagoshima Immaculate Heart College * Kagoshima Women's Junior College *

Daiichi Junior College of Infant Education is a private junior college in Kirishima, Kagoshima, Japan. History The college was established in 1966. It adopted its present name in 1985. Courses * Early childhood education Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery ...

High schools

Science and technology facilities

Tanegashima Space Center The (TNSC) is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan with a total area of about 9.7 square kilometers. It is located on the southeast coast of Tanegashima, an island approximately south of Kyushu. It was established in 1969 when the ...

Museums

Bansei Tokkō Peace Museum is a war museum in Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima Prefecture. Opened in 1993, the museum commemorates the 201 airmen from the who died in a ''kamikaze'' attack in the final months of the Pacific War. Hichiro Naemura, a flight instructor at the Bans ...

Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots The airbase at Chiran, Minamikyūshū, on the Satsuma Peninsula of Kagoshima, Japan, served as the departure point for hundreds of Special Attack or kamikaze sorties launched in the final months of World War II. A peace museum dedicated to the ...

Museum of the Meiji Restoration The is a history museum in Kagoshima, Japan. Located by the Kōtsuki River, it is a gallery where visitors can learn about the Meiji Restoration. In the basement hall, sound, light, and robots are used to present a three-dimensional experience of ...

* Reimeikan, Kagoshima Prefectural Center for Historical Material *

Uenohara site The is a Jōmon archaeological site in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Pit dwellings were discovered during construction work in 1997. The numerous associated earthenware and lithic finds are an Important Cultural Property and the ar ...

Transportation

Rail

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima St ...

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima ( Kagoshima-Chuo St ...

Kagoshima Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its tw ...

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima via the east coast of Kyushu, passing through the p ...

Ibusuki Makurazaki Line The is a railway line in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kagoshima-Chūō Station in Kagoshima, to Makurazaki Station in Makurazaki, paralleling the eastern and southern coasts of S ...

Hisatsu Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Yatsushiro on the Kagoshima Main Line to Hayato station, Kirishima on the Nippo Main Line. From 1909 the line was the original rail conne ...

Kitto Line The is a railway line on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It connects Yoshimatsu Station in Yūsui, Kagoshima Prefecture with Miyakonojō Station in Miyakonojō, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is also known as together with the – segment of th ...

Hisatsu Orange Railway is a third-sector railway company which operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. The line follows the former part of the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line that connected Yatsushiro and Sendai in Kumamoto and Kago ...

Trams

* Kagoshima City Tram

Roads

Expressways and toll roads

* Kyushu Expressway *

Miyazaki Expressway is one of the Expressways of Japan from Ebino, Miyazaki, Ebino to Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Miyazaki linking with the Higashikyushu Expressway. It runs through the southern half of the Miyazaki Prefecture, Miyazaki prefecture. The expressway is long. ...

*Ibusuki Toll Road *

Minamikyushu Expressway is one of the Expressways of Japan from Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Yatsushiro to Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Kagoshima linking with the Kyushu Expressway. It runs through the southern half of Kumamoto Prefecture, Kumamoto prefecture, and the northern half ...

* Higashikyushu Expressway (Hayato Road)

National Highways

* National Route 3 ( Kitakyushu–

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

–

Kurume is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579 and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km². On February 5, 2005, the town of Kitano (from ...

–

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

–

Minamata is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is on the west coast of Kyūshū and faces Amakusa islands. Minamata was established as a village in 1889, re-designated as a town in 1912 and grew into a city in 1949. As of March 2017, the ...

-Izumi-Satsuma Sendai-Kagoshima) * National Route 10 (Kitakyushu- Nakatsu–

Beppu is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city had a population of 122,643

– Saiki–

Nobeoka is a Cities of Japan, city located in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 119,521 and a population density of 138 persons per km². The total area is . History The city was offici ...

– Miyazaki– Miyakonojo-Kagoshima) * National Route 58 (disconnected segments in downtown Kagoshima and on the islands of

and

Amami Ōshima , also known as Amami, is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands. The island, 712.35 km2 in area, has a population of approximately 73,000 people. Administratively it is ...

) *Route 220 (Miyazaki- Nichinan-Shibushi-Kanoya-Tarumizu-Kirishima) *Route 223 *Route 224 *Route 225 *Route 226 *Route 267 ( Hitoyoshi-Isa-Satsuma Sendai) *Route 268 (Minamata-Isa-

Ebino is a city located in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. Ebino shares borders with Kagoshima Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture and Kobayashi, Miyazaki Prefecture. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 18,337 and a population densi ...

–

Kobayashi Kobayashi (written: lit. "small forest") is the 8th most common Japanese surname. A less common variant is . Notable people with the surname include: Art figures Film, television, theater and music *, Japanese actress and voice actress *, ...

-Miyazaki) *Route 269 *Route 270 *Route 328 (Kagoshima-Isa-Izumi) *Route 389 ( Ōmuta– Tamana– Unzen– Minamishimabara–

Amakusa , which means "Heaven's Grass," is a series of islands off the west coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. Geography The largest island of the Amakusa group is Shimoshima, which is 26.5 miles long and 13.5 mi ...

-Akune) *Route 447 (Ebino-Isa-Izumi) *Route 448 *Route 499 *Route 504 (Kanoya-Kirishima-Satsuma-Izumi)

Ports

*Kagoshima Port **Domestic ferry route to

Kikai Island is one of the Satsunan Islands, classed with the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. The island, in area, has a population of approximately 7,657 persons. Administratively the island forms the town of Kikai, Kagoshima Prefecture ...

Tokunoshima , also known in English as is an island in the Amami archipelago of the southern Satsunan Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of approximately 27,000. The island is divided into three administrative ...

Yoron Island , also known as Yoron, is one of the Amami Islands.''Teikoku's Complete Atlas of Japan'', Teikoku-Shoin Co., Ltd., Tokyo, The island, 20.8 km² (8 sq. mi.) in area, has a population of approximately 6,000 people, and is administered as the ...

Okinoerabu , also known as Okinoerabu, is one of the Satsunan Islands, classed with the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. The island, 93.63 km² in area, has a population of approximately 14,000 persons. Administratively it is divided into ...

and

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area ...

. **High-speed craft route to

, Tanegashima and Yakushima. **International container hub port *Shibushi Port **Ferry route to

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Tokyo,

and

**International and domestic container hub port *Naze Port **Ferry Route to Osaka, Kobe, Kagoshima, Yakushima, Tanegashima, Tokunoshima and Naha. *Yakushima Port *Tanegashima Port *Tokunoshima Port

Airports

Kagoshima Airport is an airport located in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, northeast of Kagoshima-Chūō StationAIS Japan
in ...

Amami Airport is an airport located east northeast Amami, a city on Amami Ōshima , also known as Amami, is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands. The island, 712.35 km2 in are ...

Tokunoshima Airport is an airport on the island of Tokunoshima, located in the town of Amagi, Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan. History Tokunoshima Airport was opened on 23 February 1962 as a private venture by Toa Domestic Airlines with a 1080- ...

Tanegashima Airport , also known as Tanegashima Airport,
from

Yakushima Airport is an airport located on the island of Yakushima in Kumage District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. History The airport was opened in 1963 with an 1100-meter runway. The runway was extended to 1200 meters in 1975 and to 1500 meters in 1976. ...

Okinoerabu Airport is located on the island of Okinoerabujima in the town of Wadomari, Kagoshima, Wadomari, Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Ōshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. History Okinoerabu Airport was opened on 1 May 1969 with a 1200-meter runway, a ...

Yoron Airport is a third-class airport located on Yoronjima (Yoron Island) in Kagoshima Prefecture Japan. History Yoron Airport was opened on . On 12 May 2005, the runway was strengthened to enable operations by the Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. Airlines and ...

Notable people

Isamu Akasaki was a Japanese engineer and physicist, specializing in the field of semiconductor technology and Nobel Prize laureate, best known for inventing the bright gallium nitride ( GaN) p-n junction blue LED in 1989 and subsequently the high-brightness ...

, physicist and engineer,

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

laureate *

Hajime Chitose is a Japanese singer from Amami Ōshima. She sings in the shima-uta style particular to that region, with distinctive falsetto effects. History Early life Chitose Hajime began learning shamisen under her mother's encouragement from a young ag ...

, singer *

Hayato Tani is a Japanese actor and television presenter best known for his career as General Tani in Takeshi's Castle and Commander Sugata in Hikari Sentai Maskman. Biography He was born in Kirishima, Kagoshima, Japan and raised in Sasebo, Nagasaki. He m ...

, actor *

Yasuhito Endo , was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of several ...

, football player *

Kosuke Fukudome is a retired Japanese professional baseball outfielder. He previously played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2012, primarily with the Chicago Cubs and had a long spanning career in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) with the Chunichi D ...

, MLB player *

GO!GO!7188 GO!GO!7188 (Go Go Nana Ichi Hachi Hachi), also known simply as Gogo, was a Japanese rock band with influences spanning from surf rock to punk rock to enka. History In June 1998, Yumi Nakashima (nicknamed Yuu) and Akiko Hamada (nicknamed Akk ...

, rock band *

Masazumi Harada was a Japanese doctor and medical researcher. His most famous work covered the effects of Minamata disease, a type of severe mercury poisoning that occurred in the city of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture during the 1950s and 1960s. His publications i ...

, doctor *

Goyō Hashiguchi was an artist in Japan. At the forefront of the '' shin-hanga'' ("new prints") movement, a revival of ''ukiyo-e'', he designed fourteen woodblock prints which are regarded as masterpieces of the genre. Early life Hashiguchi was born Hashiguchi K ...

, artist *

Utami Hayashishita (born September 14, 1998) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, Since making her debut on August 12, 2018, she became a one-time World of Stardom Champion, two-time Goddesses of Stardom Ch ...

, professional wrestler *

, admiral of the fleet in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

, professional Wrestler *

Kazuo Inamori was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines. Inamori was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for innovation in ceramic materials an ...

, industrialist turned philanthropist *

Junichi Inamoto is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nankatsu SC. He is a retired international for the Japan national team. Club career Inamoto was born in Kagoshima Prefecture. He played for Japanese club Gamba Osaka during ...

, football player *

Takehiko Inoue is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for the basketball series ''Slam Dunk'' (1990–1996), and the ''jidaigeki'' manga ''Vagabond'', which are two of the best-selling manga series in history. Many of his works are about basketball, I ...

, modern comic artist *

Shinobu Kaitani is a Japanese manga artist. His most notable works are '' One Outs'' and ''Liar Game''. Shinobu is from Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture. He graduated from Kagoshima Prefectural Konan High School and from Department of Electronics Engineerin ...

, modern comic artist *

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with ...

member * Kunio Kato animator known especially for ''

La Maison en Petits Cubes is a 2008 Japanese animated short subject film created by Kunio Katō, with music by Kenji Kondo and produced by Robot Communications and animated by Oh! Production. It won several prizes, including The Annecy Cristal at the 32nd Annecy Intern ...

'' *

Yoichiro Kawaguchi is a Japanese computer graphics artist and professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo. Kawaguchi rose to international prominence in 1982 when he presented "Growth Model" in the international conference SIGGRAPH. In 2013, Kawaguchi design ...

, computer graphics artist *

Munenori Kawasaki is a Japanese professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Tochigi Golden Braves of Baseball Challenge League in Japan. He has played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and in Major League Baseb ...

, MLB player * Kohei Miyauchi, voice actor *

Sakura Miyawaki is a Japanese singer and actress based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Le Sserafim. Miyawaki began her music career with the girl group HKT48 in 2011, and was a concurrent member of their sister group AKB48 from ...

HKT48 HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka city of Fukuoka Prefecture, where Akimoto originally intended to base the group. The group currently performs at ...

and

Iz*One Iz*One ( ; ko, 아이즈원, Aijeuwon; ja, アイズワン, Aizuwan; stylized as IZ*ONE) was a South Korean–Japanese girl group formed through the Mnet reality competition show '' Produce 48''. The group was composed of twelve members: J ...

member *

Mika Nakashima is a Japanese singer and actress. Five of her studio albums, one of her mini-albums and one of her compilation albums have reached number one in Japan's Oricon album chart. She also embarked on an acting career, most notably as Nana Osaki in the ...

, artist *

Shimazu Nariakira was a Japanese feudal lord (''daimyō'') of the Edo period, the 28th in the line of Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma Domain. He was renowned as an intelligent and wise lord, and was greatly interested in Western learning and technology. He was e ...

, feudal lord * Yuya Osako, football player *

Robico is a Japanese manga artist from Kagoshima Prefecture, best known for ''My Little Monster''. Robico is a pen name and the author's real name is unknown. Biography Robico attended vocational school with the thought of becoming an illustrator. In ...

, manga artist *

Jirō Sakagami (16 April 1934 – 10 March 2011) was a Japanese comedian, actor, and singer. Career Sakagami was born in Kagoshima Prefecture but spent most of his childhood in Manchukuo. Winning an NHK song contest at age 19, he headed to Tokyo to ...

, comedian *

Hiroyuki Sakai is a Japanese chef who specializes in French cuisine. Sakai is best known as the second, final, and longest-serving Iron Chef French on the Japanese television show ''Iron Chef'', first appearing at the beginning of 1994 (after Yutaka Ishinabe ...

, ''

Iron Chef is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bui ...

'' cook *

Hitoshi Sakimoto is a Japanese video game music composer and arranger. He is best known for scoring ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' and ''Final Fantasy XII'', though he has composed soundtracks for over 80 other games. He began playing music and video games in elemen ...

, composer *

Nanami Sakuraba (born October 17, 1992 in Izumi, Kagoshima) is a Japanese gravure idol and actress who won "Miss Magazine 2008". Filmography Drama * '' Akai Ito'' (2008) as Sara Nakagawa * '' Tokyo Girls'' (2008) * ''Nadeshiko Tai'' (2008) as Reiko Toriham ...

, actress *

Tokichi Setoguchi was a Japanese composer, music educator, conductor and clarinetist. Biography Setoguchi was born on 28 June 1868, in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, in what is now the city of Tarumizu. In 1882, Setoguchi enlisted as a clarinetist in the milit ...

, composer *

Yoku Shioya is a Japanese actor and voice actor debuting in ''Triton of the Sea'' (1972). He has done some voice directing in such anime as '' Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls Ryota Miyagi in Slam Dunk and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.'' His real name is Tsuba ...

, voice actor *

Kawasaki Shōzō was a Japanese industrialist and shipbuilder. He was the founder of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Biography Born in Kagoshima to a kimono merchant, Kawasaki Shōzō became a tradesman at the age of 17 in Nagasaki, the only place in Japan then ...

, founder of

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Chūō, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is ...

* Kento Tachibanada, football player *

Nabi Tajima Japanese supercentenarians are citizens, residents or emigrants from Japan who have attained or surpassed the age of 110 years. , the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of 263 Japanese supercentenarians, most o ...

, oldest Japanese and Asian person ever, last living person born in the 19th century *

, samurai *

Seiji Tōgō was a Japanese painter and artist known for his depiction of the female form. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture Japan, he graduated from middle school at Aoyama Gakuin University and displayed his first one-man show at Hibiya Art Museum at the age of ...

, artist *

Ōkubo Toshimichi was a Japanese statesman and one of the Three Great Nobles regarded as the main founders of modern Japan. Ōkubo was a ''samurai'' of the Satsuma Domain and joined the movement to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate during the '' Bak ...

, statesman *

Yoshiyuki Tsuruta (October 1, 1903 – July 24, 1986) was a Japanese swimmer. He won a gold medal in the Amsterdam Olympics and the Los Angeles Olympics. Biography Tsuruta was born in Ishiki Village, Kagoshima District, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan. (Pre ...

, swimmer, Olympic Games double gold medalist *

Wowaka Wowaka (stylized as wowaka, ; 4 November 19875 April 2019), also known as Genjitsutouhi-P (), was a Japanese musician. Considered to be a pioneer in the Vocaloid industry, wowaka was internationally acclaimed for his musical work over a career s ...

, singer

Mythical creatures

* Garappa (Kappa) * Issie * Ittan-momen

Sister relations

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollabuk-do''), also known as Jeonbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Jeolla has a population of 1,869,711 (2015) and has a geographic area of 8,067 km2 (3,115 sq mi) located in the Honam region in the southwes ...

, South Korea, October 1989 duo-declaration *

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States November 28, 1966, became a sister state *

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...

, China * Gifu Prefecture July 27, 1971, became a sister prefecture

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan Encyclopedia''
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ; ; .

External links

* *

Official Kagoshima Prefecture Promotional Website
* National Archives of Japa
... Kagoshima map (1891)
{{Authority control Kyushu region Prefectures of Japan

History

Demographics

Geography

Economy

Municipalities

Cities

Districts

Mergers

Culture

Food

''Satsuma-age''

Sweets

Beverages

Dialect

Sport and recreation

Education

Universities and colleges

High schools

Science and technology facilities

Museums

Transportation

Rail

Trams

Roads

Expressways and toll roads

National Highways

Ports

Airports

Notable people

Mythical creatures

Sister relations

See also

Notes

References

External links