is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

after the city of

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 ancie ...

. It is one of Japan's 20 designated cities, one of three on Kyushu, and is divided into seven

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

. Kitakyushu was formed in 1963 from a merger of municipalities centered on the historic city of

Kokura is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyushu, Japan, guarding the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshu and Kyushu with its suburb Moji. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen lin ...

, and its name literally means "North Kyushu City" in Japanese. It is located at the northernmost point of Kyushu on the

Kanmon Straits The or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshu side of the strait is Shimonoseki (, which contributed "Kan" () to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu ...

, separating the island from

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

, across from the city of

Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsushim ...

. Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki are connected by numerous transport links including the

Kanmon Bridge The (Asian Highway Network ) is a suspension bridge crossing the Kanmon Straits, a stretch of water separating two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshū side of the bridge is Shimonoseki (, which contributed ''Kan'' to the name of the s ...

and the Kanmon Tunnels. Kitakyushu's

Urban Employment Area is a definition of metropolitan areas used in Japan, defined by the Center for Spatial Information Service of the University of Tokyo. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry defined 233 areas for the UEAs of Japan. It is different from ...

forms part of the Fukuoka-Kitakyushu Greater Metropolitan Region, which, with a population of 5,738,977 (2005-2006), is the largest

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...

in Japan west of the

Keihanshin is a metropolitan region in the Kansai region of Japan encompassing the metropolitan areas of the cities of Kyoto in Kyoto Prefecture, Osaka in Osaka Prefecture and Kobe in Hyōgo Prefecture. The entire region has a population () of 19,302,746 o ...

region.

History

Kokura Prefecture

Kokura Prefecture The short-lived of Japan was founded separately from Fukuoka Prefecture in December 1871 after the clan system was abolished earlier that year. It was made up of three separate han territories (Buzen, Kokura and Nakatsu) which were, each for a ...

was founded separately from

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 is a prestigious shopping centre near the Murasaki river and Kokura Castle in Kokura Kita ward, Kitakyushu, Japan. It was opened as part of the Kitakyushu Renaissance policy on April 19, 2003. It includes theatres, restaurants, a multiplex cinem ...

. In 1876, Kokura Prefecture was absorbed by Fukuoka Prefecture. The city of

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 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

es flew out from mainland China. Kokura was the primary target of the nuclear weapon "

Fat Man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...

" on August 9, 1945. Major

Charles Sweeney Charles William Sweeney (December 27, 1919 – July 16, 2004) was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and the pilot who flew '' Bockscar'' carrying the Fat Man atomic bomb to the Japanese city of Nagasaki on Augu ...

had orders to drop the bomb visually. All three attempts failed due to clouds and smoke from Yahata, which is only 7 km west of Kokura and 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. The bomb was ultimately dropped on the city of

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

, the secondary target, at 11:02 JST.

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

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in the middle and five petals representing the towns that merged.

Geography and administrative divisions

Demographics

, the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 945,595 and a total area of . The average

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is . It is now the country's 15th most populated city. It has a much larger total area than that of

which is only .

Wards

Kitakyushu has seven

(''ku''): The city of

Nakama, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2016, the city has an estimated population of 41,348 and a population density of 2,600 persons per km². The total area is 15.98 km². It is perhaps best known as the birthplace of actor ...

was to become the eighth

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

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 A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...

of Kokura（2021） File:KokuraStation01.jpg,

Kokura Station in Kokurakita-ku is the main railway station in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is part of the JR Kyushu network and the San'yō Shinkansen stops here. It is the second largest station in Kyushu with 120,000 users daily. In the late 1990s, the Kokura st ...

（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 ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

of Kokura（2014） File:Wakato Bridge-4.jpg,

Wakato Bridge The , is a suspension bridge in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. The bridge opened on September 26, 1962, and it spans a length of two kilometers and has a main span of 367 meters. The name of the bridge comes from the characters Character or Chara ...

（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 is a Japanese map publisher. Founded in 1948, the company is known as a maker of residential maps and software used in personal computers and Automotive navigation systems. It is a leading Japanese company in the production of mapping software. ...

company known for its mapping and navigation software is based here and so is

Toto Ltd. , stylized as TOTO, previously known as Toyo Toki, is a Japanese multinational toilet manufacturer which is known for manufacturing the Washlet (as well as the Warmlet and similar products). TOTO was founded in 1917. The company is based in Ki ...

and

Yaskawa Electric Corporation The is a Japanese manufacturer of servos, motion controllers, AC motor drives, switches and industrial robots. Their Motoman robots are heavy duty industrial robots used in welding, packaging, assembly, coating, cutting, material handling and ...

StarFlyer (), styled as StarFlyer, is a Japanese airline headquartered on the grounds of Kitakyushu Airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture. It describes itself as a "hybrid airline" providing a higher level of service than low-cos ...

, an airline, is headquartered on the grounds of

Kitakyushu Airport , sometimes called Kokuraminami Airport, is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, away from the main body of the city. It opened on 16 March 2006, as but ...

Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the southern part of what used to be Kokura City, which was merged into Kitakyūshū city when the latter was created out of the merger of five cities in 1963. At this time Kokura was divided int ...

. Previously the airline's headquarters were in the in

Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the north part of what used to be Kokura City before the merger of five cities to create the new city of Kitakyūshū in 1963. JR Kyūshū's Kokura Station is the main rail hub of 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 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 The , also called or NNR, is one of Japan's "Big 16" private railroad companies. With headquarters in Fukuoka, it operates local and highway buses, supermarkets, real estate and travel agencies, as well as railways in Fukuoka Prefecture ...

and bus company. In 2009

Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational tire manufacturer founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of , meaning 'stone bridge' in Japan ...

Corporation opened a plant in Kitakyushu to produce large and ultralarge off-the-road radial tires for construction and mining vehicles. The

GDP 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 often ...

in Greater Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu

Metropolitan Employment Area is a definition of metropolitan areas used in Japan, defined by the Center for Spatial Information Service of the University of Tokyo. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry defined 233 areas for the UEAs of Japan. It is different from ...

was US$55.7 billion in 2010.

Education

Universities and colleges

National universities

Kyushu Institute of Technology is one of the 87 national universities in Japan. Located in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, it is dedicated to education and research in the fields of science and technology. It is earlier abbreviated to KIT and is now officially a ...

Public universities

* Kyushu Dental University *

University of Kitakyushu The is a public university in Kitakyushu, Japan. The main campus is located next to Keibajomae (lit. Horse Racing course) station on the Kitakyushu monorail. The second campus is in the academic zone of Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu called Gakujut ...

Private universities

* Kyushu International University *

Kyushu Kyoritsu University is a private university in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan ...

* Kyushu Nutrition Welfare University * Kyushu Polytechnic College *

Kyushu Women's University is a private university in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island o ...

Nishinippon Institute of Technology is a private university in the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area ...

* Seinan Women's University *

University of Occupational and Environmental Health is a private university in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, established in 1978. External links Official website
Educational institutions established in 1978 Private universities and colleges in Japan Universities and colleges ...

Junior colleges

* Higashi Chikushi Junior College * Kyushu Women's Junior College * Orio Aishin Junior College * Seinan Jo Gakuin University Junior College

Technology colleges

* Kitakyushu National College of Technology

Vocational colleges

* Kyushu Medical Sports School

Research Institutes and graduate Schools

* Kitakyushu Science and Research Park ** Graduate School of International Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu ** Fukuoka University Institute for Recycling and Environmental Control Systems ** Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology ** Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems/Information, Production and Systems Research Center, Waseda University

Transportation

Higashida Blast Furnace Memorial Square 2

Located at a strategic position on the south side of the

, Kitakyushu is an important transport hub for traffic between

and

and has a large port.

Air

Airport

The

opened on March 16, 2006. It is larger than the previous

Kokura Airport , previously called until 2005, was a small airport in Kokura Minami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Japan. There used to be four flights to and from Tokyo Haneda every day. The runway was long, so although large-sized jets (namely the Boeing 767 and Airbus ...

and supports 24-hour operations thanks to its location on an artificial island in the

Seto Inland Sea The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka ...

. It will eventually be connected with

by a new fast rail link. A new airline based in the city called

began operations when the airport opened.

Railways

, the city's central train station, is the penultimate stop on the

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

Sanyō Shinkansen , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded b ...

before the

terminus and all

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

services stop here. It is served by local and express trains on

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 Strait ...

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 ...

and Nippō Main Lines. In the city, transport is provided the

Kitakyushu Monorail The is a monorail system in the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by . The is the only line. It runs the 8.8 km (5.5 mi) between Kokura station and Kikugaoka station in Kokura Minami ward in about 18 minutes. It ...

and buses.

Mojikō Station is a railway station on the Kagoshima Main Line in Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Lines Mojikō Station is served by the Kagoshima Main Line. The station is located close to Kyushu Railway Hist ...

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

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 ( Asian Highway Network ) is one of the Expressways of Japan from Kitakyūshū (and the bridge to Honshū) to west of Kagoshima linking with the Higashikyushu Expressway and the Ibusuki Skyline. It runs through the prefectures of Fukuoka Pref ...

, the main north–south route on the island of Kyushu. The new

Higashikyushu Expressway The is one of the expressways of Japan from Kitakyūshū (and the bridge to Honshū) to east of Kagoshima linking with the Kyushu Expressway. It runs north to south, through the prefectures of Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki and the Kagoshima prefec ...

begins in Kitakyushu and runs along the eastern coast of Kyushu. North of Kitakyushu, the Kyushu Expressway crosses the six-lane

Kanmonkyo Bridge The (Asian Highway Network ) is a suspension bridge crossing the Kanmon Straits, a stretch of water separating two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshū side of the bridge is Shimonoseki (, which contributed ''Kan'' to the name of the s ...

and turns into the

Chūgoku Expressway The (part of Asian Highway Network ) is an expressway in Japan, which extends from Suita, Osaka to Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It connects Kansai and Chūgoku regions in western Honshu, Japan's main island. Other major cities along the 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

linking Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki (on Kyushu and Honshū respectively) via the

and the

linking the wards of Tobata and Wakamatsu. There are smaller bridges over the

Onga River Onga may refer to: * Onga District, Fukuoka, a district of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan ** Onga, Fukuoka, a town in that district *Onga, Hungary, a town * Onga, Gabon, in the department of Djoue See also * * Oonga (disambiguation) * Ounga (disam ...

on the western border of the city. On September 30, 2005, ownership of the Wakato Bridge was transferred from

Japan Highway Public Corporation , or JH, was a public company established after World War II to construct and manage highway networks in Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Paci ...

to Kitakyushu; on April 1, 2006, the bridge was transferred to the control of the

Kitakyushu City Road Public Corporation is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuku ...

Sea

Port

Kitakyushu is the largest

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

port in

, Chūgoku, and

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

. Ferry services operate between Kitakyushu and

Matsuyama file:Matsuyama city office Ehime prefecture Japan.jpg, 270px, Matsuyama City Hall file:Ehimekencho-20040417.JPG, 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan ...

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

Kōbe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which ...

Ōsaka 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 2.7 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

(Korea),

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

(Korea) and isolated islands in the city limits. The main ferry port is at Shin-Moji, and there are ferries at Moji and near

. In the Kanmon-Kitakyushu area, there are three commuter lines: the Wakato Ferry, the Kanmon Straits Ferry, and the Kanmon Straits Liner.

Notable places

Night Views from Mount Sarakura 20170527-8

* 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. * karst plateau and in Kokura Minami ward and and in Yahata Higashi ward are noted walking areas with fine scenery. 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

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 A kitten is a juvenile cat. After being born, kittens display primary altriciality and are totally dependent on their mothers for survival. They normally do not open their eyes for seven to ten days. After about two weeks, kittens develop qu ...

and a

pug The Pug is a breed of dog originally from China, with physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often light brown (fawn) or blac ...

dog, was released in America in 1989 as ''

The Adventures of Milo and Otis is a 1986 Japanese Adventure film, adventure comedy-drama film about two animals, Milo (an tabby cat, orange tabby cat) and Otis (a pug). The original Japanese version, narrated by Shigeru Tsuyuki and with poetry recitation by Kyōko Koizumi, ...

''. The 1958 comedy ''

Rickshaw Man , also released as ''Muhomatsu, the Rickshaw Man'' or ''The Rikisha-Man'', is a 1958 color Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. It is a remake of his own 1943 film. In the 1943 version Tsumasaburo Bando played the role of Muhōmatsu. In Oct ...

'' 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 '' Call of Duty: Black Ops II'' game developed by

Treyarch Treyarch Corporation ( ; formerly Treyarch Invention LLC) is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it was acquired by Activision in 2001. The studio is known for ...

and published by

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...

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.

Festivals

There are festivals (matsuri) held in the summer in the city, including the

Tobata Gion Yamagasa festival is a popular local Japanese festival (matsuri) which takes place annually in Tobata, a ward of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is held for three days (Friday–Sunday) before and after the fourth Saturday of July. The festi ...

Tobata-ku, Kitakyūshū is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the smallest ward of Kitakyūshū city at 16.66 km². The population was 64,330 as of the national census in 2000. History and Geography In 1899 Tobata-cho (Tobata town) was created, and i ...

. ; 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. ; Wakamatsu Minato Festival (July) This port-city festival celebrates fire, drums, and ''

kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...

'' (mythical amphibious creatures who love cucumbers). ; Wasshoi Hyakuman Festival (August) The

Wasshoi Hyakuman Natsumatsuri is a matsuri in Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. It is a summer festival that spans two days, usually the first weekend in August. It is Kitakyūshū's largest festival, having been created to celebrate the 25th ...

brings all the festivals together for a grand parade and finale near City Hall in

Kokura Kita ward is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyushu, Japan, guarding the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshu and Kyushu with its suburb Moji. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen l ...

. 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.

Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) Kitakyushu.

The Center for Contemporary Art opened in May 1997 by former

Japan Foundation The was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an Independent Administrative Institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministry o ...

chief curator Nobuo Nakamura and Akiko Miyake. The centre has shown works of internationally renowned artists such as

Maurizio Cattelan Maurizio Cattelan (born 21 September 1960) is an Italian artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealistic sculptures and installations, Cattelan's practice also includes curating and publishing. His Satire, satirical approach to art has resulted in ...

and

Anri Sala Anri Sala (born 1974) is an Albanian contemporary artist whose primary medium is video. Life and career Sala studied art at the Albanian Academy of Arts from 1992 to 1996. He also studied video at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs, Pari ...

, and runs an internationally acclaimed studio programme for emerging artists.

Sports

Kitakyushu was selected as the host of the

2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships were held in Kitakyushu, Japan from October 18–24, 2021. The competition took place at the Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium. It was the third time that Japan hosted the event, following the 1995 ...

and the

2021 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships The 2021 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships were held from 27 to 31 October 2021 in Kitakyushu, Japan. Dina Averina broke the record for the most medals won at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships with 22 total medals and also became ...

, both of which will take place in October 2021. The artistic gymnastics championship will take place in

Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium is an arena in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Pref ...

, while the rhythmic competition will be contested in the West Japan Exhibition Centre.

Professional teams

Giravanz Kitakyushu is a Japanese football club based in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. They currently play in the third tier of Japanese football as they were relegated after the 2021 season. History Mitsubishi Chemical SC (1947 –2000) The club was formed ...

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, J3

Sporting venues

* Anō Dome *

Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu is an association football and rugby union stadium located in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It has a capacity of 15,300, and it opened on 18 February 2017 with a rugby union match. Giravanz Kitakyushu have been tenants since 2017. It h ...

- Home stadium for Giravanz Kitakyushu * Honjō Athletic Stadium *

* Kitakyushu Media Dome - Indoor

Keirin – literally "racing cycle" – is a form of motor-paced cycle racing in which track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan around 1948 for gamblin ...

stadium * Kitakyushu Municipal Baseball Stadium * Kitakyushu Municipal Gymnasium * JRA

Kokura Racecourse is located in Kokura Minami-ku Kitakyushu, Japan. It is used for horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set dist ...

* Sayagatani Stadium *

Wakamatsu Kyōteijō may refer to: Places in Japan * Wakamatsu Island, one of the Gotō Islands * Aizuwakamatsu, a city in Fukushima Prefecture * Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyūshū, a ward of Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture * Wakamatsu Station is a railway station on ...

- Wakamatsu Boat Races

Sister cities

Kitakyushu is twinned with the following cities outside Japan. *

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...

, Indonesia (Since 1992) *

Dalian Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmost ...

, China *

Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...

, South Korea *

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, United States *

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, United States *

Haiphong Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta. Haiphong wa ...

, Vietnam *

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...

, Philippines *

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, Cambodia * –

Ipatinga Ipatinga is a municipality in eastern Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The city was founded on 29 April 1964 and covers a total area of . Its population is 267,333 as of 2021. It is part of the Vale do Aço (Steel Valley) metropolitan area (populati ...

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

, Brazil (since July 24, 1978) One city in Japan is twinned with Kitakyushu city. * Minamikyushu, Kagoshima, Japan

Notable figures

Samurai

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

, samurai swordsman, author of ''

The Book of Five Rings is a text on ''kenjutsu'' and the martial arts in general, written by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi around 1645. Many translations have been made, and it enjoys an audience considerably broader than other martial artists and people ac ...

'' and founder of the Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū, famous for its use of two swords, lived in the

castle under the patronage of the Ogasawara and Hosokawa clans from 1633 until his death.

Writers

* The novelist

Mori Ōgai Lieutenant-General , known by his pen name , was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, poet and father of famed author Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a very young age and introduced translated German lan ...

lived in

for years and his house is open to the public in

. He wrote ''Kokura Nikki'' (''Kokura Diary'') here. It is a ten-minute walk from

. * The writer

Seichō Matsumoto was a Japanese writer, credited with popularizing detective fiction in Japan. Matsumoto's works broke new ground by incorporating elements of human psychology and ordinary life. His works often reflect a wider social context and postwar nihil ...

was born in Kokura. The

Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum The is a literature museum in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is dedicated to Seichō Matsumoto, who spent the first half of his life in Kitakyusyu. The museum is located next to Kokura Castle. Features of the Museum The museum displays exhibits and ...

dedicated to his work is located in the city center near

Kokura Castle is a castle in Kitakyushu, Japan. It was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki starting in 1602, with construction completed in 1608. History Construction of Kokura Castle began in 1602 and was completed in 1608. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan ...

. * The writer

Ashihei Hino (born 玉井勝則, ''Tamai Katsunori''; 25 January 1907 – 24 January 1960) was a Japanese writer, whose works included depictions of military life during World War II. He was born in Wakamatsu (now Wakamatsu ward, Kitakyūshū) and in 1937 h ...

was born in Wakamatsu ward and his birthplace can be visited.

Scientists

* Professor

Ted Fujita was a Japanese-American meteorologist whose research primarily focused on severe weather. His research at the University of Chicago on severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons revolutionized the knowledge of each. Although he is ...

, popularly known as "Mr. Tornado" in America, was born in Kikugaoka in what is now Kokura Minami ward.

Sportspeople

Masanobu Fuchi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is also a director and the co-head booker. Fuchi has exclusively worked for All Japan since his debut in 1974, and holds the record for the longest ...

, Japanese

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

(

All Japan Pro-Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba, w ...

)

Musicians

175R is a Japanese ska punk band from Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture. Debuting in 2001, 175R has released seven singles, seven albums and four DVDs. The band's members include Shogo on Vocals, Kazya on guitar, Isakick on bass and Yoshiaki on drums ...

, a Japanese punk rock band175R – Free listening, concerts, stats, & pictures at
Last.fm. Retrieved on 2013-12-09. *

Ena Fujita is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and gravure idol. She is managed by Platinum Production and signed to King Records. Due to her two careers she has dubbed herself a , a portmanteau of "singer-songwriter" and "gradol", an abbreviation ...

, Japanese musician and

gravure idol A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Though mo ...

Ayaka Umeda is a former Japanese idol and singer from the girl group NMB48, in which she is the co-captain of Team BII. She was also a member of the AKB48 and its subunit DiVA. Biography 2004–2007: Early career, debut, injury In 2004–2005, Umeda to ...

, former Japanese idol and singer (

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 it ...

, the subunit

DiVA Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is clo ...

and

NMB48 NMB48 (read "N.M.B. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group that debuted in 2011 as the second sister group to AKB48, produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NMB48 is named after the Namba district in Osaka city of Osaka Prefecture, where the group is base ...

)

Film directors

Yamazaki Tokujirō Yamazaki or Yamasaki (written: lit. "mountain promontory") is the 22nd most common Japanese surname. Less common variants are and . Notable people with the surname include: *Amy Yamazaki, British actress *Arturo Yamasaki, Peruvian-Mexican foot ...

, director of '' Call of the Foghorn'' and the Jiken Kisha series * Aoyama Shinji, director of ''

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

'' and ''

Sad Vacation is a 2007 Japanese drama film written and directed by Shinji Aoyama, adapted from his novel. Being third and last of Aoyama's "Kitakyushu Saga", Sad Vacation brings together several characters from his previous films Helpless and Eureka and conti ...

'' * Oda Motoyoshi, director of ''

Godzilla Raids Again is a 1955 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The film stars Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Waka ...

'' * Hirayama Hideyuki, director of ''

Forget me Not Forget-me-not refers to any member of the flowering plant genus ''Myosotis'', particularly: * Flowers in the genus ''Myosotis'' * ''Myosotis sylvatica'' or wood forget-me-not * '' Cynoglossum amabile'' or Chinese forget-me-not Forget me not may ...

Actors

* Kazuhisa Kawahara, ''

Aibō is a Japanese television detective series that first aired on TV Asahi on June 3, 2000. It has been adapted into six films: '' AIBOU: The Movie'' (2008), ''AIBOU: CSI Files'' (2009), '' AIBOU: The Movie II'' (2010), ''AIBOU: X-DAY'' (2013), '' A ...

'', ''

Initial D is a Japanese street racing manga series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1995 to 2013, with the chapters collected into 48 ''ta ...

'' and ''

Kamen Rider Decade is the title of the first installment of the 2009 editions of the long-running Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth of the Heisei Rider special anniversary Series, having begun with ''Kamen Rider ...

'' *

Takahiro Fujimoto is an actor and a retired male medley swimmer from Japan, who represented his native country in two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. His best Olympic result was the 8th place (4:23.86) in the Men's 400m Individual Medley event at ...

, ''

Saka no Ue no Kumo , or "Clouds Above the Hill" is a Japanese historical novel by Shiba Ryōtarō originally published serially from 1968 to 1972 in eight volumes. A three-year NHK television special drama series based on the novel and also entitled '' Saka no U ...

'', '' Jin'' and ''

Segodon is a 2018 Japanese historical drama television series and the 57th NHK taiga drama. It stars Ryohei Suzuki as Saigō Takamori, who has been dubbed ''the last true samurai''. Plot The drama follows the life of historical figure Saigō Takamori. ...

'' *

Saaya Irie is a Japanese actress, Voice acting in Japan, voice actress, gravure idol and singer. Her stage name is simply her given name, Saaya. In addition to her modeling work she has recently been appearing in numerous films, radio, and television prog ...

, ''

God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand is a 2006 Japanese horror film directed by Shūsuke Kaneko, based upon Kazuo Umezu's ultra-violent/ horror manga ''Kami no Hidarite, Akuma no Migite''. The film released on July 14, 2006 at the Fantasia Film Festival. It stars Asuka Shibuya, A ...

'' *

Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara is a Japanese person of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu (윤유구/尹惟久) and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a ...

, ''

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

'', ''

Dirty Hearts is a 2011 Japanese/Brazilian drama-thriller film directed by Vicente Amorim, based on the book of the same name by Fernando Morais. The film was premiered at Festival do Rio on October 13, 2011, and was released in Brazil on August 17, 2012. Th ...

'', ''

Letters from Iwo Jima is a 2006 Japanese-language American war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion pie ...

'' and ''

Samurai Hustle is a 2014 Japanese jidaigeki comedy film directed by Katsuhide Motoki and starring Kuranosuke Sasaki, Kyoko Fukada and Tsuyoshi Ihara. It was released on 21 June 2014. It featured in the Japanese Film Festival in Australia in 2014 under the na ...

'' (real name: Yun Yu-gu,

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 윤유구) *

Junichi Haruta is a Japanese actor from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. His real name is . Haruta joined the J.A.C (Japan Action Club), a theater troupe founded by Sonny Chiba, after leaving high school. Filmography * ''The Yagyu Conspiracy'' (1978) - Harut ...

, ''

Dai Sentai Goggle-V is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the sixth installment in Toei Company's Super Sentai metaseries of tokusatsu television dramas. It aired on TV Asahi from February 6, 1982 to January 29, 1983, replacing ''Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan ...

'', ''

Kagaku Sentai Dynaman is the seventh installment of Toei Company's Super Sentai metaseries. It aired on TV Asahi from February 5, 1983, to January 28, 1984, replacing ''Dai Sentai Goggle-V'' and was replaced by ''Choudenshi Bioman'' with a total of 51 episodes. Six ...

'', ''

Kamen Rider Blade , is a Japanese media, Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the fourteenth installment in the Kamen Rider Series. It aired on TV Asahi from January 25, 2004 to January 23, 2005. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Product ...

'', ''

Kamen Rider W Returns is a set of two V-Cinema (direct-to-video) releases that serve as spin-offs for characters from the ''Kamen Rider W'' television series and films. These films focus on the characters of Ryu Terui / Kamen Rider Accel (Minehiro Kinomoto) and Kats ...

'' and ''

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger is the Toei Company's 37th entry in its long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series following ''Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters''. ''Kyoryuger'' aired on TV Asahi from February 17, 2013 to February 9, 2014, joining ...

References

External links

City of Kitakyushu (English)

City of Kitakyushu City (Japanese)

Kitakyushu city travel guide

CCA Kitakyushu

Introduction to Kitakyushu (YouTube)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitakyushu Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan Cities in Fukuoka Prefecture Environmental model cities Populated coastal places in Japan Port settlements in Japan Populated places established in 1963 1963 establishments in Japan