is a prefecture of

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 n ...

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 Yon ...

. 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). 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 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 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Ku ...

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 is a city in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is located in the southeastern Kyushu region in the central part of Ōsumi Peninsula. Kanoya is the most populous city in Japan without any connection to railway services, after the abolition of th ...

, 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 (whic ...

. 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 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 conti ...

coast, and is characterized by two large

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

s 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 The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, l ...

, ruled from

Kagoshima Castle , also known as Tsurumaru Castle, was a Japanese castle located in Kagoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture. History Kagoshima Castle was constructed in 1601 by Matsudaira Iehisa, head of the Shimazu clan and the first ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma Doma ...

, 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 character ...

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, 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 Sats ...

), and the city of

was an important naval base during Japan's 20th century wars and the home of admiral Tōgō Heihachirō. More recent incidents are the sinking of a North Korean spy ship (100 ton class) in 2001 by the Coast Guard, 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 and the Ryukyuans (Amami Islands).

Geography

Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu on the

Satsuma Peninsula The Satsuma Peninsula (薩摩半島 ''Satsuma-hantō'') is a peninsula which projects south from the southwest part of Kyūshū Island, Japan. To the west lies the East China Sea, while to the east it faces the Ōsumi Peninsula across Kagoshima ...

and Ōsumi Peninsula. 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 o ...

. Surrounded by the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated ...

to the west,

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest cit ...

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, Satsuma 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 of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

es, including the great Sakurajima, 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 consume ...

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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

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

Akune is a 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 km2. Geography ...

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

Jōmon Sugi is a large ''Cryptomeria'' tree ( yakusugi) located on Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Japan. It is the oldest and largest among the old-growth cryptomeria trees on the island, and is estimated to be between 2,170 and 7,200 years ...

in Yaku Island File:Ishiharayoshiharaueno site3.JPG, Mangrove native forest in Amami Island 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. Dur ...

. The eastern part of the prefecture, the former Ōsumi Province, 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 The sweet potato or sweetpotato ('' Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the bindweed or morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable. The young ...

, radish, 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, Berkshire pork ("kurobuta") and local Black Wagyu beef. Kagoshima prefecture's production of bonito flakes is second only to that of Shizuoka. 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 The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...

(JAXA) has several facilities within the prefecture, including the country's main launch facility on Tanegashima and the Uchinoura Space Center. 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 of ...

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 counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

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

, ''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'', 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'' (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. For the most part, Satsugū dialect is mutually unintelligible with Standard Japanese, 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 * Christi ...

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

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...

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 te ...

, 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, previous camp home of the Chiba Lotte Marines (NPB) and Lotte Giants (

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 * Kagoshima Kamoike Stadium, camp home of

Júbilo Iwata is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For ...

(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 i ...

(rugby) *, camp home of Sagan Tosu (soccer) The Kirishima-Yaku National Park is located in Kagoshima Prefecture.

Education

Universities and colleges

* Kagoshima University *

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 partici ...

The International University of Kagoshima is a private university in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1932, and it was chartered as a junior university in 1950. In 1960, it became a four-year college. References External links Official websit ...

* Kagoshima Immaculate Heart University *

Daiichi Institute of Technology is a private university in Kirishima, Kagoshima, 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 Ja ...

Shigakukan University 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 ...

Kagoshima Prefectural College is a public prefectural university, prefectural junior college in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan, established in 1950. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1922. External links Official website
Universities and colleges establishe ...

Kagoshima Immaculate Heart College is a private junior college in the city of Kagoshima in Japan. It was established in 1960, and has been attached to Kagoshima Immaculate Heart University since 1994. Departments * Department of home economics * Department of English studies Se ...

Kagoshima Women's Junior College Kagoshima Women's Junior College or is a private women's junior college in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Oce ...

* Daiichi Junior College of Infant Education

High schools

Science and technology facilities

* Tanegashima Space Center * Uchinoura Space Center

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 Banse ...

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 th ...

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 o ...

Reimeikan, Kagoshima Prefectural Center for Historical Material opened in Kagoshima, Japan, in 1983. The museum, located in the grounds of Tsurumaru Castle, exhibits materials relating to the history and culture of Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryu ...

* Uenohara site

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 Str ...

** Kyushu Shinkansen ** Kagoshima Line ** Nippō Main Line ** Ibusuki Makurazaki Line ** Hisatsu Line **

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 is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū ...

* Hisatsu Orange Railway

Trams

Kagoshima City Tram The is a public transportation authority of Kagoshima City, Japan. The bureau operates trams and bus lines. From April 1, 2005, together with Nangoku Kōtsū and JR Kyūshū Bus, the bureau introduced RapiCa, a smart card ticketing system. Th ...

Roads

Expressways and toll roads

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, the ...

* Miyazaki Expressway *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 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

(

Kitakyushu 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 of Kyushu after the city of Fukuoka. It is one o ...

–

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 (fr ...

– Kumamoto–

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 c ...

-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 122,643Saiki– Nobeoka– Miyazaki– Miyakonojo-Kagoshima) * National Route 58 (disconnected segments in downtown Kagoshima and on the islands of Tanegashima 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– Kobayashi-Miyazaki) *Route 269 *Route 270 *Route 328 (Kagoshima-Isa-Izumi) *Route 389 ( Ōmuta– Tamana–

Unzen is an active volcanic group of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, near the city of Shimabara, Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island. In 1792, the collapse of one of its several lava domes triggered a megatsunami ...

–

Minamishimabara is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the southern tip of Shimabara Peninsula. , the city has an estimated population of 45,465 and a population density of 270 persons per km2. The total area is 169.89 km2. The modern city ...

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

Ports

*Kagoshima Port **Domestic ferry route to Sakurajima, Kikai Island,

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 ...

, Amami Island, Tanegashima, Yakushima, Yoron Island,

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. **High-speed craft route to Ibusuki, 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, Naha and Amami Island **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
i ...

* Amami Airport * Tokunoshima Airport * Tanegashima Airport * Yakushima Airport * Okinoerabu Airport * Yoron Airport

Notable people

* Isamu Akasaki, 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, singer * Hayato Tani, actor * Yasuhito Endo, 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, rock band * Masazumi Harada, 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, professional wrestler * Tōgō Heihachirō, 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 surrender ...

* Kota Ibushi, professional Wrestler * Kazuo Inamori, industrialist turned philanthropist * Junichi Inamoto, 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, In ...

, 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 Engineeri ...

, modern comic artist * Yuki Kashiwagi,

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 i ...

member *

Kunio Kato Kunio (written: 邦夫, 邦男, 邦雄, 邦生, 國男, 國士, 国男, 国夫, 州男 or 久仁生) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese businessman *, Japanese judge *, Jap ...

animator known especially for ''

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'' * Yoichiro Kawaguchi, 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, HKT48 and Iz*One member * Mika Nakashima, artist * Shimazu Nariakira, feudal lord * Yuya Osako, football player * Robico, 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 t ...

, 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 ...

, ''

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'' cook *

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, composer * Nanami Sakuraba, actress *

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, composer * Yoku Shioya, 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 th ...

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, football player *

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, 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, statesman *

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, singer

Mythical creatures

* Garappa (Kappa) *

Issie is a caldera lake located 40 km south of Kagoshima city; Kyūshū island, Japan. It is perhaps best known to tourists as the location of the purported sightings of a monster named Issie, and as the largest lake on Kyūshū island with a sur ...

* 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 southw ...

, South Korea, October 1989 duo-declaration * Georgia, 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 it ...

, China *

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, ...

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