290px, Hioki City Hall 290px, Myoenji Mairi Samurai Procession with Tokushige Shrine is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 46,348 in 22706 households, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

of 180 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Hioki is located in the central part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the mid-west of the Satsuma Peninsula. The western part of the city faces the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

, and is home to Fukiagehama Beach, one of Japan's three largest sand dunes. Kutajima Island, an uninhabited island about 12 kilometers offshore from Fukiagehama, is within the city limits.

Adjacent municipalities

Kagoshima Prefecture * Ichikikushikino *

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

* Minamisatsuma *

Satsumasendai 290px, Satsumasendai City Hall is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 90,918 in 46610 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . History Sa ...

Climate

Hioki has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa'') with hot summers and mild winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in summer, especially the months of June and July. The average annual temperature in Hioki is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Its record high is , reached on 19 August 2013, and its record low is , reached on 19 February 1977.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hioki in 2020 is 47,153 people. Hioki began its first census in 1960, and the brief exodus ended in the 1970s, after which the population remained relatively stable until 2020.

History

Hioki is part of ancient

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 was . History Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai. Dur ...

and was one of the centers of the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

during the

Kamakura , officially , is a city of Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. It is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 people per km2 over the tota ...

and

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

s. It was part of the holdings of

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a Han system, domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of ...

in the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. On April 1, 1889, the villages of Nakaijuin, Shimoijuin, Higashiichiki, Hioki, Yoshiri, Nagayoshi in Hiki District and Isaku in Ata District were established with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Nakaijuin was raised to town status in April 1922, becoming the town of Ijuin, followed by Isaku in December 1922 and Higashiichiki in April 1937. Hioki and Yoshiri merged in April1955 to form the town of Hiyoshi ad Isaku and Nagayoshi merged to form the town of Fukiage. The city of Hioki was established on May 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Fukiage, Higashiichiki,

Hiyoshi is a part of the city of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located within Kōhoku Ward in the northeast of Yokohama City. Overview It is served by Hiyoshi Station on the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line and Yokohama Subway. It is approximate ...

and Ijūin (all from Hioki District).

Government

Hioki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city council of 20 members. Hioki contributes two members to the Kagoshima Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the

Kagoshima 3rd district , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the kanji used to sp ...

of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Economy

Hioki has a mixed economy of commerce, agriculture, light manufacturing and commercial fishing.

Education

Hioki has 15 public elementary schools and five public junior high schools by the city government, and four public high schools operated by the Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education. There is also one private combined junior/senior high school.

Transportation

Railways

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. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

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

: - -

Highways

Minamikyushu Expressway * *

Sister cities

Aira, Kagoshima file:Aira Plain.jpg, 270px, Panoramic view of Aira file:竜門の滝・鹿児島DSC01598.JPG, 270px, Ryūmonji Falls is a Cities of Japan, city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is located west of Kirishima, Kagoshima, Kirishima and nor ...

Namwon Namwon (, ) is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Namwon is about 50 minutes from the provincial capital of Jeonju, which is almost three hours away from Seoul. The official city flower is Royal Azalea () while the city tree is the ...

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of Sout ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

* Ōgaki, Gifu *

Sekigahara, Gifu is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Fuwa District, Gifu, Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 7,109 and a population density of 140 persons per km2, in 2,725 households. The total area of the t ...

Subang Jaya Subang Jaya is a city in Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. It comprises the southern third district of Petaling. It consists of the neighbourhoods from SS12 to SS19, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), Putra Heights, Batu Tiga as well as PJS7, PJ ...

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Teshikaga, Hokkaido is a town located in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of October 2020, the town has an estimated population of 6,955 and a density of 9.0 persons per km2. The total area is 774.53 km2. Tourist attractions in the town include Lak ...

Local attractions

* Fukiage Beach *

Ichiuji Castle is a castle structure in Hioki, Kagoshima, Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.　Ichiuji Castle is also called Ijūin Castle. History Ichiuji Castle was built by the Ijuin clan and was later controlled by the Shimazu clan. In 1536, Shimazu Takah ...

and Statue of

Shimazu Yoshihiro was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and the younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. Traditionally believed to be the 17th head of the Shimazu clan, he was a skilled general during the Sengoku period who greatly contributed to the unificatio ...

Izaku Castle was a castle structure in Hioki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The date of the castle's construction is unknown, but it is believed that the castle was built by Shimazu Hisanaga in the thirteenth century. It was the original seat of power for th ...

, Home Castle of

* Miyama (

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-bodied ...

, former name: Naeshirogawa) * Tokushige Shrine * Yunomoto Hot spring Fukiage beach

Festivals

* Ijuin Ume Marathon * Myoenji Mairi

Notable people from Hioki

Masafumi Arima was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. An experienced aviator, he is sometimes credited with being the first to use the '' kamikaze'' attack, although official accounts may have been invented for propaganda purposes. Arim ...

(admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy) *

Satoshi Irifune is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. In the 10,000 metres he finished 20th at the 1999 World Championships. He finished eighteenth at the 2000 World Half Marathon Championships, and in the marathon he finished 2 ...

(marathon runner) *

Izumi Inamori is a Japanese actress signed to Burning Production. Biography Izumi Inamori was born and grew up in Kagoshima Prefecture. After finished from the local high school, Inamori went to University of Texas at Arlington to study English abroad. Aft ...

(actress) * Keisuke Iwashita (football player) *

Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, poet, and human-rights advocate, who is a prominent figure in Japanese popular music. He has sold more than 20 million records worldwide and has appeared in movies and television dramas. His wife Etsu ...

(singer) *

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 th ...

(singer) *

Naokuni Nomura was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and briefly served as Navy Minister in the 1940s. Biography Nomura was born in Hioki, Kagoshima prefecture. He graduated from the 35th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy on 20 November 1 ...

(admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy) *

Shigenori Tōgō was Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Empire of Japan at both the start and the end of the Axis–Allied conflict during World War II. He also served as Minister of Colonial Affairs in 1941, and assumed the same position, renamed the Minist ...

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

References

External links

Hioki City official website

Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau official website
{{Authority control Cities in Kagoshima Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Hioki, Kagoshima