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 ...

located in western

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 ...

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 103,655 in 46,192 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 480 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Itoshima is located on the Itoshima Peninsula at the northwestern edge of Fukuoka Prefecture. The northern and western ends face the

Genkai Sea The is a body of water that comprises the southwestern tip of the Sea of Japan and borders the northern coasts of Fukuoka and Saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. T ...

, and the eastern side borders Fukuoka City. It is a mountainous area with the Sefuri Mountains in the south, bordering

Saga Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...

, the southwest bordering Karatsu City, and the southeast bordering Saga City.

Neighboring municipalities

Fukuoka Prefecture *

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan 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 ancient times. ...

Saga Prefecture * Karatsu *

Saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

Climate

Itoshima 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 Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Itoshima is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Itoshima was on 5 August 2017; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 28 February 1981.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Itoshima in 2020 is 98,877 people. Itoshima has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History

In Itoshima, many Jomon period sites have been discovered, and Jomon

people The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

remains have been found at the Shimmachi stone burial mound group(新町支石墓群). During the

Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

, it is believed that a country called Itokoku (伊都国) existed, which controlled the entire Itoshima Peninsula. Itokoku shared a border with

Nakoku was a stateIn Japanese, the character 国/國, read as ''koku'' (in on'yomi) or ''kuni'' (in kun'yomi), can be translated as "country" or "province" which was located in and around modern-day Fukuoka City, on the Japanese island of Kyūsh ...

(奴国), a country that ruled over the entire Fukuoka Plain, including present-day Fukuoka City. In ancient Japanese history, the northern Kyushu region, including present-day

, was an important area, and many of the latest technologies and innovations in Japan originated in this region. The Fukuoka region, including Itoshima, which is a peninsula jutting out into the Tsushima Current that branches off from the

Kuroshio Current The , also known as the Black Current or is a north-flowing, warm ocean current on the west side of the North Pacific Ocean basin. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. Similar to the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic, the Ku ...

along the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

, is believed to have had especially active exchanges with the

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

(

Ryukyu The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

) region since ancient times. In fact, obsidian produced in

in southwestern Fukuoka has been excavated from archaeological sites on the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

. There is also believed to have been strong cultural exchange; for example, Okinawa’s maritime faith of Nirai Kanai(ニライカナイ) and the Wadatsumi(ワダツミ) and Munakata beliefs(宗像三神) that symbolize the Fukuoka and Itoshima areas are considered to have a common origin. During 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 ...

, the area was part of

Fukuoka Domain 270px, Kuroda Nagamasa, the 1st daimyo of Fukuoka Domain 270px, Kuroda Nagahiro, the 11th next to last daimyo of Fukuoka Domain 270px, Kuroda Nagatomo, final daimyo of Fukuoka Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was assoc ...

. After 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the villages of Fukuyoshi, Fukae, Ichikisan, Nagaihon (renamed Nagaito in 1892), Kafuri, Raiyama, Ito, Maehara, Hatae, Kaya, Kofuji, Keya, Nokita, and Sakurai were established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. Maehara was raised to town status on September 15, 1901 and annexed Hatae and Kafuri on April 1, 1931. On January 1, 1955 Maebaru annexed Raiyama and Nagaito, followed by Ido on April 1 of the same year. Kaya, Sakurano, Kofuji, and Keya merged on January 1, 1955 to form the village of Shima, which became town on April 1, 1965. Likewise Ichikiyama, Fukae, and merged on January 1, 1955 to form the village of Nijo, which became town on April 1, 1965. Maebaru was raised to city status on October 1, 1992. Maebaru annexed Shima and Nijo on April 16, 2009 and was renamed Itoshima.

Government

Itoshima 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. Itoshima contributes two members to the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Fukuoka 3rd district 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

The economy of Itoshima is centered on agriculture, commercial fishing and tourism. There is one

industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

. An increasing proportion of the local workforce commutes to neighboring Fukuoka.

Education

Universities

* Kurume Institute of Technology * Kurume Shin-Ai Women's College * Kurume University *
Kurume University Hospital
* St.Mary's College

Primary and secondary education

Itoshima has 16 public elementary schools and six public junior high schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education.

Kyushu University , abbreviated to , is a public research university located in Fukuoka, Japan, on the island of Kyushu. Founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial University in Japan, it has been recognised as a leading institution of higher education and resear ...

and Nishi-nippon Junior College have campuses in Itoshima.

Transportation

Railways

- Chikuhi Line : - - - - - - - - -

Highways

Nishi-Kyūshū Expressway *

Local attractions

National Historic Sites

* Asakura Sue Ware Kiln Sites * Ikisan Chōshizuka Kofun * Ito Castle ruins * Kamatsuka Kofun * Mikumo-Iwara Site * Raizan Kōgoishi * Shinmachi Dolmen Cluster * Shito Dolmen Cluster * Sone Sites

Culture and tourism

Itoshima is known for its seaside resorts, beaches, and natural beauty. It is a popular site for

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

and

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

. A summer music festival, Sunset Live, takes place each year.

Notable people from Itoshima

* Dairoku Harada, Japanese

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. * Ryuji Ichioka, Japanese professional baseball player (

Pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

). *

Mariko Shinoda is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion model, and former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, in which she was the captain of Team A. Career In October 2005, she auditioned for AKB48's first generation roster but failed the audition. Shor ...

, Japanese singer, actress, fashion model, and former member of the

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese popular culture, Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idol ...

group

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

* Mako "Hakata Speedster" Yamada, Japanese kickboxer and former boxer.

References

External links

Itoshima City official website
{{Authority control Cities in Fukuoka Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan