town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
Nagasaki Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...
,
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 ...
.
As of 2003, the town 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 4,203 and a
density
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...
of 160.85 persons per km2. The total area was 26.13 km2.
On March 31, 2006, Kitaarima, along with the towns of
Arie
Arie is a masculine given name.
As a Dutch name, Arie
* Arie Altman (Plant Biology and AgBiotech) (born 1937), Israeli Professor of Agriculture
* (1903–1982), Dutch composer
* Arie van Beek (born 1951), Dutch music teacher and conductor
*Arie B ...
Futsu
was a town located in Minamitakaki District, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.
As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 4,788 and a density of 455.13 persons per km2. The total area was 10.52 km2.
On March 31, 2006, Futsu, along with the ...
Both Kita-Arima and Minami-Arima were part of what was known as Arima County in the south-eastern portion of the
Shimabara Peninsula
The is a peninsula located in Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. The peninsula incorporates the cities of Shimabara, Minamishimabara, and Unzen.
The northern, eastern, and southeastern coasts of the peninsula face the Ariake ...
until they were split into two separate towns in 1889 during the
Meiji Era
The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...
. Kitaarima was the location of
Hinoe Castle
The was a Sengoku period Japanese castle cemetery located in the Kita-Arima neighbourhood of city of Minamishimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture Japan. Its ruins were designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1972.
Overview
Hinoe Castle is l ...
which was the estate of the
Arima clan
The is a Japanese samurai family. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)">DF 6-7 of 80">"Arima," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 2-3
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
, Arima Harunobu eventually became a Christian himself and allowed Portuguese missionaries to build a seminary in 1580. The "Arima Semenario", as it was called, was a center for Renaissance learning. Japanese students of the Seminario received Western language, religious, and cultural training. The most famous graduates were Mancio Ito,
Miguel Chijiwa
(1569? – January 23, 1633) was a member of the Japanese delegation to European Christendom, also known as the Tenshō embassy. Later, he abandoned the Christian faith. However, the recent discovery of a rosary in his graveyard made public ...
, Martino Hara, and Julian Nakaura. These four young men were the first Japanese envoys to visit Europe. Arima Harunobu's son and his family were transferred to Hyuga Province in 1615 following Harunobu's execution in 1612. Hinoe castle was burned down by Tokugawa forces during the
Shimabara Rebellion
The , also known as the or , was an rebellion, uprising that occurred in the Shimabara Domain of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan from 17 December 1637 to 15 April 1638.
Matsukura Katsuie, the ''daimyō'' of the Shimabara Domain, enforced unpo ...
in 1637. The site of the destroyed castle still remains today and is a popular site for ''
hanami
is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always mean those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the s ...
'', or flower viewing, in March and April.
Kitaarima Today
Kitaarima is a farming community that grows rice, potatoes, mikan, strawberries, and other crops. It has several distribution facilities to move produce to more populated areas. Kita-Arima-chō is situated in seven valleys that run up the southern reaches of
Mount 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 megatsuna ...
. Most of Kita-Arima-chō's population is centered in the southern part of the county in the town of Kita-Arima near the
Ariake Sea
The is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters (165 ft) deep, and ext ...
and Minami-Arima town. Kita-Arima town is further split into smaller hamlets; Tanigawa, Sakaueshita, Tabira, Saishoji, Oriki.
The central area of Kita-Arima town contains the town office, the board of education building, bank, and the post office. Nearby is Kitaarima Junior High School which has less than 100 students and Kitaarima Elementary School has about 200 students. The town elementary school was built in 2004 to condense the four old elementary schools into one new facility. Also nearby are the town's main stores Parusu and Mizota. Parusu is a one-story department store that has a supermarket, a flower shop, a clothes and shoes store, a photo shop, and a pharmacy. Mizota is a large home furnishings and 100 yen store. Kitaarima was a stop on the now defunct Shimatetsu train line which connected all of the towns from Kazusa to Isahaya.
The town has several important festivals every year. The most important is Festivitus Natalis, the town's Christmas festival held at the elementary school sports field. This festival celebrates the Christian history of the town. The festival has musical performances by junior highschool students and guest bands. Many booths offer different foods. Other festivals include Hinoe Festival, which is held at the elementary school as well. The '' yosakoi'' Festival is held every year at Fureai Sports Park. Kita-Arima town's own ''yosakoi'' team performs along with other Yosakoi teams from around Nagasaki Prefecture.
Other sights of interest include Sunset Hill at the highest point in Kita-Arima-chō that overlooks Obama-chō to the northeast. Across from Sunset Hill is Kita-Arima's brand-new camping facilities built in 2005 and opened on July 20, 2005. Kita-Arima has several old bridges constructed during the Meiji Era. The bridges include; Motobira, Arata, Tanaka, Higuchi, Omonashi, and Aratashimo.