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
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 ...
. 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 Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
after the city of
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. ...
. It is one of Japan's 20
designated cities, one of three on Kyushu, and is divided into seven
wards.
Kitakyushu was formed in 1963 from a merger of municipalities centered on the historic city of
Kokura, 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 known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
, across from the city of
Shimonoseki
file:141122 Shimonoseki City Hall Yamaguchi pref Japan01s3.jpg, 260px, Shimonoseki city hall
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a pop ...
. Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki are connected by numerous transport links including the
Kanmon Bridge and the Kanmon Tunnels (
Roadway
A carriageway (British English) or roadway (North American English) is a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally. A carriageway generally consists of a number of traffic lane ...
,
Railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
, and
Shin-Kanmon). 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 consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
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 ov ...
region.
History
Kokura Prefecture
Kokura Prefecture was founded separately from
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 ...
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. In 1876, Kokura Prefecture was absorbed by Fukuoka Prefecture. The city of
Kokura 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 a retired 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 Bo ...
es flew out from mainland China.
Kokura was the primary target of the nuclear weapon "
Fat Man
"Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) was the design of the nuclear weapon the United States used for seven of the first eight nuclear weapons ever detonated in history. It is also the most powerful design to ever be used in warfare.
A Fat Man ...
" on August 9, 1945. Major
Charles Sweeney had orders to drop the bomb visually. All three attempts failed due to clouds and smoke from
Yahata, which is only west of Kokura and had 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
, officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
, 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 in the middle and five petals representing the towns that merged.
Geography and administrative divisions
Demographics
, 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 945,595 and a total area of .
The average
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 ...
is . It is now the country's 15th most populated city.
It has a much larger total area than that of
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. ...
which is only .
Wards
Kitakyushu has seven
wards (''ku''):
The city of
Nakama, Fukuoka
270px, Cherry Blossoms in Habu Park
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,366 in 20466 households, and a population density of 2500 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .. It is pe ...
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 wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...
of Kokura (2021)
File:KokuraStation01.jpg, Kokura Station (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 American and Canadian English 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 district ( ...
of Kokura (2014)
File:Wakato Bridge-4.jpg, Wakato Bridge
The , is a suspension bridge in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, 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 exte ...
(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 company known for its mapping and navigation software is based here and so is
Toto Ltd. and
Yaskawa Electric Corporation.
StarFlyer Starflyer or Star Flyer may refer to:
* StarFlyer, a Japanese airline
* '' Star Flyer'', a sailing ship operated by Star Clippers of Sweden
* Starflyer 59, an indie rock/shoegaze band from Riverside, California
* The Starflyer, an alien antagonist ...
, an airline, is headquartered on the grounds of
Kitakyushu Airport in
Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū. Previously the airline's headquarters were in the in
Kokurakita-ku, 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. It ...
and bus company.
In 2009
Bridgestone
is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (18891976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of (), meaning ...
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 total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performance o ...
in Greater Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu
Metropolitan Employment Area was US$55.7 billion in 2010.
Education
Universities and colleges
National universities
*
Kyushu Institute of Technology
The 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 official ...
Public universities
*
Kyushu Dental University
*
University of Kitakyushu
Private universities
*
Kyushu International University
*
Kyushu Kyoritsu University
*
Kyushu Nutrition Welfare University
*
Kyushu Polytechnic College
*
Kyushu Women's University
*
Nishinippon Institute of Technology
*
Seinan Women's University
*
University of Occupational and Environmental Health
Junior colleges
*
Higashi Chikushi Junior College
*
Kyushu Women's Junior College
*
Orio Aishin Junior College
*
Seinan Jo Gakuin University Junior College
is a private university, private women's colleges, women's college in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1922, and it was chartered as a university in 1994.
The school motto is .
History
*1922 - Girls' S ...
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

Located at a strategic position on the south side of 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 ...
, Kitakyushu is an important transport hub for traffic between
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
and has a large port.
Air
Airports
The
Kitakyushu Airport opened on March 16, 2006. It is larger than the previous
Kokura Airport 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 Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, 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 Ba ...
. It will eventually be connected with
Kokura Station by a new fast rail link. A new airline based in the city called
StarFlyer Starflyer or Star Flyer may refer to:
* StarFlyer, a Japanese airline
* '' Star Flyer'', a sailing ship operated by Star Clippers of Sweden
* Starflyer 59, an indie rock/shoegaze band from Riverside, California
* The Starflyer, an alien antagonist ...
began operations when the airport opened. The airport has flights to Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo-Haneda.
The other nearby airport is
Fukuoka Airport which is located 82 KM away from the city and that airport primarily connects to other major airports in Japan and the world.
Railways
Kokura Station, 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, ...
Sanyō Shinkansen
is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own bus ...
before the
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. ...
terminus and all
Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
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. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...
's
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 ...
and
Nippō Main Lines. In the city, transport is provided the
Kitakyushu Monorail and buses.
Mojikō Station 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
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. It ...
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, the main north–south route on the island of Kyushu. The new
Higashikyushu Expressway begins in Kitakyushu and runs along the eastern coast of Kyushu. North of Kitakyushu, the Kyushu Expressway crosses the six-lane
Kanmonkyo Bridge and turns into the
Chūgoku 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
Kanmonkyo Bridge linking Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki (on Kyushu and Honshū respectively) via 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 ...
and the
Wakato Bridge
The , is a suspension bridge in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, 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 exte ...
linking the wards of Tobata and Wakamatsu. There are smaller bridges over the
Onga River 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 is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it i ...
to Kitakyushu; on April 1, 2006, the bridge was transferred to the control of the
Kitakyushu City Road Public Corporation.
Sea
Port
Kitakyushu is the largest
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
port in
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
,
Chūgoku, and
Shikoku
is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
. Ferry services operate between Kitakyushu and
Shimonoseki
file:141122 Shimonoseki City Hall Yamaguchi pref Japan01s3.jpg, 260px, Shimonoseki city hall
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a pop ...
,
Matsuyama
270px, Matsuyama City Hall
270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building
is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku, in Japan and is also Shikoku's largest city. , the city had an estimated population of 505,948 in 243,541 h ...
,
Tokushima
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...
,
Kōbe,
Ōsaka,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
,
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, neighbo ...
(Korea),
Busan
Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
(Korea) and isolated islands in the city limits. The main ferry port is at Shin-Moji, and there are ferries at Moji and near
Kokura Station.
In the Kanmon-Kitakyushu area, there are three commuter lines: the Wakato Ferry, the Kanmon Straits Ferry, and the Kanmon Straits Liner.
Notable places

* 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.
*
Kawachi Wisteria Garden is known for massive flower trellises.
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
Center for Contemporary Art Kitakyushu
The Center for Contemporary Art (CCA) opened in May 1997 by former
Japan Foundation
The is a Japanese foundation that spreads Japanese culture around the world. Based in Tokyo, it was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture. I ...
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 visual artist. Known primarily for his hyperrealistic sculptures and installations, Cattelan's practice also includes curating and publishing. His Satire, satirical approach to art has re ...
and
Anri Sala, and runs an internationally acclaimed studio programme for emerging artists.
Filming location
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 (organism), juvenile cat. After being born, kittens display primary altriciality and are fully dependent on their mothers for #Establishing immunity, survival. They normally do not open their eyes for seven to ten days. A ...
and a
pug
The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...
dog, was released in America in 1989 as ''
The Adventures of Milo and Otis''.
The 1958 comedy ''
Rickshaw Man'' 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 Los Angeles with Additional studio locations in Vancouver, Canada; and Austin, Texas. Founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü, it ...
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.
Rising Sun International Film Festival
The Rising Sun International Film Festival (RSIFF) has taken place in Kitakyushu each November since 2020, with screenings taking place in the Brick Hall and the Kitakyushu Beer and Brick Museum in Moji in its first two editions. It features many Asian and Japanese premieres.
For the third edition in 2022, another venue was added, the Tanga Table in
Kokura, and in 2023, screenings were also held at the Theater Enya in the city of
Karatsu, with special guest, Hong Kong actress
Stephy Tang, presented with a special Award for Career Achievement.
the festival takes place in both Kitakyushu at the Brick Hall and Karatsu at Theater Enya over four days in November, and offers several awards in various categories of films.
Other festivals
There are festivals (matsuri) held in the summer in the city, including the
Tobata Gion Yamagasa festival in
Tobata-ku, Kitakyūshū.
; 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 ; , ''káppa'') is the tenth 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 of 20. It was d ...
'' (mythical amphibious creatures who love cucumbers).
; Wasshoi Hyakuman Festival (August)
The
Wasshoi Hyakuman Natsumatsuri brings all the festivals together for a grand parade and finale near City Hall in
Kokura Kita ward. 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.
Sports
2021 Gymnastics Champtionships
Kitakyushu was selected as the host of the
2021 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the
2021 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, which took place in October 2021, in
Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium, and the West Japan Exhibition Centre respectively.
Professional teams
*
Giravanz Kitakyushu –
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
J3
Sporting venues

* Anō Dome
*
Mikuni World Stadium Kitakyushu – Home stadium for Giravanz Kitakyushu
*
Honjō Athletic Stadium
*
Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium
*
Kitakyushu Media Dome – Indoor
Keirin
– "racing track" – is a form of Motor-paced racing, motor-paced cycle racing in which track cycling, track cyclists sprint for victory following a speed-controlled start behind a motorized or non-motorized pacer. It was developed in Japan ...
stadium
*
Kitakyushu Municipal Baseball Stadium
*
Kitakyushu Municipal Gymnasium
*
JRA Kokura Racecourse
* Sayagatani Stadium
*
Wakamatsu Kyōteijō – Wakamatsu Boat Races
Sister cities
Kitakyushu is twinned with the following cities outside Japan.
*
Surabaya
Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
, 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 (after Shenyang ...
,
Liaoning
)
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong
, image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, ...
, China
*
Incheon
Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...
, South Korea
*
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, 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, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
, United States
*
Haiphong
Haiphong or Hai Phong (, ) is the third-largest city in Vietnam and is the principal port city of the Red River Delta. The municipality has an area of , consisting of 8 urban districts, 6 rural districts and 1 municipal city (sub-city). Two o ...
, Vietnam
*
Davao City
Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...
, Philippines
*
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
*
Ipatinga,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
, Brazil, since July 24, 1978
One city in Japan is twinned with Kitakyushu;
*
Minamikyushu, Kagoshima, Japan
Notable figures
Samurai
*
Miyamoto Musashi
, was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a ''Kensei (honorary title), kensei'' (swo ...
, 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 between 1643-5. The book title from ''the'' ''godai'' (五大) of Buddhist esotericism ( 密教), thus has five volumes: "Earth, Wate ...
'' and founder of the
Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryū, famous for its use of two swords. He lived in the
Kokura 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 people, Japanese Military medicine, Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, Japanese poetry, poet and father of famed author Mori Mari, Mari Mori. He obtained his medical l ...
lived in
Kokura for years and his house is open to the public in
Kokura Kita ward. He wrote ''Kokura Nikki'' (''Kokura Diary'') here. It is a ten-minute walk from
Kokura Station.
* The writer
Seichō Matsumoto was born in Kokura. The
Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum dedicated to his work is located in the city center near
Kokura Castle
is a castle in Kitakyushu, 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 Okho ...
.
* The writer
Ashihei Hino was born in Wakamatsu ward and his birthplace can be visited.
Scientists
*
Ted Fujita, 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 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 World Ju ...
,
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
*
Kōhei Uchimura, artistic gymnast
*
Shōta Imanaga
, nicknamed "The Throwing Philosopher", and "Mike Imanaga II" is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStar ...
, baseball player
*
Hina Sugita, football player
*
Nami Matsuyama, badminton player
*
Hina Hayata, table tennis player
Musicians
*
175R, a Japanese punk rock band
175R – Free listening, concerts, stats, & pictures at
Last.fm. Retrieved on 2013-12-09.
* Ena Fujita, Japanese musician and gravure idol
A model is a person with a Role (disambiguation), role either to display commercial product (business), products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as an Model (art), artist's model.
Modelling ("modeling" in British and ...
* Ayaka Umeda, former Japanese idol and singer (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 ...
, the subunit DiVA 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 based ...
)
* Rihito Ikezaki, member of INI (Japanese boy group)
is a Japanese boy band formed through the reality competition show ''Produce 101 Japan (season 2), Produce 101 Japan 2''. The group is composed of eleven members: Masaya Kimura (singer), Masaya Kimura, Hiromu Takatsuka, Shogo Tajima, Kyosuke Fuj ...
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'' and '' Sad Vacation''
* 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, and a sequel to ''Godzilla'' (1954). The fi ...
''
* Hirayama Hideyuki, director of '' Forget me Not''
Actors
* Takeshi Tsuruno, '' Ultraman Dyna''
* 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'' and ''Kamen Rider Decade
is a Japanese television show and the 2009 installment of the long-running ''Kamen Rider'' series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth anniversary series of ''Kamen Rider''s Heisei era, and the final installment ...
''
* Takahiro Fujimoto, '' Saka no Ue no Kumo'', '' Jin'' and '' Segodon''
* Saaya Irie, ''God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
is a 2006 Japanese horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Br ...
''
* Tsuyoshi Ihara, ''Ninja
A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
'', '' Dirty Hearts'', '' Letters from Iwo Jima'' and '' Samurai Hustle'' (real name: Yun Yu-gu, Hangul
The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...
: 윤유구)
* Junichi Haruta, ''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 V ...
'', ''Kagaku Sentai Dynaman
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series and 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 ...
'', ''Kamen Rider Blade
is a 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 Productions and Toe ...
'', '' Kamen Rider W Returns'' and ''Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger
when literally translated means "Strong Dragon", but is actually a portmanteau of the Japanese words and . In English, this roughly translates into "Strongosaur". is Toei Company's 37th entry in its long-running ''Super Sentai'' metaseries of J ...
''
Politicians
* Seitaro Hattori, incumbent governor of Fukuoka Prefecture
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