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

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

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 26,761 in 13199 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 96 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Kitsuki is located in east-central Ōita Prefecture at the southern tip of the

Kunisaki Peninsula The Kunisaki Peninsula (国東半島, ''Kunisaki Hantō'') is a peninsula in northern Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan that juts out into the Seto Inland Sea. The peninsula is almost circular. There is Mount Futago ( 両子山, ''Futago-san'') in t ...

, across

Beppu Bay is an arm of the western end of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Beppu Bay is located on the northeast coast of Kyushu in Ōita Prefecture. The city of Ōita, Ōita, Ōita lies on its southern coast and the city of Beppu, Ōita, Beppu at its west ...

from the prefectural capital at Ōita City. By land, it is approximately 35 kilometers from the center of Ōita City. The northern and western parts of the city are mountainous. Tateishi Pass, adjacent to Usa City, is the border between the former

Bungo Province was a province of Japan in the area of eastern Kyūshū, corresponding to most of modern Ōita Prefecture, except what is now the cities of Nakatsu and Usa. Bungo bordered on Hyūga to the south, Higo and Chikugo to the west, and Chikuze ...

and

Buzen Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area of northeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to part of southeastern Fukuoka Prefecture and northwestern Ōita Prefecture. Buzen bordered on Bungo Province, Bungo to the south, and Chikuzen Pro ...

Neighboring municipalities

* Bungo-Takada * Hiji *

Kunisaki is a small coastal city located in Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 25,721 in 13082 households, and a population density of 81 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kunisaki co ...

Usa The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

Climate

Kitsuki 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 cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter. The average annual temperature in Kitsuki 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 . The highest temperature ever recorded in Kitsuki was on 18 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 15 January 1985.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kitsuki in 2020 is 27,999 people. Kitsuki has been conducting censuses since 1950.

History

The area of Kitsuki was part of ancient

. 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 ...

it was mostly under control of

Kitsuki Domain 270px, Castle town of Kitsuki 270px, Matsudaira Chikataka, final ''daimyō'' of Kitsuki was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now northern Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Kitsuki Castle in ...

and was ruled by a cadet branch of the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

, with smaller areas under control of

Hiji Domain 270px, Kinoshita Toshimasa, final ''daimyō'' of Hiji Domain 270px, Stone walls of Hiji Castle was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now central Ōita Prefecture. It was centered around Hiji Castle ...

. 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 town of Kitsuki within

Hayami District, Ōita is a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 35,462 and the density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symb ...

was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. On April 1, 1955 Kitsuki merged with the villages of Yasaka, Kita-Kitsuki and, Nakarie and was raised to city status. On October 1, 2005 Kitsuki merged with the town of Yamaka from Hayami District and the village of Ota from

Nishikunisaki District, Ōita was a district located in Ōita Prefecture, 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 ...

Government

Kitsuki 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 18 members. Kitsuki contributes one member to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Ōita 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

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries are the main industries, but due to its favorable location between

Oita Airport is an international airport in Kunisaki City, Ōita Prefecture Japan, northeast of Ōita City. Oita Airport is an offshore airport built on reclaimed coastal waters off the Kunisaki Peninsula. It opened as New Oita Airport in 1971 as a ...

and Ōita City/ Beppu City, advanced technology industries, such as semiconductor production are now established.

Education

Kitsuki has 15 public elementary schools and three public junior high schools operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Ōita Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railways

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...

* - -

Highways

Ōita Airport Road is a formerly toll road, tolled road in Ōita Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the Ōita Prefecture Road Corporation. The route is signed E97 under Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal for Realization o ...

* *

Local attractions

* Kitsuki Castle

Notable people from Kitsuki

* Asada Goryu, physician and astronomer * Teikichi Hori, admiral 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, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

Soemu Toyoda was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. Biography Early career Toyoda was born in what is now part Kitsuki city, Ōita Prefecture. He graduated from the 33rd class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1905, ranked ...

, admiral in the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kisuki, Oita Kitsuki, Oita Populated coastal places in Japan Kitsuki, Ōita