is a small coastal

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 ...

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 ...

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 25,721 in 13082 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 81 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Kunisaki covers the northeastern part of Ōita Prefecture and almost the eastern half 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 ...

(excluding the southeastern part), and faces the Gulf of Iyo on 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 ...

to the north and east. Settlements are scattered in areas near the sea, and the city center is located near the sea in the central eastern part of the city. The western part of the city is located in the central part of the Kunisaki Peninsula and is mountainous. The city center is located approximately 60 km by road (approximately 40 km in a straight line) from Ōita City, the prefectural capital.

Neighboring municipalities

* Bungo-Takada * Kitsuki

Mountains

* Mount Fudo (or Hudo) * Mount Futago (Futago-san) at 720m and the tallest * Mount Monju (Monju-san) * Mount Odomure * Mount Otake * Mount Takeshi Washinosu

Climate

Kunisaki 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 Kunisaki 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 Kunisaki was on 10 August 2013; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 January 2021.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kunisaki in 2020 is 26,232 people. Kunisaki has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History

The area of Kunisaki was part of ancient

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 ...

. 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 administered as ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...

'' territory under the direct control of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. 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 village of Kunisaki within

Higashikunisaki District, Ōita is a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2006, the district has 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 p ...

was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on November 8, 1894. The city of Kunisaki was founded on March 31, 2006, from the merger of the former town of

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 ...

, absorbing the towns of Aki, Kunimi and Musashi (all from Higashikunisaki District). On June 25, 2008, the City of Kunisaki declared itself a 'Nuclear-free Peace City" in wishing the abolition of nuclear weapons and world permanent peace.

Government

Kunisaki 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. Kunisaki, together with the village of Himeshima, Ōita contributes one member to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the

Ōita 3rd district Ōita 3rd district (大分県第3区, ''Ōita-ken dai-sanku'' or simply 大分3区, ''Ōita-sanku '') is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the national Diet of Japan located in Ōita Prefecture. Areas covered Since 2 ...

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 main industry is agriculture, including fruit and vegetable cultivation and commercial fishing. Industries include factories operated by Oita Canon and Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Education

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

Transportation

Airports

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 ...

is located in Kunisaki.

Railways

Kunisaki has no passenger railway service. The nearest railway stations are Kitsuki Station, Ōgami Station, or

Usa Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Usa, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu. Lines The station is served by the Nippō Main Line and is located 75.8 km from the starting point of the line at . Layout ...

on the

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 ...

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 ...

, each of which has a bus service to the city.

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

* Ankokuji Site, National Historic Site *

Futago-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple in Kunisaki, Ōita, Kunisaki, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It is located on the slopes of Mount Futago (:ja: 両子山, 両子山, ''Futagosan''), the highest mountain on the Kunisaki Peninsula. ...

* Gyonyu Dam and Lake Taro * Onizuka Kofun, National Historic Site

Notable people from Kunisaki

Miura Baien In Japanese names here, surname is first. "Baien" was a pen-name, "plum garden". was a physician, natural philosophy, natural philosopher and scholar in mid-Edo Period Japan. He is known as one of the "Three Wise Men of Bungo", along with Banri Ho ...

, Edo period scholar *

Tatsumi Fujinami (born December 28, 1953) is a Japanese Puroresu, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a legends contract. Fujinami is best known for his long tenure with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a six-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. ...

, Japanese professional wrestler * Motoda Hajime, politician *

Sunao Tawara was a Japanese pathologist known for the discovery of the atrioventricular node. Tawara was born in Ōita Prefecture and studied at the Medical School, Imperial University of Tokyo in Tokyo, graduating in 1901 and receiving his Medical Doctor, ...

, pathologist * Toyohiko Yoshida, former Japanese

baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws (" pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

(

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 ...

)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunisaki, Oita Cities in Ōita Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Kunisaki