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,
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 65,870 in 32921 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 73 persons per km
2.
The total area of the city is , making it the largest city by area 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 ...
.
Geography
Saiki is located in southeastern Ōita Prefecture, approximately 60 kilometers southeast of the prefectural capital at Ōita City. The eastern part faces the
Bungo Channel and is within the borders of the
Nippō Kaigan Quasi-National Park. It is noted for its
ria coastal areas. The inland area of the city is mountainous and within the borders of the
Sobo-Katamuki Quasi-National Park. The city is built on the largest
alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...
in the prefecture, created by the Bansho River, a first-class river that flows through the city.
Neighboring municipalities
Miyazaki Prefecture
*
Hinokage
*
Nobeoka
Ōita Prefecture
*
Bungo-Ōno
*
Tsukumi
Climate
Saiki 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 Saiki is . The average annual rainfall is with September 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 Saiki was on 18 August 2020; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 11 February 1996.][
]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Saiki in 2020 is 66,851 people.[ Saiki has been conducting censuses since 1920.
]
History
The area of Saiki was part of ancient Bungo Province. Saiki began in the early 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 ...
as the castle town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...
of Saiki Domain and was ruled by the Mōri clan until 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 ...
. (This Mōri clan was not related to the more famous Mōri clan of Chōshū Domain.) Following 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 Saeki within Minamiamabe District, Ōita was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. In July 1916, the name of the town was changed from "Saeki" to "Saiki" to reflect the local dialect, with the ''kanji
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...
'' of the name remaining the same. In February 1934, the Saeki Naval Air Corps of 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 ...
was established in Saiki to conduct air patrols to ensure the safety of the Bungo Channel, where warships sailing from Kure Naval District located in the Seto Inland Sea exited to the Pacific Ocean. In 1937, Saiki annexed the villages of Tsuruoka and Kamikata. On April 29, 1941 - Saiki Town merged with the villages of Yahata, Oirishima, and Nishikamiura to form the city of Saiki City. Due to its military significance, the city was bombed six times during World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 1955, Saiki annexed the villages of Aoyama, Shimogata and Kidachi. On Saiki merged with the neighboring towns of f Kamae, Kamiura, Tsurumi, Ume
''Prunus mume'', the Chinese plum or Japanese apricot, is a tree species in the family Rosaceae. Along with bamboo, the plant is intimately associated with art, literature, and everyday life in China, from where it was then introduced to Kor ...
and Yayoi
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 ...
, and the villages Honjō, Naokawa and Yonōzu (all from Minamiamabe District) to create the new and expanded Saiki City. Minamiamabe District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
Government
Saiki 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 25 members. Saiki contributes three members to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Ōita 2nd 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
Saiki is a port city and a major regional commercial center.
Education
Saiki has 21 public elementary schools and 12 public junior high schools operated by the city government. The city has two public high schools operated by the Ōita Prefectural Board of Education and one private high school. The prefecture operates one special education school for the handicapped.
Transportation
Railways
JR Kyushu - Nippō Main Line
* - - - - - - - -
Highways
*
Higashikyushu Expressway
*
*
*
*
Sister cities
* Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwest of Hebei province, China. The southernmost prefecture-level city of the province, it borders Xingtai on the north, and the provinces of Shanxi on the west, Henan on the south and Shando ...
, China, friendship city since April 1994
* Gladstone, Queensland
Gladstone () is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the Gladstone urban area had a population of 45,185 people.
It is by road north-west of the state capital, Brisbane, and south-east of Rockhampton, Queensl ...
, Australia, sister city since September 1996
* Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, United States, friendship city since December 2003
Local attractions
* Saiki Castle - A castle ruin, a National Historic Site and one of the Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles.
* Saiki Chuo Hospital Stadium - During the 2002 World Cup, Saiki was the base camp for the Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team, controlled by the Tunisian Football Federation (TFF), represents Tunisia in men's international association football competitions. On a continental level, the team competes under the Confederation of African ...
.
*Fukashima (深島) is one of Japan's cat islands.
Noted people from Saiki
* Nobuko Iwaki, politician
* Masatsugu Ono, author
* Riki Takeuchi, actor
References
External links
*
Saiki City official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saiki, Oita
Cities in Ōita Prefecture
Port settlements in Japan
Populated coastal places in Japan
Saiki, Ōita