
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 52,808 in 26026 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 120 persons per km
2.
The total area of the city is . It is notable for
Usa Jingū, the head shrine of all 40,000
Hachiman shrines across Japan.
Geography
Usa is located on the northern base of the
Kunisaki Peninsula and faces the Gulf of Suō to the north,
Nakatsu City to the west,
Kusu Town and
Yufu City to the south, and
Kitsuki City and
Bungotakada City to the east.
Three districts have traditionally been economic and cultural centers: the Usa district (particularly Minami-Usa), which developed as the shrine town associated with
Usa Jingū (also known as the Usa Shrine), the Yokkaichi district, which developed as the temple town of Hongan-ji Temple and administrative center, and the Nagasu district, which developed as a port town.
Neighboring municipalities
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 ...
*
Beppu
*
Bungo-Takada
*
Hiji
*
Kitsuki
*
Kusu
*
Nakatsu
*
Yufu
Climate
Usa 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 Usa is . The average annual rainfall is with July 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 Usa was on 31 July 2015; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 26 February 1981.][
]
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Usa in 2020 is 52,771 people.[ Usa has been conducting censuses since 1950.
]
History
The area of Usa was the southeastern tip of the former Buzen Province and on the border with the former Bungo Province. The name "Usa" appears in the ''Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...
'' and ''Nihon Shoki
The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
'' and Emperor Jimmu visited Usa prior to departing to the east for his conquest of Yamato
was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan.
Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...
. Due to the economic and political power of Usa Jingū, no samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
clan was able to dominate the area until the Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
during which time it became a battleground between the Ōuchi clan
was one of the most powerful and important families in Western Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate in the 14th to 16th centuries. Their domains, ruled from the castle town of Yamaguchi in the western tip of Honshu island, compris ...
and Ōtomo clan and later the Shimazu clan. Under Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...
, Buzen province became the territory of Kuroda Yoshitaka
, also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku through the early Edo period. Renowned as a man of great ambition, he succeeded Takenaka Hanbei as a chief strategist and adviser to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kuroda b ...
, who constructed Nakatsu Castle. 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 ''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 ...
'' administered directly by 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 ...
, with smaller areas under control of Nakatsu Domain, Shimabara Domain and Usa Jingū. 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 Usa within Usa District, Ōita 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 ...
. On April 1, 1967 Usa merged with the towns of Ekigawa, Yokkaichi, and Nagasu to form the city of Usa. On March 31, 2005, the towns of Ajimu and Innai (both from Usa District) were merged into Usa.
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 ...
, the Usa Naval Air Group ( 宇佐海軍航空隊, ''Usa Kaigun Koukūtai'') was stationed at an airbase in Usa. Towards the end of the war, the airbase was used to launch '' kamikaze'' attacks against American forces. It was subject to B-29
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), 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 ...
air raids in 1945 which led to the destruction of many of the airfield's facilities and caused the deaths of many soldiers and civilians. Many remnants of the former airfield are still visible. For example, there are several concrete bunkers which once held A6M Zero fighter aircraft. There is also a crater called the "bomb pond" which was caused by a bomb from an American B-29 bomber.["Ruins of Usa Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Battlefield"](_blank)
Oita Heritage. Retrieved 7 June 2024
Government
Usa 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 21 members. Usa contributes three members 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
The economy of Usa remains largely agricultural. It has close economic ties with neighboring Nakatsu, and belongs to the urban employment area (10% commuting area) of the Nakatsu metropolitan area.
Education
Usa has 24 public elementary schools and seven public junior high schools operated by the city government and three public high schools operated by the Ōita Prefectural Board of Education. The city also has one private high school.
Transportation
Railways
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 ...
* - - - - -
Highways
*
Higashikyushu Expressway
*
*
*
*
Local attractions
*Futaba no Sato, a museum dedicated to sumo wrestler Futabayama Sadaji, is located in the city. There is a statue outside the museum, built by the government in 1999, depicting the names and hand prints of three sumo wrestlers who have won more than 60 competitive bouts. In addition to Futubayama, Tanikaze Kajinosuke and Hakuhō Shō are represented on the statue.
* Kyushu Natural Animal Park African Safari, a large safari park, is located in Ajimu.
* Usa Jingū is situated in the city, and attracts as many as 1.8 million visitors annually. Nearby is the Ōita Prefectural Museum of History.
Anecdotes
Product labeling
There have been claims that products made in this town and exported to the US as early as the 1930s carried the label "MADE IN USA", for it to appear as if the product was made in the United States. There are reports that the name of the town was changed to "USA" for this purpose. The aforementioned claims are false. The city had this name long before the 1960s. Usa is a city and products must be labeled by country of origin, making it highly improbable that this would be an adequate loophole. In addition, any products being imported to the U.S. marked as being "made in USA" would have been flagged.
Notable people from Usa
* Futabayama Sadaji, 35th yokozuna
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
This is the o ...
in sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
References
External links
Usa City official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Usa, Oita
Cities in Ōita Prefecture
Populated coastal places in Japan
Usa, Ōita