270px, Yatsushiro City Hall 270px, ruins of Yatsushiro Castle 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

Kumamoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...

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 120,389 in 57,953 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 300 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Located at the geographic center 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 ...

, in between

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

and Ashikita. The western part is a plain facing the Shiranui Sea ( Yatsushiro Sea), and most of it has expanded through several rounds of reclamation since 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 ...

. The eastern and southern areas are deep mountainous areas of the Kyushu Mountains.

Neighboring municipalities

Kumamoto Prefecture * Ashikita * Hikawa * Itsuki * Kuma * Misato * Mizukami * Uki * Yamae * Yamato Miyazaki Prefecture * Shiiba

Climate

Yatsushiro 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, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Yatsushiro 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 Yatsushiro was on 23 July 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 25 January 2016.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Yatsushiro in 2020 is 123,067 people. Yatsushiro has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History

The name "Yatsushiro" is extremely ancient, and appears in the ''

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 other

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

documents. It is said to have been derived from a mountain shrine believed to have been the tomb of

Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...

. In the Nara and Heian periods, it was a center for trade with

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

and Song China. During 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 ...

, the area was contested between the Nawa, Sagara, Shimazu and other warlords before coming under the control of Konishi Yukinaga under the time of

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: ...

. Konishi built Mugishima Castle in 1588 as a new base for ruling Yatsushiro. After the 1600

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, Kato Kiyomasa, the lord of Kumamoto Castle, became the ruler of

Higo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Hizen Province. Higo bordered on Chikugo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Provinces. History The cas ...

. Mugishima Castle was an exception to 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 ...

's "One Castle per Province" order of 1615 and remained a secondary castle under

Kumamoto Domain The , which was in existence from 1600 to 1871, had a significant influence in the region. Initially, it controlled its vast territory of 520,000 koku, which later expanded to 540,000 koku after the division of the 8th generation territory and the e ...

until its destruction by earthquake in 1619. Yatsushiro Castle was constructed as its replacement. After the

Hosokawa clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group or Japanese clan, clan. The clan descends from the Seiwa Genji, a branch of the Minamoto clan, and ultimately from Emperor Seiwa, through the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga ...

took control of Higo Province, the castle became the stronghold of their 30,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

'' ''

karō were top-ranking samurai officials and advisors in service to the ''daimyōs'' of feudal Japan. Overview In the Edo period, the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and anothe ...

'', the Matsue clan, who controlled 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, ...

to the end of the Edo period. The town of Yatsushiro was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On September 1, 1940 Yatsushiro annexed the town of Otago, and villages of Ueyanagi, and Matsutaka and was raised to city status. The city continues to expand in the 1950s and 1960 by annexing neighboring villages. On August 1, 2005, Yatsushiro absorbed the towns of Kagami and Senchō, and the villages of Izumi, Sakamoto and Tōyō (all from Yatsushiro District) to create the new and expanded city of Yatsushiro.

Government

Yatsushiro 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 32 members. Yatsushiro, collectively with the town of Hikawa, contributes four members to the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Kumamoto 4th 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

Traditionally, the Yatsushiro Plain is a major producer of rice and ''igusa'', which is the raw material for ''

tatami are soft mats used as flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. They are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about , depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are used for training in a dojo and for competition. ...

'' mats. Agriculture remains a major component of the local economy. The '' banpeiyu'' fruit bears a resemblance to hugely oversized grapefruits. ''Karashi Renkon'' is a specialty which is a

lotus root ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more of ...

stuffed with a mustard-like sauce called ''karashi'' and coated with egg. '' Basashi'' is raw horse meat and is considered a delicacy within Japan. It is often served with onion and ginger. Basashi burgers can be found at hamburger restaurants. In the Meiji era, Yatsushiro Port was developed as a modern port, and in 1890, Kyushu's first cement factory was built there. Local industries include pulp and paper, brewing and food processing.

Education

Yatsushiro has 23 public elementary schools and 15 public junior high schools operated by the city government and one junior high school and five public high schools operated by the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education. The prefecture also operates two special education schools for the handicapped. Nakakyushu Junior College is a private junior college located in Yatsushiro.

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 ...

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima (Kagoshima-Chuo Sta ...

: -

- Trans-Kyushu Limited Express : -

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojiko Station, Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it ...

: - - - -

- Hisatsu Line : - - - - - - (operations suspended)

Hisatsu Orange Railway is a third-sector railway company which operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. The line follows the former part of the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line that connected Yatsushiro and Sendai in Kumamoto and K ...

* () - - - - -

Highways

Kyushu Expressway * JP Expressway E3A

Minamikyushu Expressway * * * *

Local attractions

* Yatsushiro Castle ruins, National Historic Site, one of the

Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles The is a list of 100 Japanese castle, castles, intended as a sequel of 100 Fine Castles of Japan. The castles were chosen for their significance in culture, history, and in their regions by the in 2017. Hokkaidō region Tōhoku region Kant ...

. * Yatsushiro-gū, one of the Fifteen Shrines of the Kenmu Restoration. * Yatsushiro ware ceramics

Festivals

*Kumagawa Festival: Held in early August, this festival celebrates the Kumagawa River which flows through the city. During the festival, various schools, companies, and groups will dance through the streets to music. Some of the festival goers even come in costume! Food stalls and festival food are also available. *Kyushu International Three Day March: Held in mid-May, foreigners and locals join together in planned walks around the city and its surrounding areas. Various routes are available such as 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 km courses. Food and beverages can also be purchased at the festival and there is local entertainment at the center stage. There is an English speaking staff on hand for those who need English assistance. * Myokensai Festival: Yatsushiro is known for its Myokensai festival on November 23 of each year, which includes a parade of horses through the streets of the city. Also, each fall Yatsushiro hosts one of Japan's largest fireworks displays. *Yatsushiro Fireworks Festival: Usually hosted in late fall, this is one of the largest if not the largest fireworks festival in Kyushu. Firework companies enter into this festival to showcase their designs!

Sports

Yatsushiro hosted group matches at the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship.

Notable people from Yatsushiro

* Shoko Asahara, founder of

Aum Shinrikyo , better known by their former name , is a Japanese new religions, Japanese new religious movement and doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been respo ...

Eiji Ezaki was a Japanese professional wrestler, stage actor, musician, and professional wrestling promoter, better known under the ring name . He was best known for his time with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), where he primarily wrestled througho ...

, retired professional wrestler best known as Hayabusa * Yuki Fukushima, badminton player * Eri Ishida, actress * Kimiko Jinnai, badminton player *

Jun Kunimura is a Japanese actor who has performed in Cinema of Japan, Japan, the Cinema of the United States, United States, and Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for ...

, actor * Haruto Kō, poet and novelist *

Nobuhiko Matsunaka is a former left fielder and designated hitter for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. He is currently the hitting coach for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league. He played in the Baseball at the 1996 Summer Olympics, 199 ...

, baseball player * Matsuki Miyazaki, doctor * Kosuke Noda, baseball player *

Matsui Okinaga also known as was a Japanese samurai who served the Hosokawa clan, Hosokawa clan, during the early Edo period (17th century). It was Nagaoka Sado himself who had protected Miyamoto Musashi as for him to be able to duel against the famous Sasak ...

, samurai * Nishiyama Sōin, haikai-no-renga poet * Aki Yashiro, singer

References

External links

Yatsushiro City official website
* {{Authority control Cities in Kumamoto Prefecture Port settlements in Japan Populated coastal places in Japan