Nakatsu, Oita
Encyclopedia
is a city
located on the northern border of Ōita Prefecture
in Kyūshū
, Japan
. The city is situated on the border with Fukuoka Prefecture
.
The city was founded on April 20, 1929. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 84,179, with a population density of 171 people per km². The total area is 491.09 km².
Nakatsu is a castle town centered around Nakatsu Castle, which is open to visitors. The modernised interior comprises a museum with samurai
armor, old maps and information about Rangaku
(Dutch studies), for which Nakatsu was an important center in the Edo era. There are also views from the top of the castle keep.
Visitors can also see the residence of the most celebrated member of the Okudaira Clan of Nakatsu, Fukuzawa Yukichi
, and the memorial hall there. It is close to the castle and 15 minutes walk from the station.
Nakatsu's Mt. Hachimen was also home to the popular music festival, Concert on the Rock
.
City, and to the southwest is Hita
City. Nakatsu touches the border of Fukuoka Prefecture on its west. To the northeast is the Suohnada Sea. The city covers an area of 491.09 square kilometers, 80% of which is mountainous. There is a wide stretch of flat, agricultural land which begins at the mouth of Yamakuni River and extends to Mt. Hiko.
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located on the northern border of Ōita Prefecture
Oita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The city is situated on the border with Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
.
The city was founded on April 20, 1929. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 84,179, with a population density of 171 people per km². The total area is 491.09 km².
Tourism
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
armor, old maps and information about Rangaku
Rangaku
Rangaku is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national...
(Dutch studies), for which Nakatsu was an important center in the Edo era. There are also views from the top of the castle keep.
Visitors can also see the residence of the most celebrated member of the Okudaira Clan of Nakatsu, Fukuzawa Yukichi
Fukuzawa Yukichi
was a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur and political theorist who founded Keio University. His ideas about government and social institutions made a lasting impression on a rapidly changing Japan during the Meiji Era...
, and the memorial hall there. It is close to the castle and 15 minutes walk from the station.
Nakatsu's Mt. Hachimen was also home to the popular music festival, Concert on the Rock
Concert on the Rock
Concert on the Rock was an international rock festival that took place in Nakatsu city, Ōita Prefecture,Japan. It was in aid of UNICEF, and was established in 2004....
.
Topography
Nakatsu City is located in the northwest corner of Ōita prefecture, Kyūshū. To the east of Nakatsu is UsaUsa, Oita
' is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Usa is famous for being the location of the Usa Shrine, built in 725, the head shrine of all of Hachiman shrines in Japan.Usa is made up of three areas.*Usa, the area surrounding the Usa Shrine...
City, and to the southwest is Hita
Hita, Oita
is a city in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, that was founded on December 11, 1940. It is an agricultural and industrial centre that primarily produces lumber, furniture, and pottery...
City. Nakatsu touches the border of Fukuoka Prefecture on its west. To the northeast is the Suohnada Sea. The city covers an area of 491.09 square kilometers, 80% of which is mountainous. There is a wide stretch of flat, agricultural land which begins at the mouth of Yamakuni River and extends to Mt. Hiko.
History
- Zyosui Kuroda built the original Castle in Nakatsu.
- April 1925—Oe Village is merged with Toyoda Village to become the town of Nakatsu.
- April 1919—Ogusu Village and the town of Nakatsu join to become the city of Nakatsu.
- August 1933—Tsurui, Ōhata and Josui villages merge with the growing city of Nakatsu.
- April 1951—Miho Village joins Nakatsu City.
- October 1954—Wada Village also joins.
- February 1955—Imazu Village becomes part of Nakatsu.
- March 25, 2005—SankōSanko, Oitawas a village located in Shimoge District, Ōita, Japan.On March 1, 2005 Sankō, along with the towns of Hon'yabakei, Yabakei and Yamakuni, all from Shimoge District, was merged into the expanded city of Nakatsu....
Village and the towns of Hon'yabakei, YabakeiYabakei, Oitawas a town located in Shimoge District, Ōita, Japan.On March 1, 2005 Yabakei, along with the towns of Hon'yabakei and Yamakuni, and the village of Sankō, all from Shimoge District, was merged into the expanded city of Nakatsu....
and YamakuniYamakuni, Oitawas a town located in Shimoge District, Ōita, Japan.On March 1, 2005 Yamakuni, along with the towns of Hon'yabakei and Yabakei, and the village of Sankō, all from Shimoge District, was merged into the expanded city of Nakatsu....
all merge with Nakatsu.
See also
- James MurdochJames Murdoch (Scottish journalist)James Murdoch was a Scottish scholar and journalist, who worked as a teacher in the Empire of Japan and Australia. From 1903–1917, he wrote the three-volume A History of Japan, the first comprehensive history of Japan in the English language...
who taught briefly in Nakatsu junior high school