Oita Prefecture
Encyclopedia
is a prefecture
of Japan on Kyūshū
Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita
.
consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni. Present day Oita was part of Toyo-no-kuni, which means "Abundant Land".
Toyo-no-kuni was later divided into two regions, upper and lower Toyo-no-kuni, called Bungo Province
and Buzen Province
.
After the Meiji Restoration
, districts from Bungo
and Buzen
provinces were combined to form Ōita Prefecture. These provinces were divided among many local daimyo
and thus a large castle town never formed in Ōita. From this time that whole area became known as "Toyo-no-kuni", which means "Land of Abundance".
The origins of the name Ōita are documented in a report from the early 8th century called the . According to the document, when Empress Keikō visited the Kyushu region, stopping first in Toyo-no-kuni, she exclaimed that 'This is a vast land, indeed. It shall be known as Okita-Kuni!' Okita-Kuni, meaning "Land of the Great Fields", later came to be written as "Ōita". Present day interpretations based on Ōita's topography state that Oita's name comes from "Okita", meaning "many fields", rather than "vast" or "great" field, because of Ōita's complex terrain.
In the Edo period
(1603–1867) the town of Hita was the government seat for the entire domain of Kyushu
, which was directly controlled by the national government or shogun
at that time. The region became well known for the money-lending industry based out of Hita. Merchants in Hita's Mameda and Kuma districts worked with the national government to create this money-lending industry known as Hita-kin.
Historically Influential People in Ōita:
Otomo Sorin
(1530–1587) The Otomo Family ruled over the Funai Domain
, which is present day Ōita City, in the 16th century. Funai was a very internationalized city which engaged in various forms of trade and exchange with foreign nations. Sorin, the 21st leader of the Otomo clan
, embraced Western culture enthusiastically and invited the missionary Francis Xavier
to the city to promote Christianity. Sorin dreamed of creating a Christian nation, and was baptized and given the name "Don Francisco". Sorin died in Tsukumi.
Miura Baien
(September 1, 1723 – April 9, 1789) A scholar originally known as Susumu but called Baien after the name of his private school where he educated many scholars. Miura developed his own system of logic and wrote many works including his three famous words,, , and . He also worked in a hospital and had a good knowledge of astronomy
. He hand made an astronomical globe that was passed down through many generations. He spent his entire life in Tominaga Village which is the present day area of Aki
Town in Kunisaki City. Miura Baien is considered one of Ōita's three sages along with Hoashi Banri and Hirose Tansō.
Hoashi Banri 帆足万里 (February 11, 1778 – July 30, 1852) Miura Baien's pupil who expanded his academic ability into many fields including Confucianism
, natural sciences, medicine and language. He taught himself Dutch to reference scientific publications for his eight-volume work "Kyuritsu", which was considered the top work of Western natural science in Japan at that time. In 1832 he was made Minister for the Feudal Lord in order to fix the financial problems of the Hiji clan. Banri Hoashi is considered one of Ōita's three sages along with Miura Baien and Hirose Tansō.
Hirose Tansō 広瀬淡窓 (May 22, 1782 – November 28, 1856) A Confucian scholar, poet and educator from a money-lending family in Hita. Ōita’s current governor Katsusada Hirose
is actually a descendant of Tansō Hirose. In Edo period Japan, education was limited to samurai families and the rich. However, Hirose Tansō opened a school called meaning “all are welcome” and admitted students regardless of social status, age, or education level. The school’s methodology of a “self-administered work-study policy” is said to have had great influence on the modern day education system in Japan. Former Prime Minister Kiyoura Keigo
was educated here, along with other students who went on to become influential scholars, artists and politicians. The school’s remains were designated a historical site in 1932 and are just a couple blocks from the original Hirose family house, where the Hirose Museum is also located. There, Tansō Hirose and other family members’ works are on display, along with other original Hirose artifacts, hina dolls, tea ceremony utensils and more. Both are in Mameda Town, about a 10-minute walk from Hita Station. Tansō Hirose is considered on the Oita's three sages along with Miura Baien and Hoashi Banri. An asteroid called 10009 Hirosetanso
discovered by the University of Tokyo
in 1977 was named after Tansō Hirose.
Fukuzawa Yukichi
(1834–1901) Founded Japan's oldest institute of higher education, Keio University
in Tokyo. Fukuzawa Yukichi grew up in the Nakatsu domain, and is pictured on the 10,000 yen bill. He was influential in Japan's education system by promoting independence and self-reliance of the Japanese people at his classes as Keio-Gijuku University, known as present day Keio University, originally a school for Western studies. The university now educates in a range of different academic fields and produces influential and prominent alumni.
Ōita Prefecture is on the north-eastern section of the island of Kyūshū
. It is 119 kilometers from east to west, and 106 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 6,339 square kilometers.
Surrounded by the Suo Channel and Honshū
Island to the north, the Iyo Channel and Shikoku
Island to the east, it is bordered by Miyazaki Prefecture
to the south, and Fukuoka Prefecture
and Kumamoto Prefecture
to the west. It is divided between north and south by a major tectonic line running from Usuki City in Ōita Prefecture to Yatsushiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture, which is to the west of Ōita. There are several other tectonic lines running from east to west through the prefecture. The northern part of the prefecture features granite
and metamorphic rocks, while the southern area features limestone
, which is the foundation for the Tsukumi cement industry, and several limestone caves. The Kirishima Range is a volcanic belt
that runs vertically through the prefecture and contributes to the many hot spring sources that make the region a popular tourist attraction, and makes Ōita the prefecture with the largest number of hot springs in the whole country.
Mountain ranges include Mount Yufu
, Mount Tsurumi
, Mount Sobo
, Mount Katamuki, and Mount Kujū (which is called the "roof of Kyushu").These mountain ranges contribute to the fact that 70% of Oita is covered by forests, and the rivers and streams that flow from these ranges give the prefecture rich water sources. The prefecture's major water sources are Yamakuni River, Yakkan River, Ōita River, Ōno and Banjō River, and Beppu Bay
and the Bungo Channel
.
Mount Kujū (九重山) is surrounded by highlands called the Kujū Highlands and the Handa Highlands. There are open plains throughout the prefecture with Nakatsu Plain in the north, Oita Plain in the center, and Saiki Plain in the south. The inland areas consist of basin valleys in Hita, Kusu
, Yufuin and Taketa, which were formed by lava
buildup in combination with river erosion
.
Ōita has a 759 kilometer coastline that has shoals in the north, Beppu Bay in the center, and a jagged or sawtooth "rias coastline" in the south. Sea cliffs, caves, and sedimentary rock formations that can be found found in Saiki City's Yakata Island are considered very rare outside of coral reef areas. Ōita's coastal waters contribute to a prosperous fishing industry.
From 2005 to 2006, all municipalities but Beppu, Tsukumi, Himeshima, Hiji, and all towns in Kusu
District, merged, and the total municipalities went down from 58 on December 31, 2004, to 18 after the creation of the city of Kunisaki by merging with 4 towns from Higashikunisaki District on March 31, 2006. As a result, the prefecture became the one with the least municipalities within Kyūshū, and the fourth least in Japan. However, Ōita Prefecture now has the fewest towns (3) and fewest towns and villages combined (4) in all of Japan.
Ōita is Japan's number one producer of the following products:
Kabosu Limes. Ōita Prefecture is Japan's number one producer of kabosu
, which is a citrus fruit that is similar to a lime. Kabosu
are available year round but peak season for taste and quality is from August to October. Kabosu
are rich in vitamin C and contain beneficial acids, such as citric acid. Kabosu
have been produced in the Taketa and Usuki areas for many years.
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms. Ōita is also the largest producer of dried shiitake
mushrooms in Japan, and the cultivation of shiitake
mushrooms is said to have originated in Ōita. Ōita's dried shiitake rank number one in Japan both in terms of production quantity and quality. Shiitake
are said to be beneficial in the prevention of high blood pressure and arterial sclerosis.
Saffron. Saffron
has been cultivated in Ōita since the late 19th century, and Ōita's Taketa area produces 80% of Japan's total amount of saffron
, making Ōita the top producer of saffron
. The quality of Ōita saffron
has gained international acclaim as active component levels are several times higher than foreign saffron. Saffron
is said to have many benefits including circulation enhancement, and is used as a food coloring and natural medicine.
Galingale. Ōita is Japan's top producer of , which is one kind of rush plant, a grass with a distinctive triangular profile, belonging to the cyperaceae
family. It is grown in Kunisaki Peninsula of Ōita Prefecture, and is used in the production of Ryukyu-style tatami
mats, as it is dust and moisture absorbent and has a pleasant scent.
Madake Bamboo. The madake variety of bamboo makes up 60% of Japan's cultivated bamboo, and Ōita is Japan's top producer. It is the most popular variety of bamboo used in handiwork and traditional crafts since it is very flexible and pressure resistant.
Ōita also ranks number one in Japan (and second in the world next to America's Yellowstone National Park) for the amount of hot-spring output and geothermal power. Ōita also ranks number one in Japan for the amount of limestone production.
Other Ōita industries:
Seki-aji and seki-saba are two types of mackerel that are well-known seafood products of Ōita. Ōita has gained nationwide recognition for their promotion of "The Oita Brand", which is labeling local products with the prefectural name.
Key "Ōita Brand" products are as follows:
Agricultural Products- tomatoes, leeks, strawberries, spring onions, kabosu
limes, greenhouse tangerines, , rose
s, chrysanthemums, pears (Hita City, Shonai Town in Yufu City and Kokonoe
Town in Kusu are all production regions for Japanese pears. Oita pears are shipped nationwide, with large distribution quantities throughout Kyushu), and Bungo beef (The Kujū highlands are a perfect feeding ground for cattle and cattle farmers in Oita are involved in breeding and shipping cattle. Bungo beef is a well known local product.)
Forest Products- Dried shiitake
mushrooms and Oita-style seasoned timber (Oita is one of the leading production centers for Japanese cedar
, ranking second in Japan for amount of lumber reserves and number of cedars produced. Oita cedar producers use a special method for drying the cedar which combines benefits of natural and artificial drying methods to produce cedar that has cracks, and retains the natural cedar scent and color.)
Marine Products. cultured flatfish
, cultured yellow jack
, cultured yellowtail, cultured loach
, pearl
, cultured kuruma prawn, natural kuruma prawn (kuruma ebi), cuttlefish
, hairtail, butterfish, blue crab
, conger eel
, clam
, and Japanese mitten crab.
Economic development of Ōita was greatly aided by the One Village One Product movement
of long-time governor Morihiko Hiramatsu
. This movement has gained international attention and increased international exchange activities between Oita and foreign cities and countries.
The following companies operate factories in Oita:
Toshiba Corporation,
Nippon Steel Corporation,
Canon Inc.
,
Texas Instruments Inc.,
Sony
,
Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd.,
Showa Denko
K.K.,
Kawasumi Laboratories Inc. (川澄化学工業株式会社),
CKK,
Asahi Kasei Medical Co. Ltd.（旭メディカル）,
NEC
Corporation,
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
,
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd.
In 2008 there were 11,034 non-Japanese residents registered in Ōita, that was up 1,684 people from the previous year.
As of December 2009 Ōita was ranked as having the highest number of foreign students relative to population in Japan. Oita has 339.8 foreign students per 100,000 people in the prefecture, where Tokyo, now ranking second has 329.4 foreign students per 100,000 people in the city. This is contributed to the fact that Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University (APU) in Beppu accepts many foreign students. As of November 1, 2009, there were 4,160 foreign students in Ōita total, from 101 different countries and territories, with the majority being from Asia (e.g. China and South Korea).
As of May 2006, 146 cultural assets in Ōita were designated by the national government (Agency for Cultural Affairs) four of which are designated as "National Treasures". Additionally, the prefecture itself has designated almost 700 traditions, properties, landmarks etc. as cultural assets.
2. The Main Building of Usa Shrine
- A building which is said to be a prototype for hachiman style architecture located in Usa City.
3. Peacock Buddhist Altar Fitting- This is a Buddhist altar fitting called Kujaku Monkei with engraved peacocks and an inscription dated 1209. The information on it tells of the relationship between Usa Shrine and its branch shrine Mirokuji.
4. Usuki Stone Buddhas
- Approximately 60 cliff carvings of Buddha that were crafted between the Heian period (794–1192) and the Kamakura period (1185–1333) are the only rock carvings of their kind to have received a "National Treasure" designation. They are in Usuki City.
Below are some of Oita's cultural traditions that are designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as "Important Intangible Cultural Properties":
1. Shujo Onie Fire Festival- An event held to pray for national security, health and longevity on the first day of the Chinese New Year at temples of Tendai Buddhist denomination in the Kunisaki Peninsula area. The three temples that continue to hold this event are the Tennenji-temple (Bungotakata City), Iwatoji-temple (Kunisaki Town) and Jobutsuji-temple (Kunisaki Town).
2. Koyo Shrine Puppet Show- This is a puppet show also known as "Kitabaru Puppet Show" which uses kugutsu puppets that perform dance and sumo wrestling matches. Oita's Hachiman Kohyo Shrine is in Nakatsu City.
3. Hita's Gion Festival- A festival held in Hita City in July with parade floats that are up to 12 meters high. Although the festival only takes place once a year, the magnificent floats are on display year-round at the Gion Festival Float Museum in Kuma Town, Hita City.
4. Yoshihiro Gaku Traditional Performing Art- Dance performed along with traditional song and music in Musashi Town in Kunisaki Peninsula
5. Manufacturing Process of Sulfur "Flowers" at Myoban Hot Spring- Thatched huts at Myoban Hot Spring are used to produce yu-no-hana or sulfur “flowers” which are crystals that develop naturally on the ground around the springs. The manufacturing and collection process of the sulfur flowers has remained largely unchanged since the Edo period and thus the manufacturing process itself is designated as an ethno-cultural asset. The crystals are used as the main component of bath salts sold in Myoban, which are a popular souvenir that is used to help heal skin conditions.
Shonai kagura is a festive dance that has been practiced for over 200 years and is representative of Oita Prefecture. Another kagura, the Ondake-style Kagura, was nationally designated as an "Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property" in 2007. There is also traditional song and music known as "gaku" that is performed in the Kunisaki Peninsula Area and is accompanied by characteristic dances such as the Yoshihirogaku in Musashi Town. Dancers wear grass skirts and dance with a drum tied to their front and a flag tied to their backs to pray to the Buddhist God Amida Buddha. In the Ono district there are 80 groups of Shishimai or dancers who perform a lion dance with roots based on the Ondake-style dance.
Onta pottery is now produced full-time by ten families in Sarayama, five of whom continue to share and fire an eight chambered climbing kiln. The other five households fire independent climbing kilns of four or five chambers, which they fire approximately six times a year. The potters use clays that they dig locally and obtain natural materials (notably, wood ash, rice straw ash, feldspar, iron oxide and, occasionally, copper) with which to mix their glzes. Sarayama is famous for the 'karausu' clay pounders lining its two streams and powered by the water therein. The fact that the clay pounders prepare only enoujgh clay for two people to work with full-time at the wheel has determined both household structure and the number of houses able to take up pottery in Sarayama.
For anything other than small pots, potters use a kick wheel on which to throw their wares, which they decorate typically with hakeme and tobiganna slipware decoration techniques. In April 1995, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced the designation of Onta Pottery as an "Important Intangible Cultural Property" in 1995. It should be noted that this designation is for the actual techniques used in making the pottery and not the actual pots themselves. Precisely because the designation is for the process rather than the product, it is regarded as an "intangible" property and is the only stoneware pottery-making process so designated in Japan.
Bamboo Crafts were started in the late 14th century to create baskets for travelling goods salesmen. During the Edo period
(1600–1868) Beppu thrived as a tourist town and bamboo baskets and goods were used in the daily lives of the local people for everything from cooking to washing in order to meet the demands of the thriving tourist population. The bamboo items soon became a souvenir that tourists purchased to take home and this solidified making Beppu a center for Bamboo crafts production. In 1903 a training center for bamboo workers was established and present-day visitors to Beppu can enjoy learning about the history of bamboo, and hands-on classes at the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center. Festivals using bamboo shoots as candle holders are carried out yearly in the autumn in Usuki, Taketa, and Hita Cities.
.
Arata Isozaki
is a world renowned architect who is from Oita. The former Oita Prefectural Library (now Oita Art Plaza) won an award for architectural design in 1967. Other works of his can be found throughout the prefecture including B-con Plaza in Beppu, Bungo-No-Kuni Information Library, the Audio-Visual Center in Oita City, and Yufu Train Station.
music festival "Argerich's Meeting Point in Beppu" is an annual event held in Beppu City. Martha Argerich is the General Director of the festival and the event is supported by a large number of volunteers. It takes place over 10 days and includes recitals and also lessons. This international event welcomes music lovers from all over the world to Beppu.
Football (soccer)
Basketball
Volleyball
Futsal
The Oita International Wheelchair Marathon (see external link below) is a yearly event held in October. This international race gathers wheelchair athletes from all over the world to participate in full and half-marathon racing. It was started in 1981 to commemorate the International Year of Disabled Persons
.
. Many of the 'hells' are of tourist interest only and cannot be used as onsen
(notably the Blood Pond Hell
(reddish water) and the Oniyama Hell). The city's ryokans
and public onsen are amply supplied by the same volcanic source. When Chiba University
and Tokyo's Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies compiled a list of prefectures meeting demands for reusable energy, Oita ranked number one with a 25.2% rate of self-sufficiency through the use of geothermal energy and hot spring heat. Visitors particularly relish the effects of burial in steaming hot volcanic sands.
Beppu offers a wide range of cultural experiences, from an annual international music festival, to the unabashed Hihokan Sex Museum, which nevertheless must follow the law and suspend a glass plate above ancient art with frosted areas censoring the overlarge genital depictions.
The elaborate public aquarium "Umi-tamago" on the shoreline outside Beppu features basketballing sea otter
s, performing archer fish, and puzzle-solving octopuses, along with more naturalistic displays of freshwater and marine fish from around the world.
Near the marine park, Mount Takasaki Monkey Park rises steeply from the shoreline. Two distinct troupes of wild macaque
monkeys make regular visits to the feeding grounds here, which were initially established to entice the monkeys away from raiding the region's fruit crops, a behaviour that brought them into conflict with farmers. The wild macaques ignore the small crowds that gather at these feeding sessions, and may be observed at close quarters.
Beppu is a busy passenger port with regular ferry links through the inland sea to Osaka
and several other destinations.
Other attractions of Ōita Prefecture include the Sanrio
theme park Harmonyland.
Ōita's Mt. Hachimen was home to the popular music festival, Concert on the Rock
. This annual charity event saw over 30 international acts performing over a June weekend for the pleasure of Japan's music lovers. The natural surroundings make it one of the most picturesque rock festivals in the world. The event has since been discontinued.
from 1898 to 1903, was from here.
Prefectures of Japan
The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
of Japan on 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....
Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita
Oita, Oita
is the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...
.
History
Around the 6th century KyushuKyushu
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....
consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni. Present day Oita was part of Toyo-no-kuni, which means "Abundant Land".
Toyo-no-kuni was later divided into two regions, upper and lower Toyo-no-kuni, called Bungo Province
Bungo Province
was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:...
and Buzen Province
Buzen Province
was an old province of Japan in northern Kyūshū in the area of Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bungo Province. Buzen bordered on Bungo and Chikuzen Provinces....
.
After the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, districts from Bungo
Bungo Province
was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:...
and Buzen
Buzen Province
was an old province of Japan in northern Kyūshū in the area of Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bungo Province. Buzen bordered on Bungo and Chikuzen Provinces....
provinces were combined to form Ōita Prefecture. These provinces were divided among many local daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
and thus a large castle town never formed in Ōita. From this time that whole area became known as "Toyo-no-kuni", which means "Land of Abundance".
The origins of the name Ōita are documented in a report from the early 8th century called the . According to the document, when Empress Keikō visited the Kyushu region, stopping first in Toyo-no-kuni, she exclaimed that 'This is a vast land, indeed. It shall be known as Okita-Kuni!' Okita-Kuni, meaning "Land of the Great Fields", later came to be written as "Ōita". Present day interpretations based on Ōita's topography state that Oita's name comes from "Okita", meaning "many fields", rather than "vast" or "great" field, because of Ōita's complex terrain.
In the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(1603–1867) the town of Hita was the government seat for the entire domain of Kyushu
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....
, which was directly controlled by the national government or shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
at that time. The region became well known for the money-lending industry based out of Hita. Merchants in Hita's Mameda and Kuma districts worked with the national government to create this money-lending industry known as Hita-kin.
Historically Influential People in Ōita:
Otomo Sorin
Otomo Sorin
, also known as Fujiwara no Yoshishige and Ōtomo Yoshishige , was a Japanese feudal lord of the Ōtomo clan, one of the few to have converted to Christianity. The eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, he inherited the domain of Funai, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island, from his father...
(1530–1587) The Otomo Family ruled over the Funai Domain
Funai Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Bungo Province .-History:Funai had been the castle of the Ōtomo clan; however, Toyotomi confiscated it during the lordship of Ōtomo Yoshimune...
, which is present day Ōita City, in the 16th century. Funai was a very internationalized city which engaged in various forms of trade and exchange with foreign nations. Sorin, the 21st leader of the Otomo clan
Otomo clan
The Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
, embraced Western culture enthusiastically and invited the missionary Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
to the city to promote Christianity. Sorin dreamed of creating a Christian nation, and was baptized and given the name "Don Francisco". Sorin died in Tsukumi.
Miura Baien
Miura Baien
was a Japanese philosopher of the Tokugawa era. A scholar often qualified as prolific original thinker in economy, interested in epistemology, he studied nature in a methodical way.-Life:...
(September 1, 1723 – April 9, 1789) A scholar originally known as Susumu but called Baien after the name of his private school where he educated many scholars. Miura developed his own system of logic and wrote many works including his three famous words,, , and . He also worked in a hospital and had a good knowledge of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. He hand made an astronomical globe that was passed down through many generations. He spent his entire life in Tominaga Village which is the present day area of Aki
Aki District, Kochi
is a district located in Kōchi, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 21,006 and a density of 37.29 persons per km². The total area is 563.33 km².- Towns and villages :*Geisei*Kitagawa*Nahari*Tano*Tōyō*Umaji*Yasuda...
Town in Kunisaki City. Miura Baien is considered one of Ōita's three sages along with Hoashi Banri and Hirose Tansō.
Hoashi Banri 帆足万里 (February 11, 1778 – July 30, 1852) Miura Baien's pupil who expanded his academic ability into many fields including Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
, natural sciences, medicine and language. He taught himself Dutch to reference scientific publications for his eight-volume work "Kyuritsu", which was considered the top work of Western natural science in Japan at that time. In 1832 he was made Minister for the Feudal Lord in order to fix the financial problems of the Hiji clan. Banri Hoashi is considered one of Ōita's three sages along with Miura Baien and Hirose Tansō.
Hirose Tansō 広瀬淡窓 (May 22, 1782 – November 28, 1856) A Confucian scholar, poet and educator from a money-lending family in Hita. Ōita’s current governor Katsusada Hirose
Katsusada Hirose
is the governor of Ōita Prefecture in Japan, first elected in 2003. A native of Hita, Ōita and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he had worked at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry since 1966 before elected governor.- External links :*...
is actually a descendant of Tansō Hirose. In Edo period Japan, education was limited to samurai families and the rich. However, Hirose Tansō opened a school called meaning “all are welcome” and admitted students regardless of social status, age, or education level. The school’s methodology of a “self-administered work-study policy” is said to have had great influence on the modern day education system in Japan. Former Prime Minister Kiyoura Keigo
Kiyoura Keigo
was a Japanese politician. He was the 23rd Prime Minister of Japan from 7 January 1924 to 11 June 1924, during the period which historians have called the “Taisho Democracy”.- Early life :...
was educated here, along with other students who went on to become influential scholars, artists and politicians. The school’s remains were designated a historical site in 1932 and are just a couple blocks from the original Hirose family house, where the Hirose Museum is also located. There, Tansō Hirose and other family members’ works are on display, along with other original Hirose artifacts, hina dolls, tea ceremony utensils and more. Both are in Mameda Town, about a 10-minute walk from Hita Station. Tansō Hirose is considered on the Oita's three sages along with Miura Baien and Hoashi Banri. An asteroid called 10009 Hirosetanso
10009 Hirosetanso
10009 Hirosetanso is a main-belt asteroid discovered on March 12, 1977 by H. Kosai and K. Hurukawa at the Kiso Observatory of the University of Tokyo. It is named after Hirose Tanso , a Japanese educator.- External links :*...
discovered by the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
in 1977 was named after Tansō Hirose.
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...
(1834–1901) Founded Japan's oldest institute of higher education, Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
in Tokyo. Fukuzawa Yukichi grew up in the Nakatsu domain, and is pictured on the 10,000 yen bill. He was influential in Japan's education system by promoting independence and self-reliance of the Japanese people at his classes as Keio-Gijuku University, known as present day Keio University, originally a school for Western studies. The university now educates in a range of different academic fields and produces influential and prominent alumni.
Geography
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....
. It is 119 kilometers from east to west, and 106 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 6,339 square kilometers.
Surrounded by the Suo Channel and Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
Island to the north, the Iyo Channel and Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
Island to the east, it is bordered by Miyazaki Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
to the south, and 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....
and Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
to the west. It is divided between north and south by a major tectonic line running from Usuki City in Ōita Prefecture to Yatsushiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture, which is to the west of Ōita. There are several other tectonic lines running from east to west through the prefecture. The northern part of the prefecture features granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and metamorphic rocks, while the southern area features limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, which is the foundation for the Tsukumi cement industry, and several limestone caves. The Kirishima Range is a volcanic belt
Volcanic belt
A volcanic belt is a large volcanically active region. Other terms are used for smaller areas of activity, such as volcanic fields. Volcanic belts are found above zones of unusually high temperature where magma is created by partial melting of solid material in the Earth's crust and upper mantle....
that runs vertically through the prefecture and contributes to the many hot spring sources that make the region a popular tourist attraction, and makes Ōita the prefecture with the largest number of hot springs in the whole country.
Mountain ranges include Mount Yufu
Mount Yufu
is a volcano, located on the border of Yufu and Beppu, Ōita, Japan.- Outline :Mount Yufu is a Stratovolcano. It has two peaks, called ‘Higashi-mine’ and ‘Nishi-mine’ . The highest peak is Nishi-mine, which is about one meter higher than Higashi-Mine...
, Mount Tsurumi
Mount Tsurumi
is a volcano in Beppu, Ōita, Japan.- Outline :Mount Tsurumi is a Stratovolcano. It has several peaks, including, Mount Kuranoto, Mount Uchi, Mount Garan. This mountain is one of Japan 300 mountains, and a part of Aso Kujū National Park.- Route :...
, Mount Sobo
Mount Sobo
is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The high mountain lies on the border of Taketa and Bungo-ōno in Ōita Prefecture and Takachiho, Nishiusuki District in Miyazaki Prefecture. It is the highest peak in Miyazaki Prefecture...
, Mount Katamuki, and Mount Kujū (which is called the "roof of Kyushu").These mountain ranges contribute to the fact that 70% of Oita is covered by forests, and the rivers and streams that flow from these ranges give the prefecture rich water sources. The prefecture's major water sources are Yamakuni River, Yakkan River, Ōita River, Ōno and Banjō River, and Beppu Bay
Beppu Bay
Beppu Bay is an arm of the western end of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan.Beppu Bay is located on the northeast coast of Kyushu in Ōita Prefecture. The city of Ōita lies on its southern coast and the city of Beppu at its western end....
and the Bungo Channel
Bungo Channel
The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait....
.
Mount Kujū (九重山) is surrounded by highlands called the Kujū Highlands and the Handa Highlands. There are open plains throughout the prefecture with Nakatsu Plain in the north, Oita Plain in the center, and Saiki Plain in the south. The inland areas consist of basin valleys in Hita, Kusu
Kusu
Kusu or KUSU may refer to:* "tortoise" in Chinese.* "fart" in Tamil, a South Indian language spoken in Tamilnadu*Kusu, Mie, a former town in Mie Prefecture, Japan*Kusu, Ōita, a town in Ōita Prefecture, Japan...
, Yufuin and Taketa, which were formed by lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
buildup in combination with river erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.
Ōita has a 759 kilometer coastline that has shoals in the north, Beppu Bay in the center, and a jagged or sawtooth "rias coastline" in the south. Sea cliffs, caves, and sedimentary rock formations that can be found found in Saiki City's Yakata Island are considered very rare outside of coral reef areas. Ōita's coastal waters contribute to a prosperous fishing industry.
Region
Currently, the prefecture has 14 cities, 3 districts, 3 towns, and one village.From 2005 to 2006, all municipalities but Beppu, Tsukumi, Himeshima, Hiji, and all towns in Kusu
Kusu
Kusu or KUSU may refer to:* "tortoise" in Chinese.* "fart" in Tamil, a South Indian language spoken in Tamilnadu*Kusu, Mie, a former town in Mie Prefecture, Japan*Kusu, Ōita, a town in Ōita Prefecture, Japan...
District, merged, and the total municipalities went down from 58 on December 31, 2004, to 18 after the creation of the city of Kunisaki by merging with 4 towns from Higashikunisaki District on March 31, 2006. As a result, the prefecture became the one with the least municipalities within Kyūshū, and the fourth least in Japan. However, Ōita Prefecture now has the fewest towns (3) and fewest towns and villages combined (4) in all of Japan.
Cities
- BeppuBeppu, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, at the west end of Beppu Bay. As of January 1, 2011, the city has an official population of 125,664 and a total area of 125.13 km², with a population density of 977 persons per km²....
- Bungo-ōnoBungo-ono, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 2005 as a result of the merger between the municipalities of Asaji, Chitose, Inukai, Kiyokawa, Mie, Ogata and Ōno ....
- BungotakadaBungotakada, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 18,239 and the density of 146.42 persons per km². The total area is 124.57 km²....
- HitaHita, Oitais 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...
- KitsukiKitsuki, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 22,955 and the density of 254.43 persons per km². The total area is 90.22 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1955.-External links:*...
- KunisakiKunisaki, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.Kunisaki City was founded on March 31, 2006, as a result of the merger between the towns of Kunisaki , Aki, Kunimi and Musashi, all from Higashikunisaki District....
- NakatsuNakatsu, Oitais 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...
- ŌitaOita, Oitais the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...
(capital) - SaikiSaiki, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the former city had an estimated population of 49,183 and the density of 249.19 persons per km²...
- TaketaTaketa, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 16,807 and a density of 83.69 persons per km². The total area is 200.83 km²....
- TsukumiTsukumi, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 22,336 and the density of 281.38 persons per km². The total area is 79.38 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1951.-External links:*...
- 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...
- UsukiUsuki, Oitais a city located on the east coast of Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It is famous for its Usuki Stone Buddhas, a national treasure, and its soy sauce production. Recently it has become known for having the look and feel of a Japanese castle town...
- YufuYufu, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on October 1, 2005 as a result of the merger between the towns of Hasama, Shōnai and Yufuin, all from Ōita District....
Towns and villages
- Hayami DistrictHayami District, Oita' is a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 35,462 and the density of 163.46 persons per km². The total area is 216.94 km².-Merger:...
:- HijiHiji, Oitais a town located in Hayami District, Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,872 and the density of 366.95 persons per km². The total area is 73.23 km².The town has a trappist monastery....
- Hiji
- Higashikunisaki DistrictHigashikunisaki District, Oita' is a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of April 2006, the district has an estimated population of 2,898. The total area is now down to 6.75 km².There is only one village left in the district.*Himeshima...
:- HimeshimaHimeshima, Oitais a village located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.The name Himeshima literally means "Princess Island". The village is on a small island, sometimes referred to as Hime Island, just off the Japanese island of Kyūshū, and is accessible by ferry.As of 2003, the village has an estimated...
- Himeshima
- Kusu DistrictKusu District, Oita' is a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 29,807 and the density of 53.43 persons per km². The total area is 557.85 km².-Towns and villages:*Kokonoe*Kusu...
:- KokonoeKokonoe, Oitais a small town located in Kusu District, Ōita, Japan. It promotes its nine onsen, which are occasionally closed due to flooding; it is also the summer headquarters of Labo Camp Kujū, part of the LABO language program....
- KusuKusu, Oitais a town located in Kusu District, Ōita, Japan.As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 17,945. The total area is 286.44 km².-External links:* *...
- Kokonoe
Mergers and dissolutions
If the district dissolved, then the link will be in place.- Hayami District:
- YamagaYamaga, Oitawas a town located in Hayami District, Ōita, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Yamaga, along with the village of Ōta, from Nishikunisaki District, was merged into the expanded city of Kitsuki....
, HijiHiji, Oitais a town located in Hayami District, Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 26,872 and the density of 366.95 persons per km². The total area is 73.23 km².The town has a trappist monastery....
- Yamaga
- Higashikunisaki District:
- AkiAki, Oitawas a town located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2006 Aki was merged with the towns of Kunisaki , Kunimi and Musashi, all from Higashikunisaki District, to form the new city of Kunisaki....
, KunimiKunimi, Oitawas a town located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2006 Kunimi was merged with the towns of Kunisaki , Aki and Musashi, all from Higashikunisaki District, to form the new city of Kunisaki....
, KunisakiKunisaki, Oita (town)was a town located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2006 Kunisaki absorbed the towns of Aki, Kunimi and Musashi, all from Higashikunisaki District, to become the new city of Kunisaki....
, MusashiMusashi, Oitawas a town located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2006 Musashi was merged with the towns of Kunisaki , Aki and Kunimi, all from Higashikunisaki District, to form the new city of Kunisaki....
, HimeshimaHimeshima, Oitais a village located in Higashikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.The name Himeshima literally means "Princess Island". The village is on a small island, sometimes referred to as Hime Island, just off the Japanese island of Kyūshū, and is accessible by ferry.As of 2003, the village has an estimated...
- Aki
- Ōno DistrictOno District, Oita' was a district located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2005 the district had 6 towns and 2 villages.* Asaji* Chitose* Inukai* Kiyokawa* Mie* Notsu* Ogata* Ōno...
:- NotsuNotsu, Oitawas a town located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On January 1, 2005 Notsu was merged into the expanded city of Usuki.As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 9,309 and the density of 66.88 persons per km². The total area was 139.19 km²....
, AsajiAsaji, Oitawas a town located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Asaji was merged with the towns of Inukai, Mie, Ogata and Ōno, and the villages of Chitose and Kiyokawa, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
, ChitoseChitose, Oitawas a village located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Chitose was merged with the towns of Asaji, Inukai, Mie, Ogata and Ōno, and the village of Kiyokawa, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
, InukaiInukai, Oitawas a town located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Inukai was merged with the towns of Asaji, Mie, Ogata and Ōno, and the villages of Chitose and Kiyokawa, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
, KiyokawaKiyokawa, Oitawas a village located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Kiyokawa was merged with the towns of Asaji, Inukai, Mie, Ogata and Ōno, and the village of Chitose, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
, MieMie, Oitawas a town located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Mie was merged with the towns of Asaji, Inukai, Ogata and Ōno, and the villages of Chitose and Kiyokawa, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
, OgataOgata, Oitawas a town located in Ōno District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Ogata was merged with the towns of Asaji, Inukai, Mie and Ōno, and the villages of Chitose and Kiyokawa, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
, ŌnoOno, Oitawas a town located in Ōno District, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Ōno was merged with the towns of Asaji, Inukai, Mie and Ogata, and the villages of Chitose and Kiyokawa, all from Ōno District, to form the new city of Bungo-Ōno....
- Notsu
- Ōita DistrictOita District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 40,723 and density of 99.35 persons per km². The total area was 409.90 km².-Dissolution:As of January 1, 2005 the district had 4 towns.* Hasama* Notsuharu...
:- NotsuharuNotsuharu, Oitawas a town located in Ōita District, Ōita, Japan.On January 1, 2005 Notsuharu, along with the town of Saganoseki, from Kitaamabe District, was merged with the expanded city of Ōita....
, HasamaHasama, Oitawas a town located in Ōita District, Ōita, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Hasama was merged with the towns of Shōnai and Yufuin, all from Ōita District, to form the new city of Yufu....
, ShonaiShonai, Oitawas a town located in Ōita District, Ōita, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Shōnai was merged with the towns of Hasama and Yufuin, all from Ōita District, to form the city of Yufu....
, YufuinYufuin, Oitais a district of the city of Yufu, Ōita, Japan.Yufuin was a town located in Ōita District until October 1, 2005, when Yufuin was merged with the towns of Hasama and Shōnai, all from Ōita District, to form the new city of Yufu....
- Notsuharu
- Kitaamabe DistrictKitaamabe District, Oita' was a district located in Ōita, Japan.The district had only the town of Saganoseki until December 31, 2004. But on January 1, 2005 Saganoseki, along with the town of Notsuharu, from Ōita District, merged into the expanded city of Ōita, and the district was dissolved.-Municipal Timeline:* July 22,...
:- SaganosekiSaganoseki, Oitawas a town located in Kitaamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On January 1, 2005 Saganoseki, along with the town of Notsuharu, from Ōita District, was merged with the expanded city of Ōita....
- Saganoseki
- Shimoge DistrictShimoge District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan. On March 1, 2005, the district was dissolved when the four towns that it comprised were absorbed by Nakatsu City....
:- Hon'yabakei, SankoSanko, 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....
, 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....
, 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....
- Hon'yabakei, Sanko
- Minamiamabe DistrictMinamiamabe District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 33,239 and the density of 47.09 persons per km². The total area was 705.90 km²....
:- HonjōHonjo, Oitawas a village located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Honjō, along with the towns of Kamae, Kamiura, Tsurumi, Ume and Yayoi, and the villages of Naokawa and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, KamaeKamae, Oitawas a town located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Kamae, along with the towns of Kamiura, Tsurumi, Ume and Yayoi, and the villages of Honjō, Naokawa and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, KamiuraKamiura, Oitawas a town located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Kamiura, along with the towns of Kamae, Tsurumi, Ume and Yayoi, and the villages of Honjō, Naokawa and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, NaokawaNaokawa, Oitawas a village located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Naokawa, along with the towns of Kamae, Kamiura, Tsurumi, Ume and Yayoi, and the villages of Honjō and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, TsurumiTsurumi, Oitawas a town located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Tsurumi, along with the towns of Kamae, Kamiura, Ume and Yayoi, and the villages of Honjō, Naokawa and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, UmeUme, Oitawas a town located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Ume, along with the towns of Kamae, Kamiura, Tsurumi and Yayoi, and the villages of Honjō, Naokawa and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, YayoiYayoi, Oitawas a town located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Yayoi, along with the towns of Kamae, Kamiura, Tsurumi and Ume, and the villages of Honjō, Naokawa and Yonōzu, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
, YonōzuYonozu, Oitawas a village located in Minamiamabe District, Ōita, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Yonōzu, along with the towns of Kamae, Kamiura, Tsurumi, Ume and Yayoi, and the villages of Honjō and Naokawa, all from Minamiamabe District, was merged into the expanded city of Saiki....
- Honjō
- Hita DistrictHita District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan.In 2003, the district had an estimated population of 14,180 and the density of 35.72 persons per km². The total area was 396.98 km²....
:- AmagaseAmagase, Oitawas a town located in Hita District, Ōita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 Amagase, along with the town of Ōyama, and the villages of Kamitsue, Maetsue and Nakatsue, all from Hita District, was merged into the expanded city of Hita....
, KamitsueKamitsue, Oitawas a village located in Hita District, Ōita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 Kamitsue, along with the towns of Amagase and Ōyama, and the villages of Maetsue and Nakatsue, all from Hita District, was merged into the expanded city of Hita....
, MaetsueMaetsue, Oitawas a village located in Hita District, Ōita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 Maetsue, along with the towns of Amagase and Ōyama, and the villages of Kamitsue and Nakatsue, all from Hita District, was merged into the expanded city of Hita....
, NakatsueNakatsue, Oitawas a village located in Hita District, Ōita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 Nakatsue, along with the towns of Amagase and Ōyama, and the villages of Kamitsue and Maetsue, all from Hita District, was merged into the expanded city of Hita....
, ŌyamaOyama, Oitawas a town located in Hita District, Ōita, Japan.On March 22, 2005 Ōyama, along with the town of Amagase, and the villages of Kamitsue, Maetsue and Nakatsue, all from Hita District, was merged into the expanded city of Hita....
- Amagase
- Usa DistrictUsa District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 12,739 and the density of 48.85 persons per km². The total area was 260.79 km².-District Timeline:...
:- AjimuAjimu, Oitawas a town located in Usa District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Ajimu, along with the town of Innai, also from Usa District, was merged into the expanded city of Usa....
, InnaiInnai, Oitawas a town located in Usa District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Innai, along with the town of Ajimu, also from Usa District, was merged into the expanded city of Usa....
- Ajimu
- Nishikunisaki DistrictNishikunisaki District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan.The district was dissolved on October 1, 2005.-District Timeline:* July 22, 1878 - Nishikunisaki District was founded after Kunisaki District broke off into Nishikunisaki and Higashikunisaki Districts....
:- Kakadi, MatamaMatama, Oitawas a town located in Nishikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.On March 31, 2005 Matama, along with the town of Kakaji, also from Nishikunisaki District, was merged into the expanded city of Bungotakada....
, ŌtaOta, Oitawas a village located in Nishikunisaki District, Ōita, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Ōta, along with the town of Yamaga, from Hayami District, was merged into the expanded city of Kitsuki....
- Kakadi, Matama
- Naoiri DistrictNaoiri District, Oitawas a district located in Ōita, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 10,956 and the density of 39.58 persons per km². The total area was 276.84 km².-District Timeline:...
:- KujuKuju, Oitawas a town located in Naoiri District, Ōita, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Kujū, along with the towns of Naoiri and Ogi, all from Naoiri District, was merged into the expanded city of Taketa....
, NaoiriNaoiri, Oitawas a town located in Naoiri District, Ōita, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Naoiri, along with the towns of Kujū and Ogi, all from Naoiri District, was merged into the expanded city of Taketa....
, OgiOgi, Oitawas a town located in Naoiri District, Ōita, Japan.On April 1, 2005 Ogi, along with the towns of Kujū and Naoiri, all from Naoiri District, was merged into the expanded city of Taketa....
- Kuju
Economy
Ōita Prefecture's industrial activity is centered on agricultural products. Fishery products and manufactured goods rank second and third respectively in terms of Ōita's industrial activity.Ōita is Japan's number one producer of the following products:
Kabosu Limes. Ōita Prefecture is Japan's number one producer of kabosu
Kabosu
is a juicy green citrus fruit closely related to the yuzu with the sharpness of lemon, used instead of vinegar in some Japanese dishes. It grows on a flowering plant with sharp thorns, and the fruit is harvested when still green but ripens to yellow...
, which is a citrus fruit that is similar to a lime. Kabosu
Kabosu
is a juicy green citrus fruit closely related to the yuzu with the sharpness of lemon, used instead of vinegar in some Japanese dishes. It grows on a flowering plant with sharp thorns, and the fruit is harvested when still green but ripens to yellow...
are available year round but peak season for taste and quality is from August to October. Kabosu
Kabosu
is a juicy green citrus fruit closely related to the yuzu with the sharpness of lemon, used instead of vinegar in some Japanese dishes. It grows on a flowering plant with sharp thorns, and the fruit is harvested when still green but ripens to yellow...
are rich in vitamin C and contain beneficial acids, such as citric acid. Kabosu
Kabosu
is a juicy green citrus fruit closely related to the yuzu with the sharpness of lemon, used instead of vinegar in some Japanese dishes. It grows on a flowering plant with sharp thorns, and the fruit is harvested when still green but ripens to yellow...
have been produced in the Taketa and Usuki areas for many years.
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms. Ōita is also the largest producer of dried shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
mushrooms in Japan, and the cultivation of shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
mushrooms is said to have originated in Ōita. Ōita's dried shiitake rank number one in Japan both in terms of production quantity and quality. Shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
are said to be beneficial in the prevention of high blood pressure and arterial sclerosis.
Saffron. Saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
has been cultivated in Ōita since the late 19th century, and Ōita's Taketa area produces 80% of Japan's total amount of saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
, making Ōita the top producer of saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
. The quality of Ōita saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
has gained international acclaim as active component levels are several times higher than foreign saffron. Saffron
Saffron
Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Crocus is a genus in the family Iridaceae. Each saffron crocus grows to and bears up to four flowers, each with three vivid crimson stigmas, which are each the distal end of a carpel...
is said to have many benefits including circulation enhancement, and is used as a food coloring and natural medicine.
Galingale. Ōita is Japan's top producer of , which is one kind of rush plant, a grass with a distinctive triangular profile, belonging to the cyperaceae
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
family. It is grown in Kunisaki Peninsula of Ōita Prefecture, and is used in the production of Ryukyu-style tatami
Tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core , with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width...
mats, as it is dust and moisture absorbent and has a pleasant scent.
Madake Bamboo. The madake variety of bamboo makes up 60% of Japan's cultivated bamboo, and Ōita is Japan's top producer. It is the most popular variety of bamboo used in handiwork and traditional crafts since it is very flexible and pressure resistant.
Ōita also ranks number one in Japan (and second in the world next to America's Yellowstone National Park) for the amount of hot-spring output and geothermal power. Ōita also ranks number one in Japan for the amount of limestone production.
Other Ōita industries:
Seki-aji and seki-saba are two types of mackerel that are well-known seafood products of Ōita. Ōita has gained nationwide recognition for their promotion of "The Oita Brand", which is labeling local products with the prefectural name.
Key "Ōita Brand" products are as follows:
Agricultural Products- tomatoes, leeks, strawberries, spring onions, kabosu
Kabosu
is a juicy green citrus fruit closely related to the yuzu with the sharpness of lemon, used instead of vinegar in some Japanese dishes. It grows on a flowering plant with sharp thorns, and the fruit is harvested when still green but ripens to yellow...
limes, greenhouse tangerines, , rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s, chrysanthemums, pears (Hita City, Shonai Town in Yufu City and Kokonoe
Kokonoe
Kokonoe may refer to:*Kokonoe, Ōita, a town in Ōita Prefecture, Japan*Kokonoe , a sumo toshiyori*Kokonoe stable, a stable of sumo wrestlers*Kokonoe Rin, a fictional character...
Town in Kusu are all production regions for Japanese pears. Oita pears are shipped nationwide, with large distribution quantities throughout Kyushu), and Bungo beef (The Kujū highlands are a perfect feeding ground for cattle and cattle farmers in Oita are involved in breeding and shipping cattle. Bungo beef is a well known local product.)
Forest Products- Dried shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
mushrooms and Oita-style seasoned timber (Oita is one of the leading production centers for Japanese cedar
Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
, ranking second in Japan for amount of lumber reserves and number of cedars produced. Oita cedar producers use a special method for drying the cedar which combines benefits of natural and artificial drying methods to produce cedar that has cracks, and retains the natural cedar scent and color.)
Marine Products. cultured flatfish
Flatfish
The flatfish are an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development...
, cultured yellow jack
Yellow jack
The yellow jack, Carangoides bartholomaei , is a species of offshore marine fish in the jack family, Carangidae. It is one of only two representatives of its genus present in the Atlantic Ocean, inhabiting waters off the east coast of the Americas from Massachusetts in the north to Brazil in the...
, cultured yellowtail, cultured loach
Cypriniformes
The Cypriniformes are an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches and relatives. This order contains 5-6 families, over 320 genera, and more than 3,250 species, with new species being described every few months or so, and new genera being recognized regularly...
, pearl
Pearl
A pearl is a hard object produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is made up of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other...
, cultured kuruma prawn, natural kuruma prawn (kuruma ebi), cuttlefish
Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
, hairtail, butterfish, blue crab
Portunus trituberculatus
Portunus trituberculatus, the gazami crab, Japanese blue crab or horse crab, is the most widely fished species of crab in the world. It is found off the coasts of East Asia and is closely related to Portunus pelagicus.-Fishery:P...
, conger eel
Conger
Conger is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 3 m in length, in the case of the European conger...
, clam
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
, and Japanese mitten crab.
Economic development of Ōita was greatly aided by the One Village One Product movement
One Village One Product movement
The is a Japanese regional development program. It began in Ōita Prefecture in 1979 when the then-governor Morihiko Hiramatsu advocated the program. Implementation started in 1980. Communities selectively produce goods with high added value...
of long-time governor Morihiko Hiramatsu
Morihiko Hiramatsu
is a Japanese politician who was elected Governor of Oita Prefecture from April 1979 to April 2003. As Governor, he initiated the One Village One Product movement for regional development, which became much copied by developing countries throughout the world....
. This movement has gained international attention and increased international exchange activities between Oita and foreign cities and countries.
The following companies operate factories in Oita:
Toshiba Corporation,
Nippon Steel Corporation,
Canon Inc.
Canon Inc.
is a Japanese multinational corporation that specialises in the manufacture of imaging and optical products, including cameras, camcorders, photocopiers, steppers and computer printers. Its headquarters are located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.-Origins:...
,
Texas Instruments Inc.,
Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
,
Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd.,
Showa Denko
Showa Denko
is a leading Japanese chemical engineering firm.Formed in 1939 by the merger of Nihon Electrical Industries and Showa Fertilizers, Showa Denko K.K. manufactures chemical products and industrial materials. SDK's products serve a wide array of fields ranging from heavy industry to the electronic...
K.K.,
Kawasumi Laboratories Inc. (川澄化学工業株式会社),
CKK,
Asahi Kasei Medical Co. Ltd.（旭メディカル）,
NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
Corporation,
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
, formerly known as , is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. Its main business is in electronics manufacturing....
,
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd.
Demographics
As of October 1, 2008 Ōita's total population was 1,201,715. Broken down into age groups, it was determined that 13.3% of the population was between the age of newborn and 14 years old, while 60.6% of the population was between the ages of 15 years and 64 years old, and 25.8% of the population was 65 years old or older.In 2008 there were 11,034 non-Japanese residents registered in Ōita, that was up 1,684 people from the previous year.
As of December 2009 Ōita was ranked as having the highest number of foreign students relative to population in Japan. Oita has 339.8 foreign students per 100,000 people in the prefecture, where Tokyo, now ranking second has 329.4 foreign students per 100,000 people in the city. This is contributed to the fact that Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University (APU) in Beppu accepts many foreign students. As of November 1, 2009, there were 4,160 foreign students in Ōita total, from 101 different countries and territories, with the majority being from Asia (e.g. China and South Korea).
Culture
Oita is in the northeast corner of Kyushu prefecture, its coastal areas, farmland, highland, and mountains lend to a mix of different farming and fishing culture. There are many festivals throughout the year to pray for healthy harvests and abundant crops.As of May 2006, 146 cultural assets in Ōita were designated by the national government (Agency for Cultural Affairs) four of which are designated as "National Treasures". Additionally, the prefecture itself has designated almost 700 traditions, properties, landmarks etc. as cultural assets.
National Treasures in Oita
1. Fukiji Temple- The only wooden structure in Kyushu to remain intact since the Heian period (794–1192). Fukiji Temple is in Bungo-Takada Oita Prefecture.2. The Main Building of Usa Shrine
Usa Shrine
, also known as , is a Shinto shrine in the city of Usa in Ōita Prefecture in Japan. Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman-jin , is said to be enshrined in all the sites dedicated to him; and the first and earliest of these was at Usa in the early 8th century...
- A building which is said to be a prototype for hachiman style architecture located in Usa City.
3. Peacock Buddhist Altar Fitting- This is a Buddhist altar fitting called Kujaku Monkei with engraved peacocks and an inscription dated 1209. The information on it tells of the relationship between Usa Shrine and its branch shrine Mirokuji.
4. Usuki Stone Buddhas
Usuki Stone Buddhas
The are a collection of stone sculptures of Buddhas, in Usuki, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.-History:The Usuki Stone Buddhas were estimated to be carved during the 12th century, and consist of four groups of stone Buddhas...
- Approximately 60 cliff carvings of Buddha that were crafted between the Heian period (794–1192) and the Kamakura period (1185–1333) are the only rock carvings of their kind to have received a "National Treasure" designation. They are in Usuki City.
Below are some of Oita's cultural traditions that are designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as "Important Intangible Cultural Properties":
1. Shujo Onie Fire Festival- An event held to pray for national security, health and longevity on the first day of the Chinese New Year at temples of Tendai Buddhist denomination in the Kunisaki Peninsula area. The three temples that continue to hold this event are the Tennenji-temple (Bungotakata City), Iwatoji-temple (Kunisaki Town) and Jobutsuji-temple (Kunisaki Town).
2. Koyo Shrine Puppet Show- This is a puppet show also known as "Kitabaru Puppet Show" which uses kugutsu puppets that perform dance and sumo wrestling matches. Oita's Hachiman Kohyo Shrine is in Nakatsu City.
3. Hita's Gion Festival- A festival held in Hita City in July with parade floats that are up to 12 meters high. Although the festival only takes place once a year, the magnificent floats are on display year-round at the Gion Festival Float Museum in Kuma Town, Hita City.
4. Yoshihiro Gaku Traditional Performing Art- Dance performed along with traditional song and music in Musashi Town in Kunisaki Peninsula
5. Manufacturing Process of Sulfur "Flowers" at Myoban Hot Spring- Thatched huts at Myoban Hot Spring are used to produce yu-no-hana or sulfur “flowers” which are crystals that develop naturally on the ground around the springs. The manufacturing and collection process of the sulfur flowers has remained largely unchanged since the Edo period and thus the manufacturing process itself is designated as an ethno-cultural asset. The crystals are used as the main component of bath salts sold in Myoban, which are a popular souvenir that is used to help heal skin conditions.
Dance
Kagura is a sacred dance performed at festivals and celebrations throughout the prefecture.Shonai kagura is a festive dance that has been practiced for over 200 years and is representative of Oita Prefecture. Another kagura, the Ondake-style Kagura, was nationally designated as an "Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property" in 2007. There is also traditional song and music known as "gaku" that is performed in the Kunisaki Peninsula Area and is accompanied by characteristic dances such as the Yoshihirogaku in Musashi Town. Dancers wear grass skirts and dance with a drum tied to their front and a flag tied to their backs to pray to the Buddhist God Amida Buddha. In the Ono district there are 80 groups of Shishimai or dancers who perform a lion dance with roots based on the Ondake-style dance.
Crafts
Onta Pottery is the name of a type of stoneware pottery made for everyday usage – typically called 'mingei' (folk art or craft) in Japanese. The community is situated in the Hiko mountain range, about 17 kilometres from the centre of Hita City, and is said to have been established in 1705 to make large wares – lidded jars for pickled vegetables and fruit, water crocks, ash burners, and pouring vessels with small spouts – for local farmhouses. At the time potters were themselves farmers, who produced pots during the 'off season' in agriculture. These they fired in a cooperative kiln (kyōdō noborigama).Onta pottery is now produced full-time by ten families in Sarayama, five of whom continue to share and fire an eight chambered climbing kiln. The other five households fire independent climbing kilns of four or five chambers, which they fire approximately six times a year. The potters use clays that they dig locally and obtain natural materials (notably, wood ash, rice straw ash, feldspar, iron oxide and, occasionally, copper) with which to mix their glzes. Sarayama is famous for the 'karausu' clay pounders lining its two streams and powered by the water therein. The fact that the clay pounders prepare only enoujgh clay for two people to work with full-time at the wheel has determined both household structure and the number of houses able to take up pottery in Sarayama.
For anything other than small pots, potters use a kick wheel on which to throw their wares, which they decorate typically with hakeme and tobiganna slipware decoration techniques. In April 1995, the Agency for Cultural Affairs announced the designation of Onta Pottery as an "Important Intangible Cultural Property" in 1995. It should be noted that this designation is for the actual techniques used in making the pottery and not the actual pots themselves. Precisely because the designation is for the process rather than the product, it is regarded as an "intangible" property and is the only stoneware pottery-making process so designated in Japan.
Bamboo Crafts were started in the late 14th century to create baskets for travelling goods salesmen. During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(1600–1868) Beppu thrived as a tourist town and bamboo baskets and goods were used in the daily lives of the local people for everything from cooking to washing in order to meet the demands of the thriving tourist population. The bamboo items soon became a souvenir that tourists purchased to take home and this solidified making Beppu a center for Bamboo crafts production. In 1903 a training center for bamboo workers was established and present-day visitors to Beppu can enjoy learning about the history of bamboo, and hands-on classes at the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center. Festivals using bamboo shoots as candle holders are carried out yearly in the autumn in Usuki, Taketa, and Hita Cities.
Religion
Kunisaki peninsula has been called "Buddah's Village" and many buddhist statues and temples remain. Mankoji Temple which was founded in 1352 is a place for practicing zen meditationMeditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
.
Architecture
The Agency for Cultural Affairs also designates certain areas with groups of traditional buildings for preservation under the "Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings" category in the system for the preservation and utilization of cultural properties. The merchant quarter of Hita City's Mameda Town is one of 83 districts (as of April 1, 2009) throughout the country designated as "Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings". old samurai residences throughout the prefecture are points of architectural interest. Nioza Historical Road in Usuki is also lined with buildings dating back to the 16th century and also in Usuki the Inaba-Family Villa is a former samurai residence open to the public.Arata Isozaki
Arata Isozaki
Arata Isozaki is a Japanese architect from Ōita. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1954. Isozaki worked under Kenzo Tange before establishing his own firm in 1963. He was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in 1986.In 2005, Arata Isozaki founded the Italian branch of his office: Arata Isozaki &...
is a world renowned architect who is from Oita. The former Oita Prefectural Library (now Oita Art Plaza) won an award for architectural design in 1967. Other works of his can be found throughout the prefecture including B-con Plaza in Beppu, Bungo-No-Kuni Information Library, the Audio-Visual Center in Oita City, and Yufu Train Station.
Music
The Martha ArgerichMartha Argerich
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
music festival "Argerich's Meeting Point in Beppu" is an annual event held in Beppu City. Martha Argerich is the General Director of the festival and the event is supported by a large number of volunteers. It takes place over 10 days and includes recitals and also lessons. This international event welcomes music lovers from all over the world to Beppu.
Arts
The Oita-Asian Sculpture Exhibition (see external link below) is a biennial event that takes place in Asaji Town in Bungo-Ono City. This exhibition is carried out to commemorate Oita sculptor Asakura Fumio, and to encourage rising artists throughout Asia. Applicants are accepted from within Japan and from several Asian countries. Exhibition winners are given generous prizes and their works are kept on display at the Asakura Fumio Memorial Museum in Bungo-Ono City.Sports
The sports teams listed below are based in Oita.Football (soccer)
- Oita TrinitaOita Trinitais a J. League Division 2 team. The team name Trinita can be considered either a combination of the English word trinity and Ōita, or the Italian word trinità. The dual meaning expresses the will of the citizens, companies, and local governments to support the team.The team's home town is Ōita...
Basketball
- Oita Heatdevils (BeppuBeppu, Oitais a city located in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, at the west end of Beppu Bay. As of January 1, 2011, the city has an official population of 125,664 and a total area of 125.13 km², with a population density of 977 persons per km²....
)
Volleyball
- Oita Miyoshi Weisse AdlerOita Miyoshi Weisse AdlerOita Miyoshi Weisse Adler was a former men's volleyball team based in Oita city, Oita, Japan. It played in V.League, the top tier of the Japanese volleyball hierarchy.Weisse Adler means "white eagle" in German.-History:...
(Oita cityOita, Oitais the capital city of Ōita Prefecture located on the island of Kyushu, Japan.- Demographics and geography :Ōita is the most populous city in Ōita Prefecture...
)
Futsal
- Vasagey
The Oita International Wheelchair Marathon (see external link below) is a yearly event held in October. This international race gathers wheelchair athletes from all over the world to participate in full and half-marathon racing. It was started in 1981 to commemorate the International Year of Disabled Persons
International Year of Disabled Persons
The year 1981 was proclaimed the International Year of Disabled Persons by the United Nations. It called for a plan of action with an emphasis on equalization of opportunities, rehabilitation and prevention of disabilities...
.
Tourism
Ōita Prefecture is famous for its hot springs, particularly those in and around the city of Beppu, known as the 'hells', or jigokuBeppu, Oita
is a city located in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan, at the west end of Beppu Bay. As of January 1, 2011, the city has an official population of 125,664 and a total area of 125.13 km², with a population density of 977 persons per km²....
. Many of the 'hells' are of tourist interest only and cannot be used as onsen
Onsen
An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...
(notably the Blood Pond Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
(reddish water) and the Oniyama Hell). The city's ryokans
Ryokan (inn)
A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period , when such inns served travelers along Japan's highways. They typically feature tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear yukata and talk with the owner.Ryokan are difficult to find...
and public onsen are amply supplied by the same volcanic source. When Chiba University
Chiba University
is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University.-Faculties:*Letters*Education*Law and Economics*Science...
and Tokyo's Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies compiled a list of prefectures meeting demands for reusable energy, Oita ranked number one with a 25.2% rate of self-sufficiency through the use of geothermal energy and hot spring heat. Visitors particularly relish the effects of burial in steaming hot volcanic sands.
Beppu offers a wide range of cultural experiences, from an annual international music festival, to the unabashed Hihokan Sex Museum, which nevertheless must follow the law and suspend a glass plate above ancient art with frosted areas censoring the overlarge genital depictions.
The elaborate public aquarium "Umi-tamago" on the shoreline outside Beppu features basketballing sea otter
Sea Otter
The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals...
s, performing archer fish, and puzzle-solving octopuses, along with more naturalistic displays of freshwater and marine fish from around the world.
Near the marine park, Mount Takasaki Monkey Park rises steeply from the shoreline. Two distinct troupes of wild macaque
Macaque
The macaques constitute a genus of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. - Description :Aside from humans , the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and, in the case of the barbary macaque, to North Africa...
monkeys make regular visits to the feeding grounds here, which were initially established to entice the monkeys away from raiding the region's fruit crops, a behaviour that brought them into conflict with farmers. The wild macaques ignore the small crowds that gather at these feeding sessions, and may be observed at close quarters.
Beppu is a busy passenger port with regular ferry links through the inland sea to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and several other destinations.
Other attractions of Ōita Prefecture include the Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...
theme park Harmonyland.
Ōita's Mt. Hachimen was 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....
. This annual charity event saw over 30 international acts performing over a June weekend for the pleasure of Japan's music lovers. The natural surroundings make it one of the most picturesque rock festivals in the world. The event has since been discontinued.
Miscellaneous topics
Yamamoto Tatsuo, once governor of the Bank of JapanBank of Japan
is the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chuo, Tokyo.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was founded after the Meiji Restoration...
from 1898 to 1903, was from here.
Media
- Oita Broadcasting SystemOita Broadcasting Systemor OBS is a television company based in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.Famous radio announcer and personality Toshio Nishimura appears on OBS. He is well-known throughout the prefecture and is often referred to by his radio nickname "Bin Bin". He is also known for his English pronunciation...
(OBS) - Television Oita System(TOS)
- Oita Asahi BroadcastingOita Asahi Broadcasting, also known as OAB, is a Japanese broadcast network affiliated with the ANN. Their headquarters are located in Oita Prefecture.-The Headquarters:* 12 Shinkawa-nishi Oita-city, OITA 870-8524 JAPAN* Telephone Number:+81-97-538-6111-History:...
(OAB)
External links
- Official Ōita Prefecture homepage
- Oita City Travel Guide from Wikitravel
- Oita JETs Homepage
- O-net Magazine -An internet magazine with 24 volumes of travel locations for Oita Prefecture
- Oita International Wheelchair Marathon Site
- Oita Asian Sculpture Exhibition 2009 Site
- Oita International Plaza homepage