Nakatsu
| Nakatsu-shi 中 津市 |
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| Geographical location in Japan | |||
| Region : | Kyushu | ||
| Prefecture : | Ōita | ||
| Coordinates : | 33 ° 36 ' N , 131 ° 11' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Surface: | 491.53 km² | ||
| Residents : | 82,875 (October 1, 2019) |
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| Population density : | 169 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Community key : | 44203-8 | ||
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| Flag / coat of arms: |
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| Tree : | Ilex rotunda | ||
| Flower : | Garden chrysanthemum | ||
| town hall | |||
| Address : |
Nakatsu City Hall 14 - 3 , Toyoda-machi Nakatsu -shi Oita 871-8501 |
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| Website URL: | http://www.city-nakatsu.jp/ | ||
| Location of Nakatsu in Oita Prefecture | |||
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Nakatsu ( Japanese 中 津市 , - shi ) is a city in Ōita prefecture in Japan .
geography
Nakatsu is located southeast of Kitakyushu and northwest of the city of Ōita in close proximity to Fukuoka Prefecture .
history
The story of Nakatsu begins with a castle founded by the general Kuroda Josui (also Yoshitaka or Kambei) in 1587 at the mouth of the Yamakuni River as the center of a 16 district fief that Kuroda had received from the "unifier" Toyotomi Hideyoshi . A rapidly growing settlement developed around the castle. A strong Christian population group temporarily lived in this region, so that "Nacatçu" is recorded on a map of Japan published by Christopher Blancus in 1617.
After the Kuroda family, the fiefdom in the province of Buzen was administered by the Hosokawa family from 1600, followed by a branch of the Ogasawara family in 1632 . From 1717 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, it was under the rule of the Okudaira .
In addition to agriculture and fishing, there was brisk trade. For this purpose, the fiefdom maintained a small trading post ( kurayashiki ) in Osaka in addition to the inevitable second residence in Edo . In terms of traffic, the port played an important role as one of the junctions of the Seto Inland Sea .
After 1871 Nakatsu formed a prefecture for a few months, then was added to the adjacent Kokura prefecture. When this passed to Fukuoka Prefecture in 1876 , most of Nakatsu was added to Ōita Prefecture . On April 20, 1929 , today's city was created by merging the castle settlement Nakatsu with surrounding villages. During the 1950s and most recently in 2005, further villages were added. In 2018, 83,024 people lived here. With a total area of 491.53 km², this corresponds to a density of 169 people per km². In addition to a factory owned by the Daihatsu Motor Kyushu Company, there are several small and medium-sized companies in the city's catchment area. Several shopping districts that were once important for the surrounding area are in decline.
The Scottish journalist and scholar James Murdoch (1856–1921), known for his history, lived here temporarily as an English teacher.
Attractions
- The Nakatsu Castle ( 中 津城 ) was until recently owned by the former Okudaira Princely House, who ruled over the Nakatsu fief . Today it is a privately owned museum on the history of the fiefdom. From the tower you have a good view of the city.
Nearby is the house of the Fukuzawa family, who served as samurai for the Okudaira house. From this family came Fukuzawa Yukichi , one of the leading figures in the modernization of Japan in the 19th century and founder of the renowned Keiō University . His services are honored in a neighboring museum.
In the former houses of the doctors' families Ōe and Murakami, which have been converted into museums, objects relating to the centuries-old history of families and health care in the region are on display. The city's history and folklore museum closed in early 2019. Its function is taken over by a newly built history museum.
The Teramachi district (literally: Temple City) offers a stimulating stroll through an ancient street lined with ancient temples, including one where u. a. a statue of the lord of hell Enma is venerated.
The surrounding region around Yabakei was voted one of the "New Three Most Beautiful Landscapes of Japan" in 1915 . Here you can find u. a. the Rakan Temple (Rakan-ji), half built in the rock, with stone sculptures of the Five Hundred Arhat ( arakan ). These are considered to be the oldest surviving arhat sculptures and were therefore declared [Important Cultural Assets of Japan | Important Cultural Assets of Japan] in 2014.
traffic
- Street:
- National road 10 : to Kagoshima or Kitakyushu
- National roads 212, 213, 496, 500
- Railroad:
- JR Nippō Main Line : from Kokura to Ōita; plus an important direct connection from Fukuoka
sons and daughters of the town
- Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835-1901), scholar
- Obata Tokujirō (1842-1905), scholar
- Umezu Yoshijirō (1882–1949), general
- Itozono Wasaburō (1911-2001), painter
- Ono Fuyumi (* 1960), writer
- Matsumuro Mai (* 1983), pop singer, composer
- Masaya Matsumoto (* 1995), football player
