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83-768: The Kyūdai Main Line ( 久大本線 , Kyūdai-honsen ) is a railway line in Kyushu , Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Kurume Station , Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Station , Ōita in Ōita Prefecture . It is also known as the Yufu Kōgen Line . The line crosses the whole of Kyushu, approximately paralleling the Chikugo River and its tributary

166-573: A Chinese junk with Portuguese merchants on board was driven to Tanegashima. Tanegashima Tokitaka succeeded in reproducing matchlock rifles obtained from the Portuguese. Within a few decades, firearms, then known as tanegashima , were spread across Sengoku Japan . Toyotomi Hideyoshi 's reunification of Japan finalized the Tanegashima clan's status as a senior vassal of the Shimazu clan. It

249-435: A GDP equivalent to that of Iran, the 26th largest country in the world, it is the fourth largest economic zone after the three major metropolitan areas of Tokyo , Osaka , and Nagoya . Kyūshū's economy has a well-balanced industrial structure, ranging from primary industries such as agriculture, to secondary industries such as manufacturing, and tertiary industries such as retail, services, and tourism. Agricultural output in

332-472: A collective name for the southern islands. In the early 8th century, the northern end of the island chain was formally incorporated into the Japanese administrative system. After a rebellion was crushed, Tane Province was established around 702. Tane Province consisted of four districts and covered Tanegashima and Yakushima. Although the tiny province faced financial difficulties from the very beginning, it

415-602: A failed Satsuma invasion of Amami Ōshima in 1493, and two rebellions on Amami Ōshima during the 16th century. The islands were finally conquered by Satsuma during the 1609 Invasion of Ryukyu . The Tokugawa shogunate granted Satsuma the islands in 1624. During the Edo Period, Ryukyuans referred to Satsuma's ships as "Tokara ships". Various polities of the Okinawa Islands were unified as the Ryūkyū Kingdom in 1429,

498-522: A group of Koreans were shipwrecked on Gaja Island , where they found the island half under the control of Satsuma and half under the control of Ryukyu. Gaja Island is only 80 miles from Satsuma's capital at Kagoshima City . The Koreans noted that the Ryukyuans used guns "as advanced as in [Korea]". Other records of activity in the Amami Islands show Shō Toku 's conquest of Kikai Island in 1466,

581-701: A long time. Ryūkyū was considered a land of cannibals and aroused a feeling of dread among surrounding people, from Buddhist monk Enchin who traveled to Tang China in 858 to an informant of the Hyōtō Ryūkyū-koku ki who traveled to Song China in 1243. Later, some Chinese sources used "Great Ryukyu" ( Chinese : 大琉球 ; pinyin : Dà Liúqiú ) for Okinawa and "Lesser Ryukyu" ( Chinese : 小琉球 ; pinyin : Xiǎo Liúqiú ) for Taiwan. Okinawan forms of "Ryūkyū" are Ruuchuu ( ルーチュー ) or Duuchuu ( ドゥーチュー ) in Okinawan and Ruuchuu ( ルーチュー ) in

664-616: A tributary state of Ming Imperial China . The kingdom conquered the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. At its peak, it also subjected the Amami Islands to its rule. In 1609, Shimazu Tadatsune , Lord of Satsuma, invaded the Ryūkyū Kingdom with a fleet of 13 junks and 2,500 samurai , thereby establishing suzerainty over the islands. They faced little opposition from the Ryukyuans, who lacked any significant military capabilities, and who were ordered by King Shō Nei to surrender rather than to suffer

747-517: A wide area of Kyūshū in 997. In response, Dazaifu ordered "Kika Island" ( 貴駕島 , Kikashima ) to arrest the Nanban . This is the first attested use of Kikaigashima , which is often used in subsequent sources. The series of reports suggest that there were groups of people with advanced sailing technology in Amami and that Dazaifu had a stronghold on Kikai Island . In fact, historians hypothesize that

830-609: Is described as a stronghold of the Liberal Democratic Party . Per Japanese census data, the Kyūshū region's population with Ryukyu Islands ( Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures) has experienced a large population decline since around 2000. However, the population decline in total is mild because of the relatively high birth rate of Ryukyuans both within the Ryukyuan lands ( Okinawa and Kagoshima ) and throughout

913-641: Is in operation since September 2022. Kyūshū is also known for its scenic train services, such as the Limited Express Yufuin no Mori and Limited Express Kawasemi Yamasemi. The Kanmon Bridge and Kanmon Roadway Tunnel also connect the island with Honshu, allowing for vehicular transport between the two. The Kyūshū Expressway spans the length of the island, linking the Higashikyushu Expressway and Ibusuki Skyline, connecting major cities such as Fukuoka and Kumamoto along

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996-565: Is separated from Honshu by the Kanmon Straits . Being the nearest island to the Asian continent , historically it is the gateway to Japan. The total area is 36,782.37 km (14,201.75 sq mi) which makes it the 37th largest island in the world. It's slightly larger than Taiwan island 35,808 km (13,826 sq mi). The highest elevation is 1791 meters (5876 feet) on Mount Kujū . The name Kyūshū comes from

1079-405: Is the first attested use of Amami . Articles of the late 7th century give a closer look at the southern islands. In 677, the imperial court gave a banquet to people from Tane Island ( 多禰島 , Tanejima ) . In 679, the imperial court sent a mission to Tane Island. The mission carried some people from the southern islands who were described as the peoples of Tane, Yaku, and Amami ( 阿麻彌 ) in

1162-650: Is widely produced. Besides the volcanic area of the south, there are significant mud hot springs in the northern part of the island, around Beppu . The springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile microorganisms , which are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments. There are two World Natural Heritage sites in Kyushu: Yakushima (registered in 1993) and Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island (registered in 2021). Kyūshū's economy accounts for about 10% of Japan's total, and with

1245-504: The Azuma Kagami state that Ata Tadakage of Satsuma Province fled to Kikai Island ( 貴海島 , Kikaishima ) sometime around 1160. The Azuma Kagami also states that in 1188 Minamoto no Yoritomo , who soon became the shōgun , dispatched troops to pacify Kikai Island ( 貴賀井島 , Kikaishima ) . It was noted that the imperial court objected the military expedition claiming that it was beyond Japan's administration. The Tale of

1328-492: The Engishiki (927), Dazaifu was to offer when they were obtained from the southern islands. The southern islands had strategic importance for Japan because they were on one of the three major routes used by Japanese missions to Tang China (630–840). The 702 mission seems to have been the first to successfully switch from the earlier route via Korea to the southern island route. The missions of 714, 733 and 752 probably took

1411-523: The 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement . Today, numerous issues arise from Okinawan history. Some Ryukyuans and some Japanese feel that people from the Ryukyus are different from the majority Yamato people . Some natives of the Ryukyus claim that the central government is discriminating against the islanders by allowing so many American soldiers to be stationed on bases in Okinawa with a minimal presence on

1494-680: The Amami Islands . An extant map of Japan held by the Hōjō clan describes Amami as a "privately owned district". The Shimazu clan also claimed the rights to the Twelve. In 1227 Shōgun Kujō Yoritsune affirmed Shimazu Tadayoshi 's position as the jitō of the Twelve Islands among others. After the Kamakura shogunate was destroyed, the Shimazu clan increased its rights. In 1364, it claimed

1577-819: The First Sino-Japanese War , China officially abandoned its claims to the Ryukyus. American military control over Okinawa began in 1945 with the establishment of the United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands , which in 1950 became the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands . Also in 1950, the Interim Ryukyus Advisory Council ( 臨時琉球諮詢委員会 , Rinji Ryūkyū Shijun Iinkai )

1660-723: The Kerama Gap (between the Okinawa and Miyako Islands ). The islands beyond the Tokara Strait are characterized by their coral reefs . The Ōsumi and Tokara Islands, the northernmost of the islands, fall under the cultural sphere of the Kyushu region of Japan; local inhabitants speak a variation of the Kagoshima dialect of Japanese. The Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands have a native population collectively called

1743-554: The Kunigami language . An Okinawan man was recorded as having referred to himself as a "Doo Choo man" during Commodore Matthew C. Perry 's visit to the Ryūkyū Kingdom in 1852. From about 1829 until the mid-20th century, the islands' English name was spelled Luchu , Loochoo , Loo-choo , or Lewchew , all pronounced / ˈ l uː tʃ uː / . These spellings were based on the Okinawan form Ruuchuu ( ルーチュー ) , as well as

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1826-770: The Meiji period , when their development was started mainly by people from the Izu Islands south of Tokyo , with the people there speaking the Hachijō language . The islands were held by the United States after the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco concluded the Pacific War . They were returned to Japan under the 1971 Okinawa reversion agreement , with China disputing the Senkaku Islands . Administratively,

1909-537: The Ryukyuan people , named for the former Ryukyu Kingdom (1429–1875) that ruled them. The varied Ryukyuan languages are traditionally spoken on these islands, and the major islands have their own distinct languages. In modern times, the Japanese language has been the primary language of the islands, with the Okinawan Japanese dialect prevalently spoken. The outlying Daitō Islands were uninhabited until

1992-592: The "Country of Liuqiu" ( 流求國 ). They noted that the people were small but pugnacious. The Chinese could not understand the local language and returned to China. In 607, they sent another expedition to trade and brought back one of the islanders. A Japanese embassy was in Luoyang when the expedition returned, and one of the Japanese exclaimed that the islander wore the dress and spoke the language of Yaku Island . The island chain appeared in Japanese written history as Southern Islands ( 南島 , Nantō ) . The first record of

2075-554: The "eighteen islands" of Kawanabe District. In the same year, the clan's head Shimazu Sadahisa gave his son Morohisa properties in Satsuma Province including the Twelve Islands and the "extra five" islands. The latter must be the Amami Islands. The Tanegashima clan came to rule Tanegashima on behalf of the Nagoe family but soon became autonomous. It usually allied with, sometimes submitted itself to, and sometimes antagonized

2158-639: The 12th century, Shimazu Estate expanded to a large portion of the Satsuma and Ōsumi Provinces including Tanegashima. Koremune no Tadahisa , a retainer of the Fujiwara family, was appointed as a steward of Shimazu Estate in 1185. He was then named shugo of Satsuma and Ōsumi (and later Hyūga) Provinces by first shōgun Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1197. He became the founder of the Shimazu clan . Tadahisa lost power when his powerful relative Hiki Yoshikazu

2241-486: The 8th-century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region. The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mount Aso at 1,591 metres (5,220 ft), is on Kyūshū. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs . The most famous of these are in Beppu , on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso in central Kyūshū. The island

2324-516: The Amami Islands were incorporated into a trade network that connected it to Kyūshū, Song China and Goryeo. In fact, the Shōyūki recorded that in the 1020s, local governors of southern Kyūshū presented to the author, a court aristocrat, local specialties of the southern islands including the Chinese fan palm , redwoods, and shells of Green Turban Shell . The Shinsarugakuki , a fictional work written in

2407-471: The Amami Islands; prior to that, Amami-shotō ( 奄美諸島 ) had also been used. The climate of the Ryukyu islands is sub-tropical . It is significantly warmer than the main islands Kyushu , Shikoku and Honshu . There are occasional typhoons during the summer. Winter temperature is mild with optimal clearness of the ocean water. The English and Japanese uses of the term "Ryukyu" differ. In English,

2490-497: The Amami and Okinawa Islands together because in some respects (e.g. from a linguistic point of view) Amami is closer to Okinawa than to Miyako and Yaeyama, but there is no established single-word term for the group since the native population had not felt the need for such a concept. Japanese scholars use "Amami–Okinawa" while American and European scholars use "Northern Ryukyuan". The folklorist Kunio Yanagita and his followers used Nantō ( 南島 , "Southern Islands") . This term

2573-408: The Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands share much cultural heritage, though they are characterized by a great degree of internal diversity as well. There is, however, no good name for the group. The native population do not have their own name, since they do not recognize themselves as a group this size. Ryukyu is the principal candidate because it roughly corresponds to the maximum extent of

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2656-581: The Chinese pronunciation of the characters " 琉球 ", which in Mandarin is Liúqiú . Uchinaa ( 沖縄 ) , Okinawa in Okinawan, is originally a native name for the largest island in the island chain. The island was referred to as Okinawa ( 阿児奈波 ) in the 8th century biography of Jianzhen (唐大和上東征傳). It is also specified as Okinawa ( おきなわ ) in hiragana in the collection of Umuru U Sōshi ( おもろさうし ) , known as Ryukyu's official poetry book. It

2739-590: The Eastern Islands, so he sent expeditions there to find the source of immortality , to no avail. Based on Ryukyuan folklore on Kudaka Island , some scholars believe that these expeditions succeeded in reaching Japan and launched a social and agricultural revolution there. The Eastern Islands are again mentioned as the land of immortals in the Annals of the Han dynasty . In 601, the Chinese sent an expedition to

2822-588: The Heike (13th century) depicted Kikai Island ( 鬼界島 , Kikaishima ) , where Shunkan , Taira no Yasuyori, and Fujiwara no Naritsune were exiled following the Shishigatani Incident of 1177. The island depicted, characterized by sulfur, is identified as Iōjima of the Ōsumi Islands , which is part of Kikai Caldera . Since China's invention of gunpowder made sulfur Japan's major export, Sulfur Island or Iōgashima became another representative of

2905-655: The Higo clan settled in Tanegashima and became the Tanegashima clan . The islands other than Tanegashima were grouped as the Twelve Islands and treated as part of Kawanabe District, Satsuma Province. The Twelve Islands were subdivided into the Near Five ( 口五島 / 端五島 , Kuchigoshima/Hajigoshima ) and the Remote Seven ( 奥七島 , Okunanashima ) . The Near Five consisted of the Ōsumi Islands except Tanegashima while

2988-405: The Japanese emperor's virtue. At the site of Dazaifu , the administrative center of Kyushu, two wooden tags dated in the early 8th century were unearthed in 1984, which read "Amami Island" ( 㭺美嶋 , Amamijima ) and "Iran Island" ( 伊藍嶋 , Iran no Shima ) respectively. The latter seems to correspond to Okinoerabu Island . These tags might have been attached to "red woods", which, according to

3071-613: The Japanese government established the Ryukyu han under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry. In 1875, jurisdiction over the Ryukyus changed from the Foreign Ministry to the Home Ministry. In 1879, the Meiji government announced the annexation of the Ryukyus , establishing it as Okinawa Prefecture and forcing the Ryukyu king to move to Tokyo. When China signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki after its 1895 defeat in

3154-645: The Kusu River near Kurume, and along the Ōita River close to Ōita. It also traverses popular tourist resorts such as Hita (known as Little Kyoto ) and spa resorts around Yufu . In 1915, the Daito Railway Co. opened the 22 km Oita - Onoya section. The company was nationalised in 1922, and westerly extensions were undertaken in stages from 1923 until Amagase was reached in 1933. The Kurume - Chikugoyoshi opened in 1928, and easterly extensions to Amagase opened between 1931 and 1934. CTC signalling

3237-453: The Kyūshū region. In addition, the other prefectures in Kyūshū also have exceptionally high TFRs compared to the rest of Japan. The Ryukyuans are an indigenous minority group in Japan. Parts of Kyūshū have a subtropical climate , particularly Miyazaki Prefecture and Kagoshima Prefecture . Major agricultural products are rice , tea , tobacco , sweet potatoes , and soy ; also, silk

3320-630: The Northern Nansei Islands) in Japanese. The name of Ryūkyū ( 琉球 ) is strongly associated with the Ryukyu Kingdom , a kingdom that originated from the Okinawa Islands and subjugated the Sakishima and Amami Islands. The name is generally considered outdated in Japanese although some entities of Okinawa still bear the name, such as the local national university . FC Ryukyu is the maximum football representative of

3403-663: The Remote Seven corresponded to the Tokara Islands. After the Jōkyū War in 1221, the jitō of Kawanabe District was assumed by the Hōjō Tokusō family. The Tokusō family let its retainer Chikama clan rule Kawanabe District. In 1306, Chikama Tokiie created a set of inheritance documents that made reference to various southern islands. The islands mentioned were not limited to the Twelve but included Amami Ōshima , Kikai Island and Tokunoshima (and possibly Okinoerabu Island ) of

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3486-530: The Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands ( Ōsumi , Tokara and Amami ) and Okinawa Prefecture ( Daitō , Miyako , Yaeyama , Senkaku , Okinawa , Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands ), and Yonaguni as the westernmost). The larger ones are mostly volcanic islands and the smaller mostly coral . The largest is Okinawa Island . The climate of

3569-568: The Ryūkyū Kingdom. However, it is not necessarily considered neutral by the people of Amami, Miyako, and Yaeyama, who were marginalized under the Okinawa-centered kingdom. The Ōsumi Islands are not included because they are culturally part of Kyushu . There is a high degree of confusion in use of Ryukyu in English literature. For example, Encyclopædia Britannica equates the Ryukyu Islands with Japanese Ryūkyū-shotō or Nansei-shotō in

3652-541: The Shimazu clan on mainland Kyūshū. The Tanegashima clan was given Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu Island by Shimazu Motohisa in 1415. In 1436, it was given the Seven Islands of Kawanabe District, Satsuma Province (the Tokara Islands) and other two islands by Shimazu Mochihisa, the head of a branch family. Tanegashima is known in Japanese history for the introduction of European firearms to Japan. Around 1543,

3735-494: The Southern Islanders to the south, as "barbarians". The imperial court brought some of them to the capital to serve the emperor. The New Book of Tang (1060) states at the end of the chapter of Japan that there were three little princes of Yaku ( 邪古 ) , Haya ( 波邪 ) , and Tane ( 多尼 ) . This statement should have been based on a report by Japanese envoys in the early 8th century who would have claimed

3818-658: The Southern Islands is an article of 618 in the Nihonshoki (720) which states that people of Yaku ( 掖玖 , 夜勾 ) followed the Chinese emperor's virtue. In 629, the imperial court dispatched an expedition to Yaku . Yaku in historical sources was not limited to modern-day Yakushima but seems to have covered a broader area of the island chain. In 657, several persons from Tokara ( 都貨邏 , possibly Dvaravati ) arrived at Kyushu, reporting that they had first drifted to Amami Island ( 海見島 , Amamijima ) , which

3901-406: The article of 682. According to the Shoku Nihongi (797), the imperial court dispatched armed officers in 698 to explore the southern islands. As a result, people of Tane, Yaku, Amami and Dokan visited the capital (then Fujiwara-kyō ) to pay tribute in the next year. Historians identify Dokan as Tokunoshima of the Amami Islands. An article of 714 reports that an investigative team returned to

3984-409: The capital, together with people of Amami, Shigaki ( 信覺 ) , and Kumi ( 球美 ) among others. Shigaki should be Ishigaki Island of the Yaeyama Islands. Some identify Kumi as Iriomote Island of the Yaeyama Islands because Komi is an older name for Iriomote. Others consider that Kumi corresponded to Kume Island of the Okinawa Islands. Around this time "Southern Islands" replaced Yaku as

4067-416: The central government lost its interest in the southern islands. The southern islands reappeared in written history at the end of the 10th century. According to the Nihongi ryaku (c. 11th–12th centuries), Dazaifu , the administrative center of Kyushu, reported that the Nanban (southern barbarians) pirates, who were identified as Amami islanders by the Shōyūki (982–1032 for the extant portion), pillaged

4150-438: The definition but limits its scope to the Amami, Okinawa and Sakishima (Miyako and Yaeyama) in the content. " Ryūkyū " is an exonym and is not a self-designation. The word first appeared in the Book of Sui (636). Its obscure description of Liuqiu ( 流求 ) is the source of a never-ending scholarly debate about whether the name referred to Taiwan, Okinawa or both. Nevertheless, the Book of Sui shaped perceptions of Ryūkyū for

4233-413: The direction of the island chain relative to mainland Japan. Some humanities scholars prefer the uncommon term Ryūkyū-ko ( 琉球弧 , "Ryukyu Arc") for the entire island chain. In geology, however, the Ryukyu Arc includes subsurface structures such as the Okinawa Trough and extends to Kyushu. During the American occupation of Amami, the Japanese government objected to the islands being included under

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4316-422: The entire Kyūshū region through the creation of innovation in industry and the promotion of new entrepreneurship and start-ups. Kyūshū is a region with strong economic ties to Asia. For example, Asia accounted for 420 (77.9%) of the 539 overseas expansion cases of Kyūshū-Yamaguchi companies from 2010 to 2019, and Asia accounted for 61.1% of Kyūshū-Yamaguchi's total exports in 2019, 7.4 percentage points higher than

4399-490: The grouping and names used by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard . The islands are listed from north to south where possible. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, another government organization that is responsible for standardization of place names, disagrees with the Japan Coast Guard over some names and their extent, but the two are working on standardization. They agreed on February 15, 2010, to use Amami-guntō ( 奄美群島 ) for

4482-536: The islands are divided between two prefectures : the northern islands, collectively called the Satsunan Islands , are part of Kagoshima Prefecture (specifically Kagoshima District , Kumage Subprefecture / District , and Ōshima Subprefecture / District ), while the southern part of the chain makes up Okinawa Prefecture . The divide is between the Amami and Okinawa Islands , with the Daitō Islands part of Okinawa Prefecture. The Ryukyu islands are commonly divided into two or three primary groups: The following are

4565-420: The islands ranges from humid subtropical climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfa ) in the north to tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af ) in the south. Precipitation is very high and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons . Except the outlying Daitō Islands , the island chain has two major geologic boundaries, the Tokara Strait (between the Tokara and Amami Islands) and

4648-567: The islands", noting that "almost all the voices in China pressing the Okinawa issue are affiliated in some way with the government". Taiwan also claims the Senkaku islands but made it clear on multiple occasions that they will not work with China over the Senkaku Islands dispute. Many popular singers and musical groups come from Okinawa Prefecture. These include the groups Speed and Orange Range , as well as solo singers Namie Amuro and Gackt , among many others. The islands were described by Hayashi Shihei in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu , which

4731-461: The loss of precious lives. After that, the kings of the Ryukyus paid tribute to the Japanese shōgun as well as to the Chinese emperor . During this period, Ryukyu kings were selected by a Japanese clan, unbeknownst to the Chinese, who believed the Ryukyus to be a loyal tributary. In 1655, the tributary relations between Ryukyu and Qing were formally approved by the shogunate. In 1874, the Ryukyus terminated tribute relations with China. In 1872,

4814-515: The mainland. Additionally, there is some discussion of secession from Japan. As the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands intensified in the early 21st century, Chinese Communist Party -backed scholars published essays calling for a reexamination of Japan's sovereignty over the Ryukyus. In 2013 The New York Times described the comments by said scholars as well as military figures as appearing to constitute "a semiofficial campaign in China to question Japanese rule of

4897-482: The mid-11th century, introduced a merchant named Hachirō-mauto, who traveled all the way to the land of the Fushū in the east and to Kika Island ( 貴賀之島 , Kikanoshima ) in the west. The goods he obtained from the southern islands included shells of Green Turban Shell and sulfur . The Shinsarugakuki was not mere fiction; the Golden Hall of Chūson-ji (c. 1124) in northeastern Japan was decorated with tens of thousands of green turban shells. Some articles of 1187 of

4980-433: The name "Ryukyu" in English because they worried that this might mean that the return of the Amami Islands to Japanese control would be delayed until the return of Okinawa. However, the American occupational government on Amami continued to be called the "Provisional Government for the Northern Ryukyu Islands" in English, though it was translated as Rinji Hokubu Nansei-shotō Seichō ( 臨時北部南西諸島政庁 , Provisional Government for

5063-408: The nation as a whole. As the logistics node between Japan and Asia, the ports of Hakata and Kitakyushu handle a large number of international containers. In addition, the number of cruise ship calls in 2019 was 772, with Kyūshū accounting for 26.9% of the nation's total. Kyūshū is noted for various types of porcelain , including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in

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5146-434: The newer Shin-Kanmon Tunnel carrying the San'yō Shinkansen . Railways on the island are operated by the Kyūshū Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company , as well as a variety of smaller companies such as Amagi Railway and Nishitetsu Railway . Kyūshū Shinkansen trains operate between major cities on the island, such as Fukuoka and Kagoshima , with an additional route between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki which

5229-413: The nine ancient provinces of Saikaidō situated on the island: Chikuzen , Chikugo , Hizen , Higo , Buzen , Bungo , Hyūga , Osumi , and Satsuma . Today's Kyūshū Region ( 九州地方 , Kyūshū-chihō ) is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyūshū (which also includes the former Tsushima and Iki as part of Nagasaki), plus Okinawa Prefecture to

5312-430: The north around Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals, automobiles, semiconductors, metal processing, shipbuilding, etc. The island of Tanegashima hosts the Tanegashima Space Center , which is the largest rocket-launch complex in Japan. Kyūshū is linked to the larger island of Honshu by the Kanmon Railway Tunnel , which carries the non- Shinkansen trains of the Kyūshū Railway Company , and

5395-407: The plateau of Kikai Island is one of the largest sites of the era. It lasted from 9th to 13th centuries and at its height from the second half of the 11th to the first half of the 12th century. It was characterized by a near-total absence of the native Kaneku Type pottery, which prevailed in coastal communities. What were found instead were goods imported from mainland Japan, China and Korea. Also found

5478-496: The prefecture in the Japanese football league system and has played as high as the second-tier J2 League . In Japanese, the "Ryukyu Islands" ( 琉球諸島 , Ryūkyū-shotō ) cover only the Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands, while in English it includes the Amami and Daitō Islands. The northern half of the island chain is referred to as the Satsunan ("South of Satsuma ") Islands in Japanese, as opposed to Northern Ryukyu Islands in English. Humanities scholars generally agree that

5561-576: The region amounts to 1.8 trillion yen (20% share of the national total), and the region is a major domestic production center for the automobile and semiconductor industries. Kyūshū also has a thriving healthcare industry, including medical and nursing care, and numerous research and manufacturing facilities in the fields of hydrogen , solar power , and other renewable energies. Furthermore, Fukuoka City , Kitakyushu City and Okinawa Prefecture have been designated as National Strategic Special Zones , which are expected to have an economic ripple effect on

5644-454: The same route. In 754 the Chinese monk Jianzhen managed to reach Japan. His biography Tō Daiwajō Tōseiden (779) makes reference to Akonaha ( 阿兒奈波 ) on the route, which may refer to modern-day Okinawa Island. An article of 754 states that the government repaired mileposts that had originally been set in the southern islands in 735. However, the missions from 777 onward chose another route that directly connected Kyūshū to China. Thereafter

5727-419: The south: Kyūshū has 10.3   percent of the population of Japan. Most of Kyūshū's population is concentrated along the northwest, in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu , with population corridors stretching southwest into Sasebo and Nagasaki and south into Kumamoto and Kagoshima . Except for Oita and Miyazaki , the eastern seaboard shows a general decline in population . Politically, Kyūshū

5810-429: The southern islands. It is noted by scholars that the character representing the first syllable of Kikai changed from ki ( 貴 , noble) to ki ( 鬼 , ogre) from the end of the 12th century to the early 13th century. The literature-based theory that Kikai Island was Japan's trade center of the southern islands is supported by the discovery of the Gusuku Site Complex in 2006. The group of archaeological sites on

5893-451: The term Ryukyu may apply to the entire chain of islands, while in Japanese Ryukyu usually refers only to the islands that were previously part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom after 1624. Nansei-shotō ( 南西諸島 ) is the official name for the whole island chain in Japanese. Japan has used the name on nautical charts since 1907. Based on the Japanese charts, the international chart series uses Nansei Shoto . Nansei literally means "southwest",

5976-592: The top Japanese division of baseball , football (soccer) , basketball or even rugby union . Currently the major teams competing in Kyushu's major cities include: Ryukyu Islands The Ryukyu Islands ( 琉球列島 , Ryūkyū-rettō ) , also known as the Nansei Islands ( 南西諸島 , Nansei-shotō , lit. "Southwest Islands") or the Ryukyu Arc ( 琉球弧 , Ryūkyū-ko ) , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan :

6059-921: The way. There are also many quiet country roads, including popular tourist routes such as the Nichinan coast road and the Aso Panorama Line in Kumamoto Prefecture . Bus services are available and cover 2,400 routes within Kyūshū's cities, connecting many other destinations. Several passenger and car ferry services connect both northern and southern Kyūshū with main port cities on the main island of Honshu (Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo) and Shikoku . Major universities and colleges in Kyūshū: World Heritage Sites in Kyūshū Historically some Kyushu-based sports team has competed in

6142-504: The word "Okinawa" is used to refer to Okinawa Prefecture and does not include Kagoshima Prefecture. (People from the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture object to being included in "Okinawa".) Inside Okinawa Prefecture, "Okinawa" is used to refer to Okinawa Island, and does not include the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. People in the Yaeyama Islands use the expression "go to Okinawa" when they visit Okinawa Island. Some scholars group

6225-475: Was commissioned over the entire line in 1984, and freight services ceased in 1987. In 2012, a landslide disrupted services for 6 weeks. On 5 July 2017, torrential rainfall washed out the bridge over the Oita River between Chikugo Oisha and Teruoka, resulting in the closure of the section. According to the Japanese language Misplaced Pages article, the line was fully re-opened on 14 July 2018. Kyushu In

6308-796: Was formed, which evolved into the Ryukyu Provisional Central Government ( 琉球臨時中央政府 , Ryūkyū Rinji Chūō Seifu ) in 1951. In 1952, the U.S. was formally granted control over Ryukyu Islands south of 29°N latitude, and other Pacific islands, under the San Francisco Peace Treaty between the Allied Powers and Japan. The Ryukyu Provisional Central Government then became the Government of the Ryukyu Islands which existed from 1952 to 1972. Administrative rights reverted to Japan in 1972, under

6391-514: Was maintained until 824 when it was merged into Ōsumi Province . Ancient Japan's commitment to the southern islands is attributed to ideological and strategic factors. Japan applied to herself the Chinese ideology of emperorship that required "barbarian people" who longed for the great virtue of the emperor. Thus Japan treated people on its periphery, i.e., the Emishi to the east and the Hayato and

6474-582: Was not until the 18th century that Okinawa was specified in its own script as 沖縄. The Japanese map series known as the Ryukyu Kuniezu lists the island as Wokinaha Shima ( 悪鬼納嶋 ) in 1644 and Okinawa Shima ( 沖縄嶋 ) after 1702. The name Okinawa Shima was chosen by the Meiji government for the new prefecture when they annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879. Outside of Okinawa Prefecture,

6557-575: Was originally used by the imperial court of Ancient Japan. Yanagita hypothesized that the southern islands were the origin of the Japanese people and preserved many elements that were subsequently lost in Japan. The term is outdated today. The first mention of the islands in Chinese literature occur in the Records of the Grand Historian . Qin Shi Huang heard of "happy immortals" living on

6640-535: Was overthrown in 1203. He lost the positions of shugo and jitō and only regained the posts of shugo of Satsuma Province and jitō of the Satsuma portion of Shimazu Estate. The shugo of Ōsumi Province and jitō of the Ōsumi portion of Shimazu Estate, both of which controlled Tanegashima, were succeeded by the Hōjō clan (especially its Nagoe branch). The Nagoe family sent the Higo clan to rule Ōsumi. A branch family of

6723-486: Was published in 1785. An article in the 1878 edition of the Globe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information describes the islands: Loo-Choo, Lu-Tchu , or Lieu-Kieu , a group of thirty-six islands stretching from Japan to Formosa, in 26°–27°40′ N. lat., 126°10′–129°5′ E. long., and tributary to Japan. The largest, Tsju San ('middle island'), is about 60 miles long and 12 [miles] broad; others are Sannan in

6806-456: Was relocated to Chiran of mainland Kyūshū in 1595. Although it moved back to Tanegashima in 1599, Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu Island fall under the direct control of the Shimazu clan. These islands all constituted Satsuma Domain during the Edo period . The Amami Islands were a focal point for dispute between the southward-expanding Satsuma Domain and the northward-expanding Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1453,

6889-646: Was the Kamuiyaki pottery, which was produced in Tokunoshima from the 11th to 14th centuries. The skewed distribution of Kamuiyaki peaked at Kikai and Tokunoshima suggests that the purpose of Kamuiyaki production was to serve it to Kikai. Around the Hōen era (1135–1141), Tanegashima became part of Shimazu Estate on southern Kyūshū. The Shimazu Estate was said to have established at Shimazu, Hyūga Province in 1020s and dedicated to Kanpaku Fujiwara no Yorimichi . In

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