While thekanji used to spellKagoshima (鹿児島) literally mean "deer child island", or "island of the fawn", the source etymology is not clear, and may refer to "cliff" or "sailor" in thelocal dialect.
Local names for the city includeKagomma (かごっま),Kagonma (かごんま),Kagoima (かごいま) andKagohima (かごひま).[2][3]
Kagoshima is located in ancientSatsuma Province and was the center of the territory of theShimazu clan from the lateKamakura period. Kagoshima City developed political and commercial port city in theEdo period (1603–1868) when it became the seat of the Shimazu'sSatsuma Domain, which was one of the most powerful and wealthiest domains in the country throughout the period, and though international trade wasbanned for much of this period, the city remained quite active and prosperous. Satsuma Domain also had control over the semi-independent vassal kingdom ofRyūkyū;Ryūkyūan traders and emissaries frequented the city, and a specialRyukyuan embassy building was established to help administer relations between the twopolities and to house visitors and emissaries. Kagoshima was also a significant center ofChristian activity in Japan prior to theimposition of bans against that religion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The domain was also a center of anti-Tokugawa shogunate sentiment. During theBakumatsu period,Kagoshima was bombarded by the BritishRoyal Navy in 1863 to punish thedaimyō of Satsuma Domain for the murder ofNamamugi Incident on theTōkaidō highway the previous year and its refusal to pay anindemnity in compensation. Many of the leaders of theMeiji restoration and theBoshin War were from Satsuma.
Japan'sIndustrial Revolution is said to have started here, stimulated by the young students' train station. Nineteen young men of Satsuma broke the shogunate'sban on foreign travel, traveling to various industrial locations in the United Kingdom before returning to share the benefits of the best of Western science and technology.[4] A statue was erected outside the train station as a tribute to them.
Kagoshima was also the birthplace ofTōgō Heihachirō. After naval studies inEngland between 1871 and 1878, Togo's role as Chief Admiral of the Grand Fleet of theImperial Japanese Navy in theRusso-Japanese War made him a legend in Japanese military history, and earned him the nickname 'Nelson of the Orient' in Britain. He led the Grand Fleet to two startling victories in 1904 and 1905, completely destroying Russia as a naval power in the East, and thereby contributing to the failedrevolution in Russia in 1905.
The Japanese diplomatSadomitsu Sakoguchi revolutionized Kagoshima's environmental economic plan with his dissertation on water pollution and orange harvesting.
In 1912, the first tram line was established in Kagoshima.
The 1914 eruption of the volcano across the bay from the city spread ash throughout the municipality, but relatively little disruption ensued.[5]
On the night of June 17, 1945, the 314th bombardment wing of the Army Air Corps (120 B-29s) dropped 809.6 tons of incendiary and cluster bombs destroying 2.11 square miles (5.46 km2) of Kagoshima (44.1 percent of the built-up area). Kagoshima was targeted because of its largely expanded naval port as well as its position as a railway terminus. A single B-29 was lost to unknown circumstances. Area bombing was chosen over precision bombing because of the cloudy weather over Japan during the middle of June. The planes were forced to navigate and bomb entirely by radar.[6] Japanese intelligence predicted that theAllied Forces wouldassault Kagoshima and theAriake Bay areas of southern Kyushu to gain naval and air bases to strike Tokyo.
The bombed out ruins of a Kagoshima residential area with Sakurajima in the background, 1 November 1945
The municipality was officially founded on April 1, 1889. It was merged withTaniyama City to inaugurate new Kagoshima City on April 29, 1967. The city was designed acore city with increased local autonomy on April 1, 1996.
Located at the southwestern tip of the island ofKyūshū, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of theEastern world" for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate, and emblematicstratovolcano,Sakurajima. It is situated about 280 kilometers south of Fukuoka City and about 180 kilometers south of Kumamoto City. The city covers the northeastern part of theSatsuma Peninsula and the entire area of Sakurajima. Most of the plains are occupied by commercial, residential, and industrial areas, with almost no cultivated areas. Many of the slopes and mountain areas near the city have been developed into residential areas, with many housing complexes and new towns. However, road development has not kept up with the city's growth, and all major roads are heavily congested in the mornings and evenings. Kagoshima is constantly bombarded by ash from the eruptions of Sakurajima and is at risk of a major volcanic disaster; the residents have developed methods to cope with this including school-children wearing helmets to protect from volcanic debris.
Sakurajima: a volcano in Kagoshima
Urban area around the Kagoshima-Chūō Station with Shinkansen (bullet train)
Kajiyachō Tram Stop with its back to the Kagoshima-Chūō Station Building having Ferris wheel
Tenmonkan shopping arcade
Kagoshima City Hall Main Building
Kotsuki River that runs through Kagoshima City
Kagoshima City Aquarium and Sakurajima Ferry Terminal
An image taken from the International Space Station showing Kagoshima and its surroundings on January 10, 2013
Kagoshima has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa), possessing the highest year average temperature and winter average temperature in mainland Japan. It is marked by mild, relatively dry winters; warm, humid springs; hot, humid summers; and mild, relatively dry autumns.
Climate data for Kagoshima (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1883−present)
Sakurajima Ferry, linking former Sakurajima Town and Kagoshima City (Taken on July 9, 2004)
Sakurajima (桜島町,Sakurajima-chō) is a settlement on Sakurajima island that was previously a municipally distincttown located inKagoshima District,Kagoshima Prefecture,Japan. As of 2003, the town had an estimatedpopulation of 4,504 and adensity of 139.88 persons per km2. The total area was 32.20 km2.
Kagoshima has 79 public elementary schools, 38 public junior high schools, two public high schools and one combined junior/senior high school operated by the city government and 11 public high schools operated by the Kagoshima Prefectural Board of Education. There is one combined national elementary/middle school. There are also 14 private high schools. The prefecture also operates seven special education schools for the handicapped.
Sengan-en Garden, originally a villa belonging to theShimazu clan and is still maintained by descendants today. Outside the garden grounds is a Satsuma "kiriko"cut glass factory where visitors are welcome to view the glass blowing and cutting processes, and the Shoko Shūseikan Museum, which was built in 1865 and registered as a National Historic Site in 1959. The former Shuseikan industrial complex and the former machine factory were submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage as part of a group list titledModern Industrial Heritage Sites in Kyushu and Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Naples Street in Kagoshima
Perth Street in Kagoshima
Miami Street in Kagoshima
Kyogetsu-Tei in Kagoshima commemorating the friendship city relationship with Changsha
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