Kagoshima Prefecture corresponds to the ancient Japanese provincesŌsumi andSatsuma, including the northern part of theRyukyu Islands (Satsunan).[5] This region played a key role in theMeiji Restoration (Saigō Takamori), and the city ofKagoshima was an important naval base during Japan's 20th century wars and the home of admiralTōgō Heihachirō.More recent incidents are the sinking of a North Korean spy ship (100 ton class) in 2001 by theCoast Guard, which was later salvaged and exhibited in Tokyo, and the abduction of an office clerk from a Kagoshima beach in 1978 by agents from the same country. This became known only recently under theKoizumi administration.
Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu on theSatsuma Peninsula andŌsumi Peninsula. This prefecture also includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest of Kyushu for a few hundred kilometers. The most important group is theAmami Islands. Surrounded by theEast China Sea to the west,Okinawa Prefecture in the south,Kumamoto Prefecture to the north, andMiyazaki Prefecture to the east, it has 2,632 km (1,635 mi) of coastline (including the 28 islands). It has a bay calledKagoshima Bay (Kinkowan), which is sandwiched by two peninsulas,Satsuma andŌsumi. Its position made it a 'gateway' to Japan at various times in history. While Kyushu has about 13 million people, there are less than 2 million in this prefecture.
The prefecture boasts a chain of active and dormantvolcanoes, including the greatSakurajima, which towers out of the Kagoshima bay oppositeKagoshima city. A steady trickle of smoke and ash emerges from thecaldera, punctuated by louder mini-eruptions on an almost daily basis. On active days in Kagoshima city an umbrella is advisable to ward off the ash. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes. Major eruptions occurred in 1914, when the island mountain spilled enough material to become permanently connected to the mainland, and a lesser eruption in 1960. Volcanic materials in the soil make Sakurajima a source for recorddaikon radishes, roughly the size of abasketball. Many beaches around the Kagoshima Bay are littered with well-worn pumice stones. A crater lake in the southwestern tip of the prefecture, near the spa town ofIbusuki, is home to a rare species of giant eel.
Most of the economic sector is focused in Kagoshima City and the surrounding area, corresponding to the extent of the formerSatsuma Province. The eastern part of the prefecture, the formerŌsumi Province, is mostly rural and shows a general population decline.
The prefecture has strong agricultural roots, which are reflected in its most well-known exports:green tea,sweet potato,radish, Pongeerice,Satsuma ware,Berkshire pork ("kurobuta") and local BlackWagyu beef. Kagoshima prefecture's production ofbonito flakes is second only to that ofShizuoka. In addition, it produces Japan's largest volume of unagi eels. Kagoshima is also the largestbeef-producing andpork-producing prefecture in Japan.
Kagoshima Prefecture has a distinct and rich food culture. The warm weather and diverse environments allow for the agriculture and aquaculture of Kagoshima to thrive. Numerous restaurants around Kagoshima featureSatsuma Province local cuisine. Popular cuisine incorporating local agriculture includesweet potato,kibinago sashimi (silver-striped herring),buri amberjack,kampachi yellowtail, "Black Label Products" such askuro-ushi Wagyu beef,kuro-buta Berkshire pork dishes, andkuro-Satsuma jidori chicken (sometimes served as raw, chickensashimi); smoked eel, keihan, andmiki (fermented rice milk consumed among residents of theAmami Islands).[citation needed]
Satsuma-age, or deep-fried fish cake, comes in great variety in Kagoshima. Though the deep-fried fishcake can be found throughout the country, the Satsuma Domain (modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture) is commonly believed to be the birthplace of the snack. It is said, though, the concept was introduced from the Ryūkyū Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa Prefecture) by Satsuma Lord, Nariakira Shimazu.
There are many types of sweets produced in Kagoshima Prefecture. Kagoshima-based Seika Foods Co., Ltd. (Seika shokuhin kabushiki-kaisha) has produced some of Japan's most popular and timeless sweets such ashyōroku mochiBontan Ame (ボンタンアメ),Satsuma Imo Caramel (さつまいもキャラメル), and green tea-flavored Hyōroku mochi, Minami "shirokuma" shaved ice desserts, etc. Traditional treats outside of Seika Food Co., Ltd. products includekarukan (sweet cakes made from steamed yams and rice flour),jambo-mochi,kokutō brown sugar from the Amami Islands,getanha brown sugar cake, etc.
In 1559, at Kōriyama Hachiman Shrine (郡山八幡神社) in Isa City (伊佐市) a carpenter wrote atop a wooden board "the Shintō Priest of this shrine is too stingy to offer meShōchū (焼酎) showing an early love for the spirits. Kagoshima Prefecture is officially recognized (by the World Trade Organization) as the home to one of the most traditional beverages of Japan,shōchū. In Kagoshima there are 113+ distilleries, producing about 1,500 highly acclaimed brands, placing Kagoshima in the top for production quantity and shipment. While visiting Kagoshima, one may notice labels readingHonkaku-shōchū (本格焼酎).Honkaku-shōchū is a distilled beverage produced with traditional skills using ingredients such as natural spring water, sweet potatoes, locally grown sugar cane, and grains. Varieties ofhonkaku-shōchū includeImo-jōchū (芋焼酎),shōchū distilled from sweet potatoes,Mugi-jōchū (麦焼酎), distilled from barley, andKome-jōchū (米焼酎) distilled from rice. Another type ofshōchū isKokutō-shōchū (黒糖焼酎),shōchū distilled with brown sugar).Shōchū has long gained international favor and has come to be comparable to Bordeaux for wine, Scotch for whiskey, and Cognac for brandy. Also, the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture are the only areas sanctioned to bear the label ofkokutō-shōchū.
Kurozu (黒酢) or black vinegar is another item of the "Black Label Products" of Kagoshima, the other of which isKokutō-shōchū. There are a number ofkurozu farms around Kagoshima, most of which are located around theKirishima area. Mostkurozu farms producekurozu bottled vinegar (fermented for a single year, 2+ years) along with other items such as salad dressing, powders, capsules, spices, candy, etc.Kurozu also comes in different flavors such as grape, orange,ume plum, etc. though the most popular flavor by far is apple. The farms are open to visitations and often offer tours.
Today, Kagoshima is home to a distinctive dialect of Japanese known as Satsugū dialect (薩隅方言,Satsugū Hōgen) orKagoshima dialect (鹿児島弁,Kagoshima-ben; orKagomma-ben), differing from the usualKyushu dialects with its pronunciations of theyotsugana.
For the most part, Satsugū dialect is mutually unintelligible withStandard Japanese,[9] though most Satsugū speakers know both as a result of language standardization in Japan.
Kagoshima Rebnise, a professional basketball team, was founded in 2003 and currently competes in the second division of the nationalB.League.Kagoshima United FC, a football team, was founded in 2014 and competes in theJ3 League. Although no major professional baseball teams are based in the prefecture, a number of Kagoshima's ballparks have hosted the spring training camps ofNippon Professional Baseball teams:
Ibusuki Municipal Ballpark (指宿市営球場), camp home of theKokutesu Swallows
