Kagoshima Prefecture

Kagoshima Prefecture (鹿児島県, Kagoshima-ken) is a prefecture of Japan on the island of Kyushu. The capital city is Kagoshima. History Kagoshima Prefecture is made from the old provinces of Ōsumi and Satsuma, including the northern part of the Ryukyu Islands. During the Sengoku period and Edo period, Ōsumi was controlled by the Shimazu clan of Satsuma. This region played a key role in the Meiji Restoration. Important historical figures from Kagoshima are Saigo Takamori and Tōgō Heihachirō. Timeline 713 (Wadō 6, 3rd month) – Ōsumi Province was separated from Hyūga Province. 1543 (Tenbun 12, 25th day of the 8th month): 1st gun is brought to Japan by the Portuguese 1549 (Tenbun 18, 3rd day of the 7th month): Catholic Francis Xavier arrives in Kagoshima 1914 (Taishō 3, 1st month): Eruption of the Sakurajima volcano 2004 (Heisei 16): Kyushu Shinkansen line opens in Kagoshima Geography Kagoshima borders Kumamoto Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture. It is in the southern part of Kyushu facing the Pacific Ocean. Cities National Parks National Parks are established in about 9% of the total land area of the prefecture. Shrines and Temples Kagoshima jinja, Hirasaki jinja and Nitta Hachiman-gū are the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) in the prefecture. Related pages Provinces of Japan Prefectures of Japan List of regions of Japan List of islands of Japan References Other websites Media related to Kagoshima prefecture at Wikimedia Commons http://www.pref.kagoshima.jp/foreign/english/index.html Archived 2015-06-11 at the Wayback Machine; (in Japanese)