The City wellknown by the women divers, Kokuji-Yaki Pottery and Amber
between Blue Sea and Green Mountain

Kuji City always welcomes Guests from abroad !
Thank you very much for your access to Kuji City Digest! We always welcome our friends from foreign countries. We
have two international sister cities, one is Franklin City (Indiana, U.S.A) since 1960 and one is Klaipeda City(Lithuania) since 1989. Furthermore, Kuji City has welcomed many foreign guests with warm hospitality through theInternational Judo Tournament, the International Children’s Conference, International Amber Festival and many othercultural events. We would like to introduce Kuji City to you, our friends all over the world.

Amber Production
One of the specialities of Kuji City is amber, like theabove-mentioned country. Kuji is the largest manufacturing
district of amber in Japan and has gained world recognition
for its worldwide production and rank within the Northern
Baltic Sea and Dominican Republic. The amber in Kuji City
belongs to the pre-historic period formed between 85 million
and 95 million years ago. Amber contains fossilized insects,
plant life, e.t.c. and provides a significant clue in the global
research of the evolution of pre-historic animals and plants.

Hokugen-no-Ama (Woman Divers)
Kosode Coast (a rias coast) has distinctively beautiful panoramic scenery and isalso well-known for woman divers further north. In the past, they dove to earn
extra money for living expenses while their husbands were out pelagic fishing.
However, it’s now a tourist attraction in this area. A live diving performance isheld yearly from July till September at the Ama Center on the Kosode Coast.

Kokuji-Yaki Pottery
Kokuji-Yaki pottery has a 200-year history and is a symbol of
the traditional art of Kuji City. The traditional method ofholding the pottery art festival, held every May, attracts
many pottery fans from all over Japan. Every individual isgiven the opportunity to have a hands-on experience increating his/her own piece of pottery.

Kyuzo MIFUNE / The Spirit of Judo Overseas
Kyuzo Mifune(1883-1965) was a disciple of the worldwide headquarters of theJudo sect called Kodokan. He was a Judo expert who had devoted his entire life
to the art of Judo. In spite of his small stature(159cm, 55kg). He was awarded
the 10th grade – the highest rank in Kodokan – for his invention of “Kuki-Nage”
which is said to be the work of a God. Due to his extensive contribution in
expanding and internationalizing the art of Judo, the Mifune Judan Memorial
Gymnasium was set up in his memory. Mifune’s accomplishments are theperfect motivation for young Judo athletes. He has shown them that becoming aWorld Champion is an attainable goal with enough hard work and dedication.

Hiraniwa Highland

Amber Hall (Kuji City Cultural Hall)

Hiraniwa Highland is located in thewestern part of Kuji city and theheight is about 1000m. The Highland
is a good recreational zone with skislopes, trekking courses, bull fighting,beef cattle ranch, cottages, a spa, andgood scenery of white birch & azalea.
Hiraniwa is a starting point to thehigh and beautifully traverse coursethat ranges to the highest Toshimamountain（1263m）in Kuji City.

Autumn Festival

The capacity is 1178 seats in the large hall, and351 seats in the small hall. We had theLithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
Concert in 1999.

Industry

Ten thousands of people come to see
the biggest festival in the year.

Traditional Dance wishing to God
for a good harvest of staple grains

Kuji City’s infrastructure continues toindustrialize and develop. The excess
rock and sand dug up by the national
underground oil storage construction
base is used for the construction of
the bay mouth breakwaters and harbors. The shipbuilding factory was set up on the seasideindustry site in 2005. Kuji port has big potential for manufacturing industry, servicing
forwarders, being energy providers and so on.

JapanCity Profile

Iwate Pref.

Hachinohe

KUJI city

Former City of Kuji
As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 36,596. The total area is327.62 km². The city was founded on November 3, 1954. On March 6, 2006, thecity merged with the village of Yamagata from Kunohe District to form the newcity of Kuji.
New City of Kuji
Since the addition to Kuji, the incorporation of surrounding villages in 2006, thecity's population (as of 2008) has grown to 37,569 people. The current total areafor Kuji is 623.14km².
Kuji Municipality Office
Mayor: Takafumi YAMAUCHI
Address: 1-1, Kawasaki-chō, Kuji-city, Iwate-pref.
Zip-code 028-8030
Phone: 0081-194-52-2111
Official Website:
http://www.city.kuji.iwate.jp/