Wonderful Views & Historical Spots in Scenic Byway Japan

Scenic BywayKyushu-Part 1

Overview -➀ Mountains of Aso Volcano(Aso City, Kumamoto) Q-❾.

➂

➁ Rock Shrine in Kami-Koshiki Shima Island, “Koshiki Daimyojin”. (Satumasendai City, Kagoshima) Q-⓮.

Peace Statue of Nagasaki Memorial Park in Ground
Zero (Nagasaki City, Nagasaki) Q-❸.

1

Contents
1. Welcome to Attractive Kyushu

・・・1

1.1 Kyushu of 7 Prefectures
1.2 How to access Kyushu
1.3 What is Scenic Byway Kyushu?
1.4 Scenic Byways registered in Kyushu
2. Land and Nature in Kyushu

・・・3

2.1 Complicated Geologic Structure of Kyushu
2.2 Relatively Low Mountains in Kyushu
2.3 Islands in Kyushu of 1/3 of whole country
3. Kyushu's Climate from Temperate to Subtropical・・・6

3.1 Three Climate Zones in Kyushu
3.2 Zones of Temperate Plant and Subtropical Plant
4. National Park, Geopark and Ramsar’s Wetland in Kyushu

・・・7

4.1 National Park
4.2 Geopark
4.3 Wetland of Ramsar Convention
5. Global Agricultural Heritage in Kyushu

・・・９

6. World Cultural Heritage in Kyushu

・・・10

6.1 World Cultural Heritage
6.2 UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
7. Kyushu’s Historical Matters that has been leading Japan・・・12

8. Tour Guide of 15 Routes of Scenic Byway Kyushu

・・・16

8.1 Eastern Kyushu in Sunrise.

.

8.2 Northern Kyushu along Genkai Nada Sea.
8.3 Kyushu's westernmost Peninsulas and Islands.
8.4 Mountain Area in Central Kyushu

Gate of Thousand Year (Fukuoka City) Q-❼

Tiered Display of Doll's Festival(Ukiha City, Fukuoka) Q-⓫

1④ Headpiece of Karatsu-Kunchi Festival(Karatsu City, Saga) Q-❼

Note) Shaded Route is inland
type, and other is coastal type.

Scenic Byway Kyushu(NICHINAN)❶ Nichinan Sparkling Coast.

(NIPPO)❷ Nippo Seashore Road.

❸ Nagasaki Sunset Highway.

(NAGASAKI)❻ Kagoshima Scenic Byways.

(KAGOSHIMA)❹ Kitakyushu Hospitality Roads. (KITAKYUSHU)(MUNAKATA)❺ Munakata History Byway.
❼ Genkai Coastal Highway.

(GENKAI)❿ Toyonokuni History Roads.

(TOYONOKUNI)❽ Yamanami Highland Parkway. (YAMANAMI)❾ Aso/Kumamoto Scenic Roads. (ASO/ KUMAMOTO)(MIDORINOSATO)⓫ Minou Foothills Byways.
⓬ Beppu Gulf Area.

(BEPPUWANGAN)⓭ Amakusa Islands Drive.

(AMAKUSA)⓮ North Satsuma Scenic Tour.

(SATSUMA)⓯ Shimabara Peninsula Highway (SHIMABARA)

KyushuSignificant Resources and “Omotenashi” for Scenic Byway Kyushu.
・Various Natures in seashore and mountain.
・Volcanic Activities and Hot Springs Resort.
・Mythical World to trace roots of Japan.
・Ancient Ruins and Historical Heritages in Asia Gateway.
・Regional Dishes (Washoku) of marine and forest products.

Fig.1 Fifteen Scenic Byways of Kyushu Province: Q-❶～⓯.
Table 1 Division of Historical Period in Japan.
*** (a) ***The table 1 is a classification of historical periods in Japan. Many eventsor ruins in the Edo period (1603~1868)and the Meiji period (1858~1912) are
shown in a series of this guidebook.
The Sengoku period (1493-1573) isthe final stage of the Muromachi period, and the Toyotomi period (15821603) is the second half of the AzuchiMomoyama period.
Although the old name of Japan was"WA", our country is called NIPPON(or NIHON) since the 7th century
when the first Yamato regime was established. This period of NIPPON canbe divided roughly to five sections asshown in the right column of Table 1,
too.

CE
B
C

Period(Era)(Myth ages)
Old stone age

Nippon~14000BC
14000BC~
Jomon
Primitive
6th century BC
6th century BC
Yayoi
(WA)
~3rd century
A
D
4
Kofun (Tumulus)
5
Asuka
6
592~710(NIPPON)710~794
Nara
Ancient
10794~1185
Heian
Kamakura1185~1336
Middle15 1336~1573
Muromati
1573~1603 Azutimomoyama
Early& TOYOTOMI
modern1603~1868
Edo (=TOKUGAWA)
20 1868~1912
Meiji
Modern1912~1926
Taishou（WorldWar Ⅱ）
1926~1989
Showa
1989~2019
Heisei21
Present
2019~
Reiwa

Note) Ancient Japanese archipelago etc.
in a wide range was called “WA”.

0*** (b) ***Many words or proper nouns with thesame meaning are used in Japanese, andseveral examples are given in the following table. Also, there are some words inJapanese to have the same pronunciation but different meanings.
EnglishJapanese(Roman alphabet)
mountain Yama San
Take Dake
river
Kawa Gawa
sea
Kai
Nada Umi
island,isle Shima Jima
lake,pond Ike
KotempleTera
Ji
Jiin
shrineJinja
Gu
Jingu Taisha
bridgeHashi Bashi Kyou
town
Machi ChouworriorBushi Samurai
Road in Japan
Japanese
Expressway(Freeway, Motorway)
National Highway
Gaido Kaido
Prefectural road
Municipal road, local road

1. Welcome to Attractive Kyushu

Note

Fig.2 Kyushu in Japan.

Fig.3 Seven Prefectures in Kyushu.

As shown in Fig.4, the framework of transport system in Kyushu
Islands is firmly established on Kyushu Main Island. Kyushu is
far from the capital. Therefore, the airport network in Kyushu was
Looking at the whole country, the Kyushu region is located in theestablished earlier than in other parts of our country. Many
southwestern part of the country, reaching about one-third of the
airports are located throughout Kyushu, and they are closely
islands in Japan, and is composed of about 2360 small islands. In
linked to major international airports of Haneda, Narita, Chubu
addition, the regional organization is shown in Figure 3 and is diand Kansai. Fukuoka International Airport is connected to 24
vided into seven prefectures.
foreign airports, and Kagoshima Airport operates fourAccording to Japanese mythology, two gods descending frominternational flights.
heaven mixed chaos to create the Japanese
As shown in Fig.4, the expressway
archipelago. As shown in Figure 2, Kyushu’s
network goes around Kyushu. The Kamain island is one of them, and the third largest
goshima route of the Kyushu Highisland in Japan. The area is divided into nine
Speed Railway (Kyushu Shinkansen)
states (see Figure 13) , and the entire area
has been operating since in 2011.
including Tsushima and Iki is referred
High-speed boats are regularly"Kyukoku Ni-Tou" (9 states and 2 islands) inoperated between Busan Port in Korea
Japanese. The name “Kyushu” is derived fromand Hakata Port in Fukuoka City. In
this fact.
addition, many international tourists
Kyushu’s climate extends from temperate tovisiting the ports of Kyushu aresubtropical and is blessed with rich nature. The
attracted to the cruise service of luxury
cherry blossoms, symbolizing Japanese flowers,
ships in the East China Sea and the Sea
are in full bloom earlier in spring than otherof Japan.
parts of the country. As you climb the mountain
The travel time from Hakata Stationin the fall, you can see the scenery of coloredin Fukuoka City to Tokyo Station istrees such as yellow and red.
about 5 hours by Shinkansen. The
On the other hand, precipitation varies
flight time between Fukuoka and Togreatly in the southern and northern parts of
kyo is 1 hour 30 minutes, and the jet foil
Kyushu. We suffer from large-scale disasters
Fig.4 Basic Frame of High-speed
ship between Hakata and Busan issuch as volcanic eruptions and typhoons almost
Transport Network in Kyushu.
about 3 hours. On the other hand, theevery year.
However, people have settled in Kyushu for tens of thousands ofyears. And, they have overcome the harsh nature. Civilization has
evolved through the unremitting efforts of the people, taking
advantage of the relationship with the Asian continent and theblessings of nature. As a result, many cultures were borned in
Kyushu and spread throughout Japan. As in Chapter 7, Kyushu
culture is Japanese culture itself. By traveling to Kyushu, you canlearn about Japanese culture, history and customs.

1.1 Kyushu of 7 Prefectures.

1.2 How to access Kyushu.

Two Types of High-Speed Trains for Kagoshima Route of Kyushu Shinkansen.

1travel time between Fukuoka and Seoul is 50 minutes by air and2 hours to Shanghai.
In short, Kyushu is made up of small islands, but it is one of theimportant bases of the air and sea transport network in Japan andAsia. You can easily access and travel around Kyushu, using
Kyushu's transportation system.

1.3 What is Scenic Byway Kyushu?

--- Hospitality Byways and Enjoyable Life Experience --In Kyushu, 15 routes are registered as Scenic Byway Japan, andwhen we put them all otogether, we call them Scenic Byway➄Kajima Cliff of Shimo-Koshiki Island (Satsuma-sendai City) Q-⓮.
Kyushu. The location, extend andscenic spots of each route are defined by
the meaning and use of local resaucessuch as historical heritage, culture,
food, customs, festivals, and naturalscenery (see Table 2) .
Fig.5 shows the basic concept of alandscape route. The purpose of thetrip is an interesting local story andgiven by a tour that expects theFig.5 Concept of Scenic Byway Kyushu
unknown. Attractive sightseeing
Table 2 Scenic Resources in Kyushu
means not only visiting tourist spots, 1 True of nature and environment➅Scenic Coast along Genkai Sea (Fukuoka City) Q-❼.
〇 Sea,Mountain and Field,River,Lake,but also understanding history andNatural phenomena, Nature scene
customs, interacting with locals, and
2 Nature and environment created by people
strengthning the mind and body. This
〇 Terraced rice fields,Hot spring,Planting,Park,etc.
notion of a scenic route contributes
greatly to the importance of the tour 3 Ruins,heritage and history〇 Ancient ruins,Historic heritage,History roadand provides a basic idear of landscape.
〇 Historic cityscape,Traditional building,etc.
〇 Faith, Shrines and Temples, Churches
This guidebook shows you how to〇 Historical story, Legend, Mythology
travel through the scenic byway areas
4 Culture and Civilizationof Kyushu, based on the basic thinking〇 Traditional Culture,Traditional Entertainment〇 Traditional crafts, Festival
above.
〇 Food culture, Reginal productsFirst, Chapters 2 through 4〇 Local valuable buildingssummarize basic information about〇 Scenic inflastructures
the geology, topography, and Nature of 5 Others⑦ Historical Road “Higo Kaido” (Imaichi, Oita City) Q-❽.
〇 Event,Custom,etc.
Kyushu. Next, Chapters 5 through 7
introduce World Heritage and thehistory of Kyushu. These local
resources, scenic spots and stories canbe used in the travel planning of eachroute of the Kyushu Scenic Byway,
which is outlined in Chapter 8.
In Chapter 1 through 7, the serial

numbers (①,②, etc.) are attached to thephotos. Chapter 8 contains photos oftypical spots on each route. It is➇-1 Floats in Hita Gion Festival (Hita City, Oita).

advisable to pay attention to these➇-2 Hakozaki Hachimangu Shrine (Fukuoka City)
Q-❼.

Photo ➀～➇ Typical Local Resources in Network of Scenic Byways Kyushu.

pictures in order to understand each3) The related municipalities reach 1/4 of those in Kyushu andare scattered in all prefectures.
4) Of course, the stunning landscape Nature in areas where
there are significant differences contribute to landscape creation
and route characterization. In addition, lifestyle and history varyfrom route to route, and adding them creates a unique scenic route.
5) The three routes ❽, ❾, and ⓫, pass through mountains,plateaus, valleys, and active volcanoes. 10 routes are provided on
the various islands and peninsulas surrounded by vast scenic sea
and rare rocks.

route.

1.4 Scenic Byways registered in Kyushu.
Table 3 and Figure 6 show all routes in Scenic Byway Kyushu. The
basic information is as follows:
1) The three landscape areas extend to two adjacent prefectures,
while other routes are restricted to one prefecture.
2) The location of each route is classified into four regions, east,
north, central and west of Kyushu (see Figures 6 and 17).
2

Table 3 15 routes of Scenic Byway Kyushu
Q

Name of Scenic Byways

Abbreviation

Prefecture

Related municipalities(City)NICHINAN
MiyazakiMiyazaki,Nitinan,Kushima
日南Oita &
NIPPO
Saeki,Nobeoka
Miyazaki
日豊
Matsuura,Hirado,Saikai,Nagasaki,
NAGASAKI
NagasakiSasa(Town)
長崎
KITAKYUSHU
Fukuoka
Kitakyushu
北九州
MUNAKATA
Fukuoka
Munakata
むなかた
Kagoshima,Ibusuki,Minamisatuma,
KAGOSHIMA
Kagoshima
Makurazaki,Minamikyushu
鹿児島
Fukuoka &GENKAI
Fukuoka,Itoshima,Karatsu,Genkai(Town)
Saga
玄海
YAMANAMI
Oita
Beppu, Yufu,Takeda,Kokonoe
やまなみ
Kumamoto,Aso;Kikuyou(Town),Oozu,Minam
ASO/KUMAMOTO
Kumamoto
ioguni,Oguni,Takamori,Ubuyama,
阿蘇熊本❶ Nichinan Sparkling Coast❷ Nippo Seashore Road
❸ Nagasaki Sunset Highway❹ Kitakyushu Hospitality Roads❺ Munakata History Byway❻ Kagoshima Scenic Byways❼ Genkai Coastal Highway❽ Yamanami Highland Parkway❾ Aso/Kumamoto Scenic Roads

TOYONOKUNI
豊の国❿ Toyonokuni History Road
⓫ Minou Foothills Bayways⓬ Beppu Gulf Area
⓭ Amakusa Islands Tour
⓮ North Satsuma ScenicTour⓯ Shimabara Peninsula Highway

MIDORINOSATO
みどりの里
BEPPUWANGAN
別府湾岸
AMAKUSA天草SATSUMA薩摩SHIMABARA
島原

Fukuoka &Oita

Kitakyushu,Ikuhashi,Buzen,Kanda(Town), Miyako(Town),
Tikujyo(Town), Buzen,Yoshitomi(Town),Kouge(Town),
Nakatsu,Usa

Length ofMain Rout
200
94
280
40
5
192
157
163
76
77
72

Fukuoka

Kurume,Ukiha

Oita

Bungotakada, Kunisaki,Kitsuki, Beppu, Oita,
Hiji(Town)

150

Kumamoto

Kamiamakusa,Amakusa,Reihoku(Town)

142

Kagoshima

Izumi,Akune,Satsumasendai,
Itikikushikino,Hioki,Nagashima(Town)

152

Nagasaki

Shimabara, Unzen, Minami-shmabara

194

Coastal typeInland type6) The length of the main route of the scenic route ranges from
5 km to 280 km, averaging 133 km. They are suitable for short or
midium trips, but you can also connect adjacent routes for longstays and tours.
7) Six landscapes with a main route length of less than 100 km
are a group of small routes. The smallest is "❺ MUNAKATA", andthe other five are 40 to 100 km.
8) The other seven routes are medium-sized with distances
between 100 and 200 km. Among them, "⓮ SATSUMA" includes
a route to the Koshiki-shima Islands that requires a boat ride.
9) The two routes "❶ NICHINAN" and "❸ NAGASAKI" areover 200 km long and are the largest route group of the 15 routes.

Fig.6 Locations of 15 Scenic Byways, Q-➊~⓯.

Av.133(km)⑨ Craters in Kirishima Volcano.

2. Land and Nature in Kyushu
Kyushu. Some important views on the geology of Kyushu can besummarized as follows:〇 As shown in the photo ⑭, the Japan’s geology is divided into
two regions, east and west, due to the large gap in Fossa Magna.
Of course, the geology of Kyushu is given by the west type.
〇 The northern part of Kyushu has old strata.

2.1 Complicated Geologic Structure of Kyushu
The Japanese archipelago was part of the Eurasian continent.
However, when separated from the continent a few 10 million
years ago, the Sea of Japan was formed. The evidence is that
dinosaurs fossils that lived on the continent about 100 million
years ago were found in various places in the northwestern part of⑪ Rocks of several 100 million years ago (Nagasaki City) Q-❸⑩ Column Joint of Basalt (Itoshima City, Fukuoka) Q-❼
3

Fig.7 Geologic Structure of Kyushu.

〇 As shown in Fig. 7, Kyushu has many active volcanoes eventhough it is relatively small islands, and the current Kyushu wasmade by many volcanic activities and land uplifts.

c South Block (Photo ⑨, ⑬, ⑰ and ㉑).
The southern side of Median Tectonic Line spans Oita, Kumamoto
and Kagoshima prefectures, and its geological structure is extremely complex. As shown in Fig.7, the gray belt belonging to theold layer is around the tectonic line and extends to the southwest.
The geology of this zone is rock mass changed by heat and pressure.
Meanwhile additional wedges have been accumulated in the
Pacific area. It is a double layer of old and new, with a reverse fault
between them. The new wedge, called the “Miyazaki Group”,
covers the Miyazaki Plain and the area along Nichinan Seashore(see Fig.7) .
Pyroclastic flows from 100 thousand to 200 thousand years ago
are called "Shirasu" (pumice), and are found mainly in Kagoshima
Prefecture. Since the slopes of Shirasu are susceptible to rainwater flow, rain rifts formed on cliffs are common (see Photo ⑰).

Looking at the geological map of Kyushu with the above features,as shown in Fig.7, the geology is divided into three blocks: north,central, and south. The boundary between the central part and thesouthern part is given by the Median Tectonic Line, and the structural Line of Matsuyama-Imari is the boundary between thenorthern part and the central part.

a North Block (Photos ⑩, ⑫ and ⑪).
The north block is a coastal region of Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures. The mountains are relatively moderate, with
granite and old sedimentary rocks. These are the same as the geological strata of the east end of Asian continent.
An example of an old stratum in this area are basalt with columnar joints, as shown in photos ⑩ and ⑫. In the rough seas of Nagasaki, metamorphic rocks of 400 million years ago can be seenin the form of monsters, as shown in Photo ⑪.
In the northern region, coal beds are also found in many places
and were mined until 2001. There are some places where a heapof coal waste and coal mine shafts remain, some of which are registered as World Industrial Heritage Site.
On the other hand, the red hatched area in the Matsuura Peninsula in Saga Prefecture and the northern part of Nagasaki Prefecture is a landslide area. Many residents were affected by landslides during heavy or long rains.

In short, the stratum of Southern part of Kyusyu is an accretionary prism from the ocean plate, and the northern part is the sameas the old stratum in the Asian continent. The boundary of the
volcano faces the Pacific Ocean and is located diagonally in thecenter. As a result, volcanic eruptions occur frequently, and insome case, evacuation of people around the volcano is inevitable.
These geological conditions present difficult challenges in theconstruction and maintenance of roads and other social facilities.
But apart from that, when driving on expressway and road, youwill encounter amazing mysterious terrain and strange scenes ofrocks. In addition, various hot springs warmed by the heat of the
volcanoes in various places of Kyushu will help you on a healing
trip. Residents enjoy life in Kyushu while avoiding danger.

b Central Block (Photo ➀, ② and ⑤).
The central part is a delta-shaped area from Oita Prefecture to
Nagasaki Prefecture. There are several volcanoes such as Aso, andKuju. Therefore, the ground is mostly covered with volcanic ejecta.
Sand and mud flow into the Ariake Sea through several rivers,
creating fan-shaped plains.

2.2 Relatively Low Mountains in Kyushu.
As shown in Fig.6, the central wide area of Kyushu’s main island
is covered by many mountains called the range of Kyushu
4Table 4. Islands in each Prefecture of Kyushu.
NumberTop 3 Islands in prefecture
Prefectureof Islands
3rd
1st
2nd
62 Ooshima 7
Shikanoshima 6
Nokonoshima 4
FukuokaSaga
55 Madarajima 4
Kakarashima 3
Kabeshima 3
Nagasaki
971 Tsushima 696
Fukuejima 326
Nakadoorijima 168
Kumamoto
178 Amakusa Shimojima Amakusa Kamijima Ooyanojima 30
Oita
109 Himeshima 7
Oonyujima 6
Ooshima 2
Miyazaki
179 Shimauratou 3
Ooshima 2
Tsukishima 0.2
Tanegashima 445
Kagoshima
605 Amami Ooshima 712Yakushima 505
Amami Ooshima, Tsushima, Amakusa Shimojima,
Top 5 in2159
Yakushima, Tanegashima
KyushuNote 1) Both of "Shima"and "Jima" mean an island.
22) Numerical value following the name of island is an area (km )⑮ First Long Span Bridge, Saikai Bashi, in Japan after
the Pacific War (1955, Sasebo City) Q-❸.

⑯ Aso Volcanos in Caldera of World Scale(Kumamoto) Q-❾.

Fig.8

⑰Sirasu Plateau in Seashore Line
(Hioki City, Kagoshima) Q-⓮.

⑲ Oshima Oohashi Bridge (1999. Saikai
City, Nagasaki) Q-❸.

Also, two-thirds of mountains in Kyushu are less than 600m andmany forest roads are in place. If you pass carefully through theactive volcano, you can drive comfortablly through themountains.

Mountains that spread from north to south. In addition, thevolcanoes of Kuju, Aso and Kirishima are surrounding.
On the other hand, in the north, the range of the Chikushi
Mountains without a volcano is not necessarily connected to one,but is divided into several blocks by plains and basins.
The highest mountain in Kyushu is Miyanoura-dake on
Yakushima Island floating in the Nankai Sea in Kagoshima
Prefecture, at an altitude of 1,936m. The second to eighth highest
mountains are also concentrated on Yakushima. For this reason,
Yakushima is called the Sea Alps.
The highest mountain on the main island of Kyushu is Mt.
Nakadake in the Kuju Mountains, which is the ninth at 1,791m.

⑳ Nijino-matsubara (Pine Forest along the Coast of
Genkai-nada Sea) (Karatsu City, Saga) Q-❼.

⑱ Kujukushima Islands which gather more than200. (Sasebo City, Nagasaki) Q-❸.

2.3 Islands in Kyushu of 1/3 of Whole Country.

As mentioned in the section 1.1, one third of the Japanese islands
is concentrated in Kyushu. However, the scale is relatively small,
except for the main islands of Kyushu. Table 4 shows data for eachprefecture. Nagasaki Prefecture has 971 islands, the largest inJapan. Next is 605 islands in
Kagoshima Prefecture.
As shown in Fig.9, several islands
are also found in the eastern sea of
Kyushu, but most are floating on thewest sea. If you follow the myth, it
may be said that many drops ofchaos were blown away by the windfrom the east and fell into the westsea.
Many islands in Kyushu shine asfollows:㉑ Wild Cycad in Toi Cape (Kushima
City, Miyazaki) Q-➊.

5

〇 Tsushima Island in Nagasaki
Prefecture is located at the natinal
border on the Tsushima Strait.
Therefore Tsushima Island has
played an important role as arelay point for cultural exchange
between Japan and the Korean
peninsula. The island culture isheavily influenced not only by
Japanese civilization but also by
Korean culture, and many people
travel between Tsushima and the
Korean Peninsula.
〇 The first gun in our country
was brought to TanegashimaIsland from Europe in the 16th
century. And now a satellite rocket
is launched from the same island.
〇 On the islands of Hirado,
Amakusa and Goto, Christianity
spreads earlier than elsewhere in
Fig.9 Three Type of Climates and Zone of Subtropical Plant
in Kyushu.
Japan, and its religion has been
inherited today.
〇 Until some time ago, several islands in the Goto Sea werehome to offshore coal mines. And some of them are registered as
World Heritage Sites.

㉒ Jomon Sugi (Yaku-Shima Island (Kagoshima ).

European and Asian cultures were first introduced on thewestern islands of Kyushu and then spread throughout thecountry. This is similar to the spread of Minos civilization from
Crete in the Aegean Sea to Ancient Greece.
㉓ Arao Tidal Flats in Ariake Sea (Kumamoto.).

3. Kyushu’s Climate from Temperate to
SubtropicalThe natural diversity of Kyushu is caused by the above three
climates and four different seasons. Therefore, you can enjoy
interesting views every season in various places. In Kyushu,
spring blossoms are in full bloom, fresh green in summer, autumn
leaves in autumn, and sunbeams in winter, while exhibiting thecharacteristics of each region. In addition, snow is piled up in thecentral mountain area at an altitude of 900m or more, so you canenjoy winter sports.

3.1 Three Climate Zones in Kyushu.
In Kyushu, there are the rainy season and typhoons every year,
but there are few big tornadoes and hardly heavy snow. Especially,
the large area of Kyushu is warm.
Looking at the climate, there are basically three patterns. One is
the Pacific side climate (see Fig. 9), which is further subdivided
into two. In the northwest, many winter days are cloudy due to theseasonal winds of the Asian continent. The southeast has many
rainy days in summer, but winter temperatures are slightly
higher than in other areas.
The second is the climate of the Seto Inland Sea in northeastern
Kyushu. It is about the same temperature as the rest of the Pacific.
However, the annual rainfall is 1680 mm (Oita City), which issmaller than the rest of Kyushu.
The third is the climate of Southern Japan. A typical region inthis climate is the Amami-Oshima Islands in Kagoshima
Prefecture where the summer is hot and the winter is warm. In
other words, the average annual temperature in most places in
Kyushu is 16 to 19 degrees Celsius, while Amami-Oshima is about
22 degree Celsius. The annual rainfall reaches 2840 mm.

3.2 Zones of Temperate Plant and Subtropical Plant.

6

Presentative trees in Kyushu are cedar, pine and bamboo. However, due to the climate described above, Kyushu is divided into
the subtropical and the temperate plant areas, and places where
wild subtropical plants grow are limited. Some places are pickedup as follows (see Fig. 9):〇Yakushima Island in the southern part of Kagoshima Prefecture is called an Oriental Galapagos Island, where you can see theJomon-sugi (Japanese cedar), which is said to be more than 3000
years old (see Photo ㉒). The island was listed as a World Natural
Heritage Site in 1993, and its ecosystem has been preserved.

〇 On the Shimabara Peninsula, the Nagasaki Peninsula and the
Amakusa Islands, you will be surprised by the strange appearanceof the Akou tree. This is a subtropical plant and looks like abearded haunted tree.
〇 Yusui-cho Town in Kagoshima Prefecture is the southern-most
tip of Nohanashoubu (progenitor of Iris Ensata) and Higan cherry(early blooming cherry). And Mt. Wanitsuka is the limit of wild
Japanese horseradish.

〇 Aoshima Island in Miyazaki City is the northern limit of palm
trees, and Cape Toi in Kushima City, Miyazaki Prefecture is thenorthern limit of wild cycads and palm trees. Also, many tropicalplants can be seen on the Osumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture.
The warm current of Kuroshio is divided into two in the southernsea of Kagoshima Prefecture. The branched current is the Tsushima warm current, which flows north to reach the Sea of Japan.
As a result, tropical plants are found on some islands and peninsulas in the northwestern part of Kyushu (see Fig.8).
〇 Okinoshima Island in Munakata City, Fukuoka Prefecture is
the northern limit of palm trees. Also, subtropical plants drifted by
the Tsushima Current have been found on the Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Plotting the above view-points on the map, the red-painted areain Figure 9 (Southern area of Nagasaki Prefecture, Kumamoto
Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture, and Miyazaki Prefecture) canbe estimated to be a subtropical plant area. The temperate plantarea is the other part of Kyushu.

4. National Park, Geo-park and Ramsar’s
Wetland in Kyushu
National Park
1

Seto Inland Sea

2

Aso/Kujyu

3West Sea

4

Unzen/Amakusa

5
6

Kirishima/
Kinkouwan
Yakushima isle
Geopark

Shimabara Penin.
G2
Aso Mt.
G3
Oita Himeshima
G4 Oita BungoOono
Sakurajima/
G5
Kinkouwan
G6
Amakusa
Mishima-Mura, Kikai
G7
CalderaG1⓯

Ramsar

R1

Kujyu Bougatsuru
Tadehara Wetland

R2

Imutaike Lake

R3 Nagatahama Beach
R4⓯Main scenic resauces
Q
Mekari Mt,Himeshima isle,❿⓬
Takasaki Mt, Takashima isle
Spectacular caldera❾❽
Aso volcano, Green field❸
Goto isle, Hirado isle
Nagasaki,Kumamoto, Unzen Mt., scenic Archipelago⓭
Kagoshima
Hot spring
Miyazaki Pref
Sakurajima Volcano,Caldera❻
Kagoshima Pref
Bay
Out
er
Yakushima Isle
(World natural heritage)
Location
Main scenic resauces
Q
Shimabara Penin. Unzen Fugendake(Volcano)⓯Aso provinces
Asosan(Volcano), Aso Caldera ❾Hime-Shima Isle
(Obsidian)⓬
Bungo Oono City
Kawakami Valley
Sakurajima Volcano,Kagoshima City❻
Kinkouwan Bay
Amakusa Isls
Goshoura-isle,Fossil⓭
Location

Kanmon strait,
Hoyo Strait
Kumamoto Pref,
Oita Pref
Nagasaki Pref

Mishima Village

Ioujima isle, Ioudake Mt.

Location

Main scenic resauces

Q

Wedlands❽

Kuju Town,
Takeda City

Satsumasendai City Crater lake, low-rise wetlands
Yaku-Shima Isle

Sandy beachArao City

Higata(Tideland)

Arao Higata

Out er⓮Out erR5 Higashiyoka Higata

Saga City

Higata(Tideland)

R6 Hizenkashima Higata

Kashima City

Higata(Tiderand)
Outer=Outer of Map

Fig.10 List of National Park, Geopark and Ramsar’s Wetland.

㉔ “Ozaki District of Tashibunosho” (National Important Cultural Landscape) (Bungotakada City) Q-⓬.

7

㉕ Burning of Aso Grassland Q-❽, ❾.

human health, rest and spirits. It also contributes to ensuringbiodiversity.
There are 32 national parks in Japan, of which six are in Kyushu(see Fig.10). In addition, five parks of them have active volcanoes.

4.1 National Park.
National parks in Japan are regulated by the Natural Parks Law.
Maintaining and using excellent natural landscapes is effective for㉖ Tortoiseshell Dragonfly.

Etu Sashimi.
Mutugoro (Goggle-eyed Goby).
Mategai (Razor Shell).
(Sliced Raw Fish of Japanese Anchovy).
Creatures in Tidal Flat of Ariake Sea.
Mt.Iimori㉗ Imuta Lake (Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima) Q-⓮.

㉘ Sakura-jima seen from Kagoshima City. Q-❻.
World Heritage and its canditates
W o rld Cu ltu re He ritage 1

Fig.11 World Culture Heritages and World Agriculture Heritages in Kyushu.

Industry
Prefecture
City,Town
Q
Me iji Japan 's in du strial re vo lu tio n h e ritage

1 The Imperial Steel Works, Japan Iron & SteelFukuoka

Kitakyushu❹

2 Onga river Pumping Station

FukuokaNakama❹Iron & Steel3 Mietsu Naval Dock
Shipbuilding
Saga
Saga
4 Miike Coal Mine and Miike Port
Coal
Fukuoka
Omuta,Arao
5 Nagasaki Shipyard
Shipbuildimg Nagasaki
Nagasaki❸
Kosuge Slip Dock〃〃〃
Mitsubishi No.3 Dry Dock〃〃〃
Mitsubishi Giant Cantilever Crane〃〃〃
Mitsubishi Former Pattern Shop〃〃〃
Mitsubishi Senshokaku Guest House〃〃〃
Glover House and Office〃〃〃
6 Takashima / Hashima Coal Mine
Coal
NagasakiNagasaki❸Takashima Coal Mine〃〃〃
Hashima Coal Mine〃〃〃
7 Misumi West Port
Coal
KumamotoUki⓭
8 Shuseikan
Shipbuilding
Kagoshima
Kagoshima❻
Old Shuseikan
Iron ・ Steel〃〃〃Terayama Charcoal Kiln〃〃〃
Sekiyoshi Sluice Gate of Yoshino Leat〃〃〃
W o rld Cu ltu re He ritage 2
Sacred Island of O kinoshima and Associated Sites Q
1 Okitsumiya Shrine and Okinoshima Ritual Ruin Fukuoka
Munakata(❺)
2 Nakatsumiya Shrine and Ontakesan Ritual Ruin Fukuoka
Munakata(❺)
3 Hetsumiya Shrine and Shimotakamiya Ritual Rui Fukuoka
Munakata(❺)
4 Shinbaru・Nuyama Mounted Tomb Group
Fukuoka
Fukutsu(❺)
W o rld Cu ltu re He ritage 3
Hidden Christians in Nagasaki & Amakusa
Q
1 Hara Castle Ruins
Nagasaki Minami Shimabara ⓯2 Sacred place and settlement in Hirado (Kasuga
Nagasaki
Hirado❸Settlement & Anman Dake)
Hirado3 Sacred place and Settlement in Hirado(Nakaenoshima Isl Nagasaki❸
4 Sakitsu Settlement of Amakusa
Kumamoto
Amakusa⓭
5 Shitu Settlement of Sotome
NagasakiNagasaki❸
6 Oono Settlement of Sotome
NagasakiNagasaki❸
7 Settlement in Kuroshima Island
Nagasaki
Sasebo❸8 Sttlement in Nozakijima Island
NagasakiOjika Town
9 Settlement in Kashiragashima Island
Nagasaki Shinkamigoto Town
10 Settlement in Kugashima Island
NagaskiGoto
11 Egami Settlement in Narushima Island
Nagaski
Goto（Egami Tenshudou Church and Surroundings）
12 Oura Tenshudou Church
NagasakiNagasaki❸W o rld Agricu ltu re He ritage ( G IAHS)
m ain are a
A Kunisaki Peninsula/Usa
Oita
Kunisaki Pen.
⓬B Aso Mountains
Kumamoto
Aso Caldera❾
C Takatihogo/Shiibayama
MiyazakiTakachihogo

8people moved to Kyushu thousands of years ago together with ricecultivation techniques.
Various migration routes are inferred, the main one being thetidal current route of Tsushima Current and southern Kyushu
route via islands in the South China Sea. However, so far it is notalways clear.
Traces of rice farming during the Yayoi period can be seen in
many places of northern Kyushu, including the Itazuke Site inFukuoka City (Photo ㉙-1) and the Nabatake Site in Karatsu City.

4.2 Geopark.
The purpose of the Geopark is to learn the earth with important
terrain and geology. As shown in Fig.10, seven geoparks areregistered in Kyushu. The Shimabara Peninsula (G1) and Aso
Mountains (G2) Geoparks are certified as UNESCO Global
Geoparks, and the rest are Japan Geoparks.
From 1990 to 1995, many people were sacrificed by the eruptionof Unzen Volcano in Nagasaki Prefecture. To avoid the same tragedy, it is necessary to transmit information about this catastrophic
event from generation to generation. In response to this request,
the Shimabara Peninsula was registered as a UNESCO Global
Geopark in 2009.
Aso Geopark in Kumamoto Prefecture is an active volcano where
hot steam is rising every day and its caldera. Since 50 thousandpeople live in the caldera, it was registered under the theme of"Gaia on Aso Volcano and People’s life".
There are five Japanese Geoparks in Kyushu. One of them is "Sakurajima Volcano and Kinko-wan Bay" in Kagoshima Prefecture,
as an active volcano similar to Mt. Aso. This geopark faces the sea,
and in addition to the volcanoes, boiling water spurts from the bottom of adjacent bay. Citizens live, while seeing the smoke of thesteam every day, but they also suffer from falling volcanic ash
sometimes (see Photo ㉘).

By the way, the vast plains in Kyushu are rarely seen, but there
are many mountainous areas. For this reason, agriculture techniques suitable for the climate of Kyushu, such as rice cultivation,and fields adapted to the terrain were developed.
Recently, forest blessings such as shiitake mushrooms, fruits, andgreen tea have been nurtured. In order to produce high-quality
rice and prevent slope disasters, rice terraces have been devisedfor the area. Highland agriculture such as vegetables and livestock
are also active.
Evaluating the significance of coordinating agriculture and forestry under such harsh terrain and natural conditions, threeplaces in Kyushu have been approved as GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System) (see Fig.11).
A.

4.3 Wetland of Ramsar Convention.

Circulation System of Forestry, Agriculture and Fisheries
in Kunisaki Peninsula & Usa Region (Oita Prefecture).

The Kunisaki Peninsula of Oita Prefecture has many deep
valleys, narrow ridges, and small plains. Not only it is less rainfall
than in other areas, but even long-awaited rainwater quickly
permeates porous volcanic soils.

As shown in Fig. 10, Kyushu has six Ramsar Convention
registration sites. Of these, three tidal flats (R4, R5, and R6) are in
the Ariake Sea with the maximum tidal
range of 6 meters. As tidal flats grow due tothe emission of volcanic ash from rivers,
land reclamation is repeated and passed
down from generation to generation. Whenyou go to a tidal flat or landfill, a little bird
will welcome you.
Meanwhile, the Ariake Sea is a typical
production area of Japanese seaweed. In
addition, rare seafood such as anchovies,
eels, littleneck clams can be tasted at the㉙-1 Moated Settlements and Restored Paddy Field of “Itazuke Ruins” in Yayoi Era (Fukuoka City) Q-❼.
restaurant.
The wetlands of "Kuju-Bogatsuru & Tadewara" (R1)in Oita Prefecture are Japan’s largest intermediate
wetlands surrounded by volcanoes. Both are located at
the foot of the Kuju mountains and spread a plateau
over 1000 meters high.
The Imuta Lake in Satsumasendai City, Kagoshima,
is a volcanic lake surrounded by many small volcanoes.
Bekkou dragonflies designated as an endanered specy
are flying and many peat islands are floating. You can㉙-2 Management System of Takachiho-Go and Shiiba-Yama, Miyazaki Pref.
enjoy the precious nature on the calm lake (photo ㉖ ,㉗) .
In order to overcome these difficult situations, a useful
circulation system for agriculture, forestry and fishery on the
Kunisaki Peninsula has been devised in the past and registeredas a Global Agricultural Heritage.
The Tashibuno-sho district on the Kunisaki Peninsula in
Bungo-Takada City is located along a small river on the east sideof National Route 10. It was a manor of Usa Jingu Shrine in the
About 10 thousand years ago, rice cultivation began in the Hunan
past, and the landscape of paddy fields and village has beenregion of the Yangtze River basin in China. Later, part of Hunan

5. Global Agricultural
Heritage in Kyushu

9place at the beginning of spring. You will be amazed at how theland turns black and then turns into grassy freshness and beautiful green carpets.
In addition, Noyaki (field burning) burns only grass on the surface,
so plant species and small animals in the soil do not burn. Thus,
unlike slash-and-burn agriculture, biodiversity is maintained andpasture is used for a variety of recycling applications, including
livestock feed, compost production, soil conditioners, and biomass
fuels.

maintained since the 15th century. It is now registered as a global
agricultural heritage site, and is also the "important culturallandscape of the country". When you visit it, you can see the oldcountryside scenery where large and small rice fields harmonize.
On the other hand, the management system since the Edo period,in which six agricultural ponds are connected, has been handed
down to Tsunai District in Kunisaki City. This is an idea for using
rainwater as effectively as possible without wasting it.
The culture of "Rokugo-Manzan" developed as a traditional event
related to agriculture is another major feature in this region.
Rokugo is six sanctuaries (villages) on the peninsula, and Manzanmeans the entire set of Usa Jingu Shrine and temples in Rokugo.
In other words, “Rokugo-Manzan” is a unique mountain religious
culture that combines Shinto and Buddhism in six sanctuaries.
Each sanctuary has a pilgrimage mountain temple and Magaibutsu (Buddha Statue carved on rocky cliff), soothing the heart.

C. Agriculture and Forestry System of Takachihogo-Shiibayama
Mountain Area (Miyazaki Prefecture).
Areas such as Takachiho Town and Shiiba Village are located in
the northern part of Miyazaki Prefecture at an altitude of 10001700m.
Due to the harsh natural conditions of these mountainous areas,
circulation management of agriculture and forestry has been devised, and a joint system for forest management and social infrastructure development has been established.
A wonderful patchwork landscape with conifers (dark green) for
production of timber and broad-leaved trees (light green) for production of Shitake mushroom can be seen (see Photo ㉘).

B. Managing Aso Grasslands for Sustainable Agriculture (Kumamoto Prefecture).
The agricultural heritage in the Aso area is the maintenance ofactive volcanoes, large calderas and grasslands around the outerrim. It is a mechanism that keeps grass in the grassland and connects it to agriculture (see Photo ㉕). The vast grasslands cover
22,000 hectares, but the burning of pastures called “Noyaki” takes

6. World Cultural Heritage in Kyushu㉛ Glover’s House (World Heritage, Nagasaki City) Q-❸．
㉚-1 Remains of Coal Mine in Hashima Island, Nagasaki
City (World Heritage) Q-❸.

㉚-2 Old Yahata Iron Works Office Building (1988), Kitakyushu City (World Heritage) Q-❹．

㉜ Shitsu Church (World Heritage, Nagasaki City) Q-❸.

10

modernization of Japanese industries, laying the foundation fortoday's advanced industries (see Photos ㉚ and ㉛) .
〇 Another world cultural heritage in Kyushu is "Sacred Islandof Okinoshima and Asociated Sites in the Munakata Region"
registered in 2017. It consists of three shrines and an ancient
ritual site. In our country, they are regarded as the origin of Shinto.
The region of Munakata City and Fukutsu City located between
Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City is called Munakata Area. In
the past, a powerful local clan ruled the Munakata area andpossessed navigation skills. For safe navigation between Japanand many parts of the Asian continent, the Okitsu-miya (Shrine)

6.1 World Cultural Heritage.

As seeing in the next chapter, Kyushu in the past has been
involved in civil and international wars, and many assets havebeen lost. However, many valuable historical heritages are stillpeserved, and some assets are listed as World Culture Heritage
Sites. The outline is as follows.
〇 One of them is the “site of Meiji Industrial Revolution in
Japan” promoted by steel, shipbuilding and coal mining in the
1850s to the 1910s. In 2015, it was registered as a World Cultural
Heritage. Of the 8 locations and 23 assets selected from across thecountry, 5 locations and 13 assets are selected
Table 5 UNESO Intangible Cultural Heritages in Kyushu.
from Kyushu, accounting for about half.
Name of Festival
Sponsership
Adress
Date
They are shown in the table of Fig.11 and Hakata -Gion-Yamakasa
Kushida Shrine
Fukuoka City, Fukuoka
July
July
relate to steelworks, shipyards, coal mining Tobata-Gion-Ooyamagasa Shrines in Tobata Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka
Karatsu-Kunti
Karatsu Shrine
Karatsu City, Saga
Nov.
plants and machine plants. Since the Meiji era,
Yatsushiro-Myouken-Sai Yatsushiro Shrine Yatshishiro City, Kumamoto
Nov.
various industries in Kyushu have led the Hita-Gion-Yamakasa
Yasaka shrines etc. Hita City, Oita
July

㉝ Ouratenshu-do Church related to the Discovery of Hidden Christians. Q-❸㉞ French Missionary, Marc Marie de Rotz. (Nagasaki). Q-❸

Photo SB
p.22 Q-❼㊲-1 Q-❹
➃
Q-❼
ー
㊲-2
➇-1
ー

㉟ 26 Saints Monument on the Hill of Nishizaka (Nagasaki ) Q-❸.

㊱ Okinotsu-miya of Okinoshima and Hetsu-miya in Tajima district (Munakata Taisha) .Q-❺㊲-1 Huge Lantern Yamagasa in Tobata
Gion Ooyamagasa Festival Q-❹.

㊲-2 Yatsushiro-Myouken-sai
Festival

11

in Okinoshima, the Nakatsu-miya Shrine in Oshima, andthe Hetsu-miya in Tajima area have been built.
Munakata Taisha is a set of these shrines along islands,
and there is no other example in our country (see thephoto ㊱).
The farthest Okino-shima island is an isolated island,
where no one lives, and landing is severely restricted. It is
strictly forbidden to take anything out of the island,
whether it is a stone, a wood or a grass. Therefore many
relics from ancient times remain, some of which areimportant treasures of the country.
〇 Furthermore, “Hidden Christian and Related Heritages in Nagasaki and Amakusa Regions” was registeredas a World Culture Heritage Site in 2018.

Despite the ban on Christianity by the Edo Shogunate, Christianity secretly continued during the Edo period from the 17th to the19th century. In the early Meiji era, the ban on Christianity wasabolished, and Christians were resurrected. Pope Pius IX sent a
letter of joy as an Oriental miracle related to the discovery of a hidden Christian.
This is an extremely important event that cannot be overlooked
not only in Kyushu, but also in the religious history of the world(see photos ㉜, ㉝, ㉞, and ㉟).

6.2 UNESCO’s Intangible Culture Heritage.
As shown in Table 5, five traditional festivals in Kyushu were
designated as UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.
All of them are festivals of the shrine in summer or autumn. The
brave and magnificient parade which "Yamakasa" or floats arecarried by many people is very stirring (see photos ㊲). Of course,
there are many other traditional festivals in Kyushu, some ofwhich are introduced in the scenic route in Chapter 8.
Fig.12 Location of Historical Inheritance except for H and J.

7. Kyushu’s Historical Matters thathas been leading Japan－10 Points of big Historical Events －Fig.13 Nine Provinces in Ancient Ages ――→ Fig.14 Clan System in the Edo Era. —―→ Fig.15 Seven Prefectures in Modern Age.
As a result, as shown in Figure 13, Kyushu was divided intonine states and two islands, which became a prototype of Kyushu’s
local system.
The aristocratic society in the Emperor system wasstrengthened from ancient times to the middle ages. However, inthe 12th century, groups of samurai emerged and repeatedly
fought among clans, communities, or families. As a result, asshown in Fig.14, the feudal system of about 30 lords in Kyushu
was established and kept for about 300 years from the 17th

Despite the harsh nature, many people have been settled in themountains and islands of Kyushu, creating various cultures
depending on local environmental conditiions. Looking at its long
history symbolically, a summary of historical processes can beinterpreted from a regional standpoint as follows:
According to mythology, Kyushu (Chikushi-jima) had four faces(regions). Later, a local administration system were developed inthe 7th century. They was a variety of discipline-based reforms,
such as the Taika’s Renewal in 645.
12

century. If visiting Kyushu, you
can find the ruins of many castles(see Photo ㊽).
After the feudal system
collapsed about 100 years ago,the local autonomy system in
Kyushu was established by seven
prefectures in Fukuoka, Saga,㊳-1 Kirishima Shrine
Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita,(Kirishima City)
Miyazaki, and Kago-shima, as
shown in Fig.15.
The
current
prefectural
bordary depends largely on
topographical conditions such as
rivers and mountain ridges.
Because of this, the modern local㊳-2 Kashii Gu Shrine
system of the seven prefectures is(Fukuoka City) Q-❼.
spatially similar to the ancientones, and most of the territory of
Daimyo during the Edo period ismore fragmented. As a result, thebasic framework for creating
Kyushu culture is thought tohave been based on an ancientregional system.
As we will see later, important
events in Kyushu have always㊴ Udo-Jingu Shrine
been at the forefront of Japanese(Nichtinan City, Miyazaki)
history
becauseoftheQ-❶.
geographical conditions near the
Asian continent. And, it can be said that the civilizations
developed in the seven prefectures of Kyushu had a great
influence on Japanese history (see Figures 12 and 16).
A. Mythical era. Q-❶,❼,❿,⓮ .

Fig.16

Three Kingdoms in Ancient ages of Northern Kyushu. Q-❼.

㊵ Amenosakahoko (spear)on Mt.Takatiho (Border of Miyazaki & Kagoshima Pref.).

㊶ Grave Site in Eno Mt. for NiniginoMikoto (Satsuma-sendai City) Q-⓮.

Household Agency, but the truth is known. (See Photo ㊶).
Certainly, there are many shrines dedicateded to the emperor in
Kyushu, and Shinto of ethnic religion is widespread. You can get a
glimpse of the Shinto beliefs that Japanese people believe byvisiting shrines and watching shrine festivals in various places

The people of Kyushu believe that Japan was created by the god
B. Village Enclosed by Ditch in the Yayoi Period (B.C. 4thof Ninigino-Mikoto, the grandson of the "goddess of the sun". He
Century～A.D. 3rd Century) Q-❼.
has descended from heaven to the top of Takachihono-mine of the
Kirishima volcano on the bounder between Miyazaki andAs mentioned in Chapter 5, rice cultivation was transmitted
Kagoshima prefectures. It is said that a spear was pushed into thefrom Asia to many places in Kyushu. During the Yayoi period,
ground for the peace of ourvillages with moats were constructed in various
country, but it is a posterity
places, and rice cultivation further developed.
product accorded with myth.
In other words, a moat for defense was found(See photos ⑨ and ㊵).
on the Etsuji site in Kasuya Town, Fukuoka. At
This is a Japanese myth thatthe "Itazuke Ruins" in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka
the grandson of the sun
City, settlements with moats and rice fields of thegoddess descended on the
Yayoi era were excavated ( ㉙ -1). At theearth (Tenson Korin). In
Yoshinogari site in Saga Prefecture, a large
particular, Kirishima Shrine invillage with moats in the late Yayoi period was
Kagoshima Prefecture (㊳-1),
restored to its original form ( ㊸ ).
㊷ Gold Seal granted to Nakoku in 57AD. Q-❼．
Usa Jingu Shrine (Page 20) in
C. International Exchange in the Ancient
Oita Prefecture, and Kashii Gu
Age (A.D.1st~3rd Century). Q-❼, ❻.
Shrine in Fukuoka City (㊳-2)
are the main shrines involved
In Shikano-shima, Fukuoka City, a gold seal thatin this myth. In SatsumaEmperor Guangwu of the later Han dynasty
sendai City, southern part ofgave to “Na” kingdom in 57 was found, and is disKyushu, there is the graveyard
played at the Fukuoka City Museum. “Na” wasthat is said to have buried thean old kingdom near Fukuoka City. Therefore,
God of Ninigino-Mikoto, which
this discovery means that diplomatic relations
is protected by the Imperial
between the northern region of Kyushu and㊸ Restored Village of Yoshinogari (Saga Pref.).
China had already been made at that time.
13

In addition, the WA-record of the history of China’s “Sui” includes WA (Japan) around the 3rd century. It describes the names, lives, and customs ofmany kingdoms on the way to the Japanese capital. In particular, the locations of the three kingdoms, “Matsura”,“Ito”, and “Na” in northern part of Kyushu can be almost identified, as shownin Figure16. On the other hand, theleader of Japan at that time was Queen
Himiko, but the location of the capital
has not yet been specified.

City as a festival held for 400 years
and is now a national important intangible culture property. At the Nagoya
Castle Museum in Saga Prefecture,models of castle, large models of battleships, and related materials are displayed (see Photo ㊻).
G. Amakusa･Shimabara Rebellion and Hidden Christians(17th~19th Century). Q-❸, ⓭, ⓯.

In
1549,
Christianity
wasintroduced by the Spanish missionary,Francisco de Xavier, and many
D. Envoys into the Tang Dynasty
Japanese became believers. However,in China in Nara (8th Century)
Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a expulsion
and Heian era (9~12th Century).
order of missionaries in 1587 after theQ-❼,❻.
conquest of Kyushu.
At Hideyoshi’s order, 26 believers
During the 7th to 10th centuries,
were executed at Nishizakano-Oka
Japanese envoys were repeatedly
Hill in Nagasaki City in 1597 (seedispatched to the Tang dynasty via
photo ㉟). This place was chosen
Hakatatsu Port. Their mission was tobecause it resembled the Golgotha
learn Tang's excellent civilizations andhillwhere Christ was executed.
obtain sacred books of Buddhism.
Duringthe Edo period, the ban on
In other words, Kyushu has played
Christianity
was re-ordered in 1612
an important role as a gateway to Asia
and
1613.
For
this reason, Christians
for many years. The proof is the㊺
DefenseWalls
againstMongolianInvasions(Fukuoka)Q-❼.
continued
tohide
their faith underguesthouse "Korokan" of the Nara
unimaginablehardship.
period (8th century). A trace of a
Not only that, farmers on the Shimabara Peninsula were
diplomatic guesthouse was found at Maizuru Park in Fukuoka
heavily taxed and Christians were tortured. The farmers on
City, and a full-scale real model was made. In addition, many relics
Amakusa Island were overestimated for their harvest in the early
are on display at the excavation site’s history museum (see phot
Edo period, were subject to high taxes, and were damaged by㊹).
natural disasters.
E. Mongolian Invasions (1274, 1281) Q-❼, ❸.
Farmers in Amakusa and Shimabara were unable to endure
sufferingand eventually caused riots. This was the first major civil
Despite paying attention to defense, the northern part ofrevolution
in our country, but after more than a year of fighting,
Kyushu was plagued by piracy from Silla in the 8th to 10th
therebellion
was suppressed. Villagers built tombs in various
centuries. In the 13th century of the Kamakura period, ourplaces.
country was invaded twice by the allied forces of the Mongolian
The “Senninzuka” in Photo ㊼ was newly built in 1956 as a
Empire and the Koryo Kingdom.
monument to those who died in the war, regardless of government
During the Mongolian invasion, Japanese warriors (samurai)
forces or rebels. Many tombs are gathered in one place.
fought desperately in northern Kyushu, including Hakata Bay,
After the rebellion, under further pressure, all Christians were beItoshima Peninsula, Imari Bay and others. Also, as shown inlieved to have become Buddhists. However, in Amakusa, ShimaPhoto ㊺, walls for fort were built along the coastline to enhancebara and Nagasaki areas Christianity were secretly kept.
defence, after the first battle.
In Kyushu, it is important to learn the history of serious represIn addition to these efforts, the Mongolian army is said to havesion
and resurrection in the Christian faith, but details can bebeen wiped out by the storm. As evidence, Mongolian warships
foundin the historical novel “Silence” (Shusaku Endo).
sank in the storm were found on Takashima Island, Matsuura
H. Castle Town in the Edo Period. Q-❶∼⓯.
City. Parts of the hull, wooden anchors, ironware, tableware, potThe castle was a building for politics and residence of lord, andtery, etc. were lifted out of the sea and are on display at the Tawas the most important facility in the territory. It was built only
kashima History Museum in Matsuura.
in one place of the territory by the order of the shogunate. The casF. Dispatch to Korea of Military by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
tle town has been set up to protect a castle and territory, and to(16th Century). Q-❼.
develop the region.
As mentioned above, Japan was invaded by Mongolia, but Japan
But the castle was not always the center of the town. For defense,
also attacked the adjacent country. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unithe castle was built on a hill, at the foot of the mountain, or facing
fied Japan in 1590, dispatched troops to the Korea Peninsula
the sea and river. In the plain, the castle was surrounded by moats
twice. The battle, however, ended with the death of Toyotomi Hiand stone walls, as shown in Fig.㊿-2.
deyoshi.
Examining the structure of the castle town, the castle was adjaWhile waiting for the dispatch, the soldiers enjoyed a tug-of-war
cent to the zone of samurai residence, and shopping streets andgame, which has been passed on the Yobuko district of Karatsu
14㊹ Restored Ancient Guesthouse “Koro Kan” (Fukuoka). Q-❼craftsman towns were formed outside it. In addition, many temples
were located on the outskirts of thetown. In short, the castle town wasa land use with the castle at its core.
In the castle, Honmaru-Goten(palace) and Tenshukaku (castle
tower) were main ones, but they are
not left in the Kyushu region. Some
gates, warehouses, stone walls, etc.
remain, and several castle towers
were rebuilt as before (see Photos㊽ and ㊿ -2). Many castles aremaintained as parks, preserving
archeological sites. So, when you
visit, you can at least know their arrangement and scale.

㊻ Prospects toward Korean Peninsula from Nagoya
Castle Trace (Karatsu City) Q-❼.

㊻ Model of Military Vessels of Japan (left)
and Korea (right) in 16th century (Saga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum）Q-❼.

I. Industrial Revolution in
Meiji Era. Q-❹, ❸, ❻, ⓭.

After the samurai society of theEdo period, the Meiji era began,
and Japanese worked on industrial
modernization. As a result, many
modern industrial facilities havebeen built, some of which are now
listed as World Heritage sites (seeChapter 6).

J. Revival from War Damage
after World War II Q-❶~⓯.

㊼ Mound of thousand Martyrs(Amakusa City) Q-⓭.

㊽-1 Castle Tower in Kumamoto
Castle (Kumamoto City) Q-❾.

㊽-2 Castle Tower in Hirado
Castle (Hirado City) Q-❸.
Table 6. Basic Data of Current Kyushu

Prefecture
Capital of Prefecture
Each town in Kyushu was damaged during the Second World
Name
Area
Population
Name
Area
Population
War. In particular, Nagasaki, where the atomic bomb exploded,
Fukuoka
4987
5110
Fukuoka343
1593
lost most of its town (see photos ③ and ㊾) .
Saga
2441
814
Saga
432
234
In such a tragic situation, all towns in Kyushu desperately tried
Nagasaki
4131
1325
Nagasaki
406
411
Kumamoto
7409
1747
Kumamoto390739
to rebuild. And the cities and towns in Kyushu have revived
Oita
6341
1134
Oita
502
478
(photo ㊾ and ㊿). The scenic tour offers views of the rebuilt
Miyazaki
7735
1072
Miyazaki
644
398
town and nature.
Kagoshima
9188
1600
Kagoshima548595
To summarize the current situation in Kyushu, Fig.3 is the
Kyushu
42232
12802
Total
3265
4425
local government system, and Fig.4 is the basic transport
km2
×103 people
in 2019/10
km2
×103 people
in 2019/10
network. In addition, Table 6 shows the current population and (Note) In Kyushu, names of the capital of prefecture and the prefecture are same.
area of each region.
〇 Fukuoka City has a population of 1.6 million, the largest in〇 The economic scale of Kyushu is equivalent to 20th Belgium in
Kyushu, and the fifth in Japan.
the world.
〇 In Fukuoka Prefecture, more than one-third of the population〇 The population of Kyushu is about 13 million, and the populaof
Kyushu lives, and the population density in other prefectures istion density of 308 people / km² is almost the same as Sri Lanka
relatively
small. However, looking at the entire Kyushu area, cities
and the Philippines.
and rural areas are in harmony and people live abundantly.

㊾ Atomic Bomb in Nagasaki㊾ Nagasaaki City destroyed by Atomic Bomb

15

㊾ Revived Nagasaki City

㊿-1 Modern Town in Hakata Station Area in Fukuoka City. Q-❼㊿-2 Kokura Castle surrounded Modern Buildings (Q-❹)

8 Tour Guide of 15 Routes of Scenic Byway Kyushu
Evaluating local resources and the promotion sytem,
15 routes in Kyushu are registered with Scenic
Byway Japan. This chapter gives an overview, but adetailed guide for each route is provided separately.
By the way, based on Nature of Kyushu explained
up to the previous chapter, 15 landscape routes canbe summarized as follows.
(1) Broadly speaking, the 15 routes can be divided
into inland and coastal types. The former is given by
routes Q-❽, ❾ and ⓫, and the Q-❹ route is also
substantially the inland type. Others are coastal, butsome of them require access to the scenic spot by boat.
(2) In vegetation, routes Q- ❶ , ❻ and ⓮ aresubtropical, Q-❸ and ⓯ are mixed, and others aretemperate.
(3) Active volcanoes are directly included in fourroutes Q-❽, ❾, ⓯ and ❻.
In additon to the the above, based on the culture
Fig.17 Brock Division of 15 Routes
Fig.18 Scenic Byways in Eastern Kyushu
and history of Chapters 5 through 7, the 15 routes areflounder in Hiji City is famous, mackerel in the Saganoseki Straitgrouped into 4 blocks: East, North, West and Central, as shown in(Oita City) is popular, and lobster is abundant in the Nippou
Figure 17. Let's take a look at Scenic Byway Kyushu.
coastal area. The Hyuga-Nada Sea is famous for skipjack tuna.
Therefore,
you can fully enjoy local cuisine by traveling the beau8.1 Eastern Kyushu in Sunrise. (Q-❶, ❷,tiful coast, and this is the main theme of the Route Q-❷, in partic⓬, ❿).
ular.
The national route 10 is longest in Kyushu, of which distance from
These four routes are partly parallel to the ancient roads that
Kitakyushu City to Kagoshima City is 527 km, and passes Oita
circulate around Kyushu, and each route has several importantand Miyazaki. Along the national route 10, there are fourancient sites. Among them, Route Q-❶ is in a mythical world,
landscape courses on the east coast of Kyushu: TOYONOKUNI
Route ⓬ is characterized by ancient Buddhist culture, and Route(Q-❿), BEPPUWANGAN (Q-⓬), NIPPO (Q-❷) and NICHINAN
Q-❿ has ruins of ancient provincial capital.
(Q-❶).
The Nippo main line of JR Kyushu Railway runs along National
Q-❶ Nichinan Sparkling Coast. NICHINAＮ
Route 10, and the Higashi Kyushu Expressway along the foot of
Area in Miyazaki Pref.－Unique Coastline, Myth Story,
the mountain circles a scenic area. In other words, there are fourand Tropical Plant.
scenic routes along three main transports, and you can also travel
train or car.
The southern part from Miyazaki City to Kushima City is the sceCertainly, the manufacturing industry in Kitakyushu City andnic route of NICHINAN with three main resources. Firstly, theOita City is making good progress. However, overlooking the enterrain is a highlight under the southern sun along the tropicaltire eastern part of Kyushu, many mountains occupy a vast area,
Nichinan Coast. Traveling along this breathtaking view, you’ll feeland in the four scenic areas, agriculture, livestock, and fisheries
great excitement under the blue sky.
are also active. Taking the sea as an example, Shiroshita’s righteye
16

plateau, “Cape horses and its breeding grounds”, has been a habitat forsemi-wild horses for more than 300
years, and are designated as a special
natural monument.

Q-❷ Nippou Seashore
Road. NIPPOU (Oita andNichinan Coast (Nichinan City)

Ishinami Coast (Kushima City)

Miyazaki Prefectures)-Rias
Coast, Fishery Village, and Experience of Fishing Culture.

The scenic area of “Nippou
Seashore Road” is along the Rias
coast between Nobeoka City andSaiki City, crossing the border
between Oita and Miyazaki
prefectures.
The main route is National Route
388, which runs zigzag along it,
crosses prefectural road 122, and is
supported by the Higashi Kyushu
Aoshima Island and Aoshima Jinjya Shrine ( Miyazaki City)
Expressway. Driving on these roads
gives you all the scenic spots in this area, and you can enjoy thescenery of small fishing villages.
This scenic area is themed on coastal fishing villages and fisheries
with plenty of seafood. In particular, the magnificent lobster festival is held from September to November during the fishing season.
Many tourists can eat lobster and enjoy marine sports and eventsin the background of the quiet bay.
In Kitaura Town of Nobeoka City, a comprehensive marine
park of Himuka Resort Park is prepared, which is called "Umi
Urara". You can spend a vacation with your family or experience
outdoor marine sports.

Q-❶ Nichinan Sparkling Coast.
The second beautiful landscape is a colony of subtropical or tropical plants. Here you can see a variety of colorful passionate flowers.
The mythical world over 1300 years ago is the third. This area
has the mythological world of the ancient history book “Kojiki”,
which describes the land creation, gods, and events in the ancientJapan.
In addition, the southern part of the region is a paradise for wildmonkeys and horses. If advancing south, you can reach Koujima
Island where became famous for the effect of the 100th monkey. A
study of Kyoto University has shown that animals retain civilization. One example is the culture of monkeys, who wash and eat
sweet potatoes.
Cape Toi is located south of National Route 448. Large sandstone
and mudstone are alternately stacked and surrounded by cliffs. Its

Q-❷ Nippou Seashore Road

17

Rafts for Aquaculture (Saeki City)
Hatotsu Coast

Q-⓬ Scenic Byways of Beppu
Gulf Area. BEPPUWANGAN (Oita

Prefecture) -Unique Buddhist Culture,
Hot Spring, and Beppu Bay.

(120,000) is the second. Although
they are adjacent to each other,
the characteristics of urban areas
are very different.
Oita City is the place where
Kokufu (provincial capital) ofancient Bungo Province was
located. During the Sengoku
period, Christianity spread andthe Western civilization was
introduced. Although it is now thecapital of Oita Prefecture, it has
remarkably developed as anindustrial city since the late 1960s.
Beppu City is located on the foot of
the active volcano (Tsurumidake),
and its urban area is known as the
town with the most hot spring wells in
our country.

Aunt Buffet in (Saeki City)

This scenic areas are the coastal area of Beppu Bay and
the Kunisaki Peninsula, which is roughly divided into three zones:
Kunisaki Peninsula, Beppu City, and Oita City. The main roads inthe scenic area are prepared by National Routes 213, 10, 197, and217, including the coastal industory road in Oita City.
Futago Mountain on the Kunisaki Peninsula is an old volcano
with an altitude of 721m. This unique terrain is in the shape of an
inverted bowl with numerous V-shaped valleys.
There are many temples and stone-cliff Buddhas on the peninsula,and mountain religion combining Shinto and Buddhism is widespread. For this reason, visiting temples at the bottom of cliffs andmountain peaks is a Buddhist teaching and encountering theguidance of God.
On the other hand, Oita City has the largest population(480,000) in all municiparities in Oita Prefecture, and Beppu City

Stone Buddha on Roadside (Kunisaki)

Fire Festival of Iwakura Sha Shrine (Kunisaki).

Q-⓬ Scenic Byways of Beppu Gulf Area.

18

Fukiji Oodo built in the Heian period (Bungo Takada)Q-❿ Toyonokuni History Roads.

TOYONOKUNI (Fukuoka and Oita
Prefectures)-Ancient Province, and Nakatsu Kaido Road.

Tokiwa Bridge spans the Murasaki-gawa riverin Kitakyushu City and is the starting point of"Toyonokuni History Roads". The main route is
Nakatsu Kaido Road in the Edo period, being
parallel to National Route 10, passing through 5
cities and 5 towns facing the Suo-Nada Sea, andcrossing Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.
Important scenic spots on this route are Usa
Jingu Shrine itself (Usa City), its associatedComo Shrine (Nakatsu City), and Myoken
Shrine (Kokura Kita-ku in Kitakyushu). Usa
Shrine was founded in 725 and is the head
shrine (Sohongu) of 46,000 shrines nationwide,
and the building for main shrine is a nationaltreasure.
The Como Shrine is said to be the ancestralshrine of Usa Shrine, and a shrine building wasbuilt in the first half of the 9th century, of which

Tokiwa Bridge on the Murasaki RiverQ-❿ Toyonokuni History Roads.
Yukichi Fukuzawa is the founderof Keio University and his portrait isdrawn on a 10000 yen bill. He is themost respected person in Japan, andthe childhood residence is preservedin Nakatsu City.

Usa Jingu Shrine (Usa City)

Metasequoia Forest (Chikujo Town)

Nakatsu Castle (Nakatsu City)

Myouken-gu Shrine (Kitakyushu City)

Shinmon is a double gate with a costume floor and is an important
cultural property of the country.
It is said that Myoken Shrine was founded by the nobleman
Wakeno Kiyomaro. He resolved the false oracle case of Usa Shrine,
saved the crisis of the imperial family, and later worked on therelocation of Heiankyo.
An important scenery in addition to the above-mentioned
shrines is an ancient heritage sites and histrical legacies scatteredalong the Nakatsu Kaido from Myokengu Shrine to Usa Shrine.
There are ancient tombs scattered from Yukuhashi City to Usa
City, and the remains of Buzen Kokufu in Miyako City. In Nakatsu
City, there are another attractions such as the Goganji Temple of
red walls, Nakatsu Castle, and the former home of Yukichi
Fukuzawa.

During the Edo period, Nakatsu
Kaido Road was connected to amountain path to Hita Magistrate's
office, which was under the directcontrol of the Shogunate. This roadwas scenic, but was dangerous due tothe steep cliffs along the river. In otherwords, you can see the beautiful
scenery of Yabakei Valley by going to
Hita via this road (current National
Route 212). But, traffic was extremely
difficult. Unable to let this situation, amonk dug an unlined tunnel withchisels and hammers, which arerefered as "Ao-no-Doumon"(342m),
and it was open for a fee after
completion in 1750. It is said to be theorigin of toll roads in Japan..

8.2 Northern Kyushu along Genkai Nada
Sea (Q-❹, ❺, ❼).
In northern Kyushu, facing the Genkai-nada Sea, people havesettled down since ancient times, and civilization has developed.
Given these facts, the region is rich in historical and regional
resources, within which there are three main points.
〇 In the past, many international exchanges and wars have been
repeated on the stage of the Genkai Sea spread across Japan andAsia. In this sense, the region has a lot of historical heritage andreligious facilities from mythological times to the present. They
include those that are highly valued for international exchange
and progress. In particular, the heritage that created anddeveloped ancient Shinto in connection with Munakata Taisha
19Port on the Nagasaki Kaido Road
Shrine and international exchange is now
in the Edo period. The region also
registered as a World Heritage Site.
〇 Karatsu Kaido Road was on the coast of
played a very important role inmodernizing Japanese industry
northern Kyushu, and always had many
during the Meiji period.
travelers. As mentioned in Chapter 7, in
In other words, this scenic area isancient times, many soldiers were garthereda mix of historical heritage andfrom the east of the country to carry out
modern urban activities, full of
missions to protect the northern part ofvaluable heritage that cannot be
Kyushu. In addition, during the Sengoku
overlooked when discussing Japaperiod, soldiers from all over our country
nese history. Among them, the folgathered at Nagoya Castle in Karatsu andlowing four things can be menwere dispatched to the Korean peninsula. In
tioned especially if you list the atthe Edo period, Daimyos in northern Kyusu
tractions of the city you visit.
went to Edo via Karatsu Kaido. From these, if
Q-⓯
The first is the Kanmon Strait
you follow Karatsu Kaido, you can see manyand the Mojiko Retro area.
archeological sites and artifacts related to these
There is a pedestrian tunnel on
events.
Q-⓯〇 If you are interested in the local industry,
the Kanmon Strait where you cancross the sea floor on foot. The
seeing the coal and steel industry isretro district was a port town
meaningful. During the Meiji period, steel
Fig.19 3 Routes of Scenic Byway in Northern Kyushu.
opened in the Meiji period, and isindustry and shippbuilding were promoted by
now a retro port town with buildintroducing of foreign technology, and local coalings from the Meiji era to the Taisho era (about 100 years ago).
mines were developed accordingly. As shown in Chap.6, some ofthem are now registered as “World Heritage of Industrial
Modernization” .
In northern Kyushu, scenic routes are
set in three areas, but there is no problem
with the transport network. Fukuoka
International Airport, Kitakyushu Airport,
and Hakata International Ship Port areavailable.
All roads and railways from Honshu to
Kyushu must pass through the Kanmon
Strait, but now there are two railway
tunnels, one road tunnel and one roadbridge. Since there are two big cities,
Fukuoka and Kitakyushu, the road andrail transport networks in this area isurban type.
As a result, in the northen part of the
Kyushu region, the road traffic networkand railway network are well developed.
Travelling on scenic routes is convenient,
whether public or private (cars, bicycles,etc.).

Q-❹ Kitakyushu Hospitality
Roads. KITAKYUSHU (Fukuoka

Q-❹ Kitakyushu Hospitality Roads.

Pref.)-World Industrial Heritage in
Meiji Ages, Kokura Castle and Nagasaki Kaido.

Thescenicroute"Kitakyushu
Hospitality Road" is a landscape area from
Kanmon Strait (Moji Ward), the gateway
to Kyushu, to Koyanose Town (Yahatanishi
Ward) upstream of the Onga River. The
Kanmon Strait is a key point oftransportation between Kyushu andHonshu, and was connected to Nagasaki

20

Kanmon Bridge between Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki.

Tenshukaku of Kokura Castle

The second is the center of Kitakyushu City. This is thearea where the modern city was built, although the heritage of old town and the castle remains. The cityscapeadjacent to the city hall and Kokura Castle is symbolizes
this (see Photo ㊿-2).
The third is the sub-center of urban area, Kurosaki area,
which is a factory zone such as a robot factory and steel
mill with world industrial heritage. You can see thewhole town from Mt. Sarakura at an altitude of 662m.
The fourth is the Koyanose-juku (post-town), where
Onga River Water Transportation, Karatsu Kaido andNagasaki Kaido intersect. It is an old town of 100 to 200
years old.

Q-❺ Munakata Historic Byway. MU-

NAKATA (Fukuoka Pref.) －History Road (Kar-

Koyanose Post-Town (Kitakyushu City). .

Q-❺Munakata Historic Byway

Okinoshima Island and Munakata Shrine (World Cultural Heritage)

atsu Kaido), Town of white Wall, and Walking ofRestful Street.

The “ Historic Byway in Munakata Area” basicallyconsists of two old towns, Akama-juku (post town) andHaru-machi (town). This scenic route is about 5km longand is a convenient scale to explore the city walking.
Hideyoshi Toyotomi achieved the reunification ofJapan at the end of the 16th century, and dispatchedtroops from Nagoya Castle in Karatsu to the Korean
Peninsula. Therefore, he taraveled along the Karatsu
Kaido Road with his subordinates (Sengoku Daimyo) to
Nagoya Castle, but some of their footprints remain. (Note: Nagoya
Castle in Karatsu is different from the one in Aichi Prefecture).
Under the "Sankin-Kotai" system, which attends the Edo Shogunate every other year, many daimyos in northern Kyushu traveled along this section of the Karatsu Kaido Road. In addition,
during the anti-shogunate campaign in the end of Edo period andAkama-juku (post-town)

Street Lamp of Harumachi.

the coup of political groups in the early Meiji era, many
revolutionists stayed in Akama-juku and exchanged information
with each other.
In short, this historic Karatsu Kaido Road, linking the northern
Kyushu and the capital of Honshu, is a witness to history withsignificant events in Japan, and still has traces and monuments.
In addition, the World Heritage Site, "Sacred Island of Okinoshima and its related Heritages" is a 15-minute drive from thisscenic area. As introduced in Chapter 6, it is important as theorigin of Shinto and is a folk religion inherent in Japan. Please do
not miss such a good opportunity.

Harumachi Old Town (Munakata City).

21

Q-❼ Genkai Coastal Highway. GENKAI (Fukuoka andSaga Prefectures)－Historic Region since Ancient Ages, Gateway to Asia, Scenic Nature facing
to Genkai Nada Sea.
As mentioned in Chapter 7, theregions along the Genkai-nada Sea are
the three ancient kingdoms, Matsura,
Ito, and Na. In modern times, it iscomposed of four municiparities:
Fukuoka, Itoshima, Karatsu, andGenkai .
Hakozaki-gu Shrine (Fukuoka City).
One of the scenic resources of thisroute area is the old geological strata and roughseas in Genkai-nada Sea. The beautiful coastal
drive offers many rare rocks and spectacular
views.
The other is the culture and civilization
brought to the gateway of the Asian Continent.
Japan’s envoys to the Sui and Tang dynasties ofChina have necessarily passed through this area
due to geographical conditions. As a result, many
arts, religions, medicine, science, and foodcultures from all over Asia have been brought toKyushu earlier than anywhere else.
The people of Kyushu have experienced not
only good things but also unfortunate events. The
northern part of Kyushu was at the forefront of
national defense in the 6th and the 7th centuries,
but soldiers from all over the country performed
their duties. Many poems in Japan’s oldest
collection of poems, Manyoshu (founded in the
middle of the 8th century), convey the harshenvironment of those days. Stone monuments
engraving these poems are built in the northernpart of Kyushu as well as in the southern part.
Later, stone and sand walls were constructedalong the coast at that time to protect against

Mongolia invasions in 1274 and 1281. Someof them remain along the former coast line
(see photo ㊺).
Along the Karatsu Kaido, in addition to thecastle towns of Fukuoka and Karatsu, there
are several old towns with Edo period atmosphere, such as Akama, Hakozaki, Meinohama and Maebaru. By visiting them, you
can enjoy each unique culture, historical cityscape and so on.
Also, once a year, there are several uniqueand wonderful festivals in the Genkai

A city in Fukuoka facing Hakata Bay

Q-❼ Genkai Coastal Highway

Kazariyama in Hakata Yamakasa
Festival.

View from the Top of Kagami Yama Mt. (Karatsu City).

Karatsu Castle (Karatsu City)
Myobaru Square mound for Queen of ItoKoku (Itoshima City).

22

coastal region. In particular, Hakata Gion Yamakasa in Fukuoka
City, Tobata Gion Oyamakasa in Kitakyushu City, and Karatsu
Kunchi in Karatsu City are registered as UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage. To visit, ask the organizing committee orthe tourism department of the city hall for the schedule and location of the festival.

8.3 Peninsulas and Islands in the mostWest Kyushu (Q-❸,⓯,⓭, ⓮, ❻).
In general, West Kyushu is an area from Fukuoka to Kagoshima
via Kumamoto, along National Route 3. However, Nagasaki
Peninsula and Amakusa Island are further west of Ariake Sea
and Yatsushiro Sea. Therefore, these areas that lead to theSatsuma Peninsula are at the westernmost end of Kyuhsu, andthere are five scenic routes in this area (see Figure 20). That is,among them you can see the last sunset that really falls on thehorizon. The sun is red, illuminates the horizon, and the silouettesof the buildings and long bridges are stunning.
Since the warm Tsushima Current is offshore of this area, you
can see subtropical plants such as banyan trees (Akou) and palm
trees on the roadside, and enjoy various tropical atmosphere.
Buddhism and Christianity were introduced to Japan along with
Western civilization through voyages and the warm ocean currents. But the introduction of new religions has always been disastrous.
In the early days of the introduction of Christianity, 26 saints were
executed on the Nishisakano-Oka Hill in Nagasaki City. In Amakusa and Shimabara, Christian peasants rebelled but failed.
Since then, many Christians have been checked by stepping on
the picture of Christ to prove that they are not Christians. Becauseof these, Christians continued to hide on the west coast islands andpeninsulas, but their suffering was enormous.
Mewanwhile, Buddhist Jodo Shinshu was also banned in thesouthern Kyushu during the Edo period. For this reason, believers
hid in caves and prayed, but the caves remain in several places insouthwest Kyushu.
If you are interested in the sufferings of these religions, travelingto Nishikyushu means visiting sacred places and churches. It may
be comparable to a pilgrimage trip to Santiago de Compostela innorthern Spain.

Fig.20 Five Scenic Byways in the most Western Region in
Kyushu.

From the 17th century to 19th century (Edo period), the shogunate declared an isolated country and banned travel and trade withforeign countries. Under these conditions, our country officially approved only trade between the Netherlands and China at Nagasaki Port.
As a result, local civilization developed in the Nagasaki region.
The “Nagasaki Sunset Highway” was built using these uniquelandscape resources. In other words, this scenic area extends from
Matsuura City and Hirado City in the northern part of Nagasaki
Prefecture to the southern part of Nagasaki City via the Nishisonogi Peninsula.
The main route of the "Nagasaki Sunset Highway" is National
Route 204, 202 and 489, which extend from the north side of
Saikai National Park to the south.
The scenic spots of the “Nagasaki Sunset Highway” can be broadly
divided into four zones: Matsuura/Hirado, Sasebo, Nishisonogi,
and Nagasaki. All zones are islands or peninsulas, and have threeimportant content, sunsets behind countless islands and horizon,
world heritage of hidden Christians and related heritage, and theworld’s industrial modernization heritage.
The first landscape resources are sunset and countless islands.
Looking at the sunset on the western edge of Kyushu Island, thesun setting on the horizon grew redish, and everyone stopped andQ-❸ Nagasaki Sunset Highway. NAGASAKI(Nagasaki Prefecture.)-Hidden Christian, Sunset
Road, and Long Bridge.

Theme Park, Huis Ten Bosch (Sasebo City).

St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church. (Hirado City).

23

Lanthanum Festival in Chinatown.

wished for happiness. At your feet, you will be amazedby the hordes of islands. There are 48 islands the Iroha
Islands in Imari Bay, 208 islands of the Kujuku Islands
in Sasebo, about 120 islands in the Amakusa Islands,
and about 140 islands on the Goto Islands. Smallislands that may seem like chldren of the earth may
seem to be rushing from offshore to the coast.
Since the introduction of Christianity on Hirado Island in the 16th century, Christianity was spreadthroughout the region. However, the Edo Shogunate
promulgated a ban on Christianity. People were forced
to step on the picture of Christ to reveal that they were
not Christians. Sometimes, they were tortured tochange religion. Because of this, during the 300 yearsof the Edo period, their religion was kept secret andlater called “hidden Christians”.
In the Meiji period (1873), the ban on Christianity was
officially lifted, Christianity was revived, and manychurches were built. Relics left behind by hidden Christians, objects of worship, and churches built by resurrection were listed as World Cultural Heritage in 2018.
The third is the “Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution
Heritage” , which was actively operated from the 1850s
to the 1910s and included coal mining, shipbuilding
and steel industries. There are eight assets in the
Nagasaki area, which make up one-third of Japan's 23
assets in the whole country.
In Sasebo City, heavy industry developed in naval
port, and shipyards were built in Koyagi Town
(Nagasaki City) and Saikai City after the war.
Recently, there are also the promotion of new challengesuch as large theme park.

Houki Kyoukai Church（Hirado） City)

Japanese Navyof Matsuura
Party in the
1500’s.

Sunset over the horizon (Nishi Sonogi
Peninsula).

Q-❸ Nagasaki Sunset Highway
The Shimabara Peninsula, which is part of Unzen Amakusa
National Park, was certified as a Global Geopark based on Unzen
Volcano in 2009.

Q-⓯ Shimabara Peninsula Scenic Highway.

SHIMABARA (Nagasaki Pref.)-Unzen Volcanic Area
Geopark, and Rebellion in Shimabara & Amakusa.
One of a pair of peninsulas in the southern part of Nagasaki Prefecture is the Shimabara Peninsula, an important spot of which isUnzen Active Volcano. The peninsula is 150 km long, and 40 km
wide, and its scenic byway is called the “Umi-Yama Scenic Highway in the Shimabara Peninsula”.
The main route is made up of three National Routes 57, 251, and389, that surround the scenic area. Disaster prevention roads andprefectural roads complement them.
For the public transportation, the Shimabara Railway is available
between JR Isahaya Station and Shimabara Port. A bus route network is also established along major road.
Main landscape resources of the Shimabara Peninsula are active
volcanoes, “life in harmony with volcanoes”, three types of hot
springs, and the history of Christian suffering.
Millions of years ago, there were several small islands in the
Shimabara area. After much volcanic activity, it became a peninsula 500,000 years ago and an earthquake struck, creating a faultseparated rift north-south in the center of the peninsula. In addition, there was volcanic activity and mountain collapse thatshaped the current terrain.

Q-⓯ Shimabara Peninsula Scenic Highway.
24

Q-⓭ Amakusa Islands
Drive. AMAKUSA (Kuma-

moto Pref.)-Rebellion of Amakusa & Shimabara, Sunset
Road of West Coast, Geopark
Islands.

Miyama-Kirishima in Unzen-Dake Mt.
Tatsuishi Coast

Ruins of Hara Castle

Shimabara Castle

Hot Spring Source in Obama Onsen.

The scenic area of "Amakusa Island
Drive" is the Amakusa Islands, Kumamoto Prefecture. The main areas are four main islands lined from
north to south, and the Goshonoura
Shima Islands in the Yatsushiro
Sea within the Shimabara-Amakusa National Park.
The Amakusa Five Bridges werebuilt in 1966, and since then manylong bridges have been built connecting the islands. Today, inhabited islands are mostly linked bylong bridges, like a bridge museum.
By the way, Misumi Westport, located at the tip of Uto Peninsula, isregistered as a World Heritage Siteof Industrial Modernization and is

Q-⓯

The second landscape resource is the revolt by farmers on Amakusa Island and Shimabara Peninsula. In 1637-38, farmers in theregion could not survive excessive taxes, famines, and severe repression of Christians. For this reason, under the leadership of 16year-old Shiro Amakusa, the peasants caused the biggest uprisingin our country. They stayed in the abandoned Hara Castle, and its
size was 37,000, including non-combatants.
The corresponding shogunate army was 130,000 soldiers, withoverwhelming power. Still, the castle was attacked several times,
but all failed. For this reason, the Shogunate troops attacked, cutting off the rebels’ supplies, eventually killing or forcing into suicide on all rebels. This was a tragic event we had never experienced.
At the bottom of Tachibana Bay, a volcanic caldera, there is amagma pool that transfers heat to the Unzen Peninsula, making
the entire peninsula a recreation area with hot springs. The mainones are Obama, Unzen and Shimabara Onsen (hot spring). The
temperature of hot water at Obama Onsen is 105 degrees. Unzen
Onsen is a hell of 30 fountains and hot steam, and is said to begood for healing wounds. Shimabara Onsen is about 40 degrees
which is good for skin.

Statue of Amakusa Shiro(Amakusa City).

Sakitsu Church(Amakusa City).

Q-⓭ Amakusa Islands Drive25

Amakusa Matsushima Area and Amakusa Five Bridges.

Girder Stone Bridge with multi Columns (National Important Cultural Property).

Meitoku Ji Temple and Statue of Niou (Amakusa City)

the starting point of this scenic route. The main roads are National
Route Nos 266, 324, and 384, and some areas require local roads.
The Goshonoura Islands, famous for fossils, require a boat approach.
This scenic route has two important spots. One is about the riots
in Amakusa and Shimabara. In the early 17th century, a group of
farmers led by the 16-year-old Christian boy Shiro Amakusa(1623~1638) rebelled against the Shogunate. He was about thesame age as the Orleians maid, Jeanne d’Arc (1412~1431).
Suwa Shrine in Amakusa Kamishima Island is the place where
the battle began. As mentioned earlier, peasants crossed
Shimabara Bay, after intensive battles at Hondo and Tomioka
Castles. Then, they built a barricade at Shimabara Castle andfought. This story resembles the Exodus from the Old Testament.
Eventually, however, 37,000 farmers were killed or committed
suicide. This kind of tragedy is not found anywhere else.
Later, Christian faith was secretly kept in the southern part of
Amakusa City. It revived in the Meiji era, and the Oe Church
and Sakitsu Catholic Church were built. In addition, five literary youths from Tokyo came to study European literature andplayed an active role as pioneers in its development. It may besaid that Amakusa contributed to civilization and enlightenment of the Meiji era.
Another landscape resource in this area is Amakusa Geopark.
The main site is Goshonoura Islands where dinosaurs and ammonite fossils were found. In addition, there are many
strangely shaped rocks on the west coast of Amakusa Island
and a tropical marine park on the south coast. And, Amakusa
Island is a pottery producing area. 80% of the porcelain produced nationwide uses clay mined on this island.
Dolphin Watching can’t be missed. Recently, this show in thisscenic route is popular with Dolphin Watching, which naturally
settles in the mouth of Shimabara Bay. In Amakusa City, there
are pleasure boats from Marine World, and dolphins swimmingin parallel with them are dynamic and you can fully enjoy them.

Dolphin Watching (Amakusa City).

On the other hand, the Ushibuka area is the birthplace of Haiya
folk music. “Haiya” means the south wind. This song and dance
began with a Japanese-style banquet for sailors who temporarily
stayed in the harbor to wait for the wind of the voyage. Today, theHaiya Festival Dance Parade is held every spring near the curved
bridge of the Haiya Ohashi Bridge. This rhythms with good tempo
are spreading all over the country, but it is a good idea to visit themonce to see the real thing.

Q-⓮ North Satsuma Scenic Tour.
SATSUMA (Kagoshima Pref.)-Untouched Nature,

Unique Samurai Residence District, and Soil Layer of
Shirasu.
This scenic route is in the northern part of the Satsuma regionof Kagoshima prefecture. Five cities from Izumi City to Hioki City,

Q- ⓮ North Satsuma Scenic
26

However, all buildings in theouter castle were destroyed inaccordance with the "Law of One
Castlein
One
Country"
promulgated by the Edo Shogunate.
For this reason, the role of defense
and governance was taken over by
FUMOTO. It can be said that
autonomy function of FUMOTO
has been strengthened.
This system was an idea toSamurai Residence Area in Sato Fumoto of KamiNagameno
Hama
Beach
in
Kami-Koshiki
Island.
establish
territorial defense in
Koshiki Island (Satsumasendai City).
Satsuma's tight financial situation.
In FUMOTO,
unique village
landscapes, autonomy, education,customs, etc. were born. From thisperspectives, it can be said that thefollowing FUMOTO is wellmaintained in this scenic areas:〇 “FUMOTO” and “NodaFUMOTO” in Izumi City are large
and close to Izumi Station on the
Kyushu Shinkansen. Therefore,
Giant Rock in Shimo-Koshiki Island
Sand beach of Teuchi Bay in Shimo-Koshiki Island
you can easily visit.
(Satsumasendai City).
(Satsumasendai City).
〇 “ Iriki-FUMOTO ” inSatsuma-sendai City is atypical samurai village in a
mountain village that can beimaged the Edo period.
〇 The samurai residences inthe two districts of the Koshiki
Islands ("Sato" and "Teuchi")have unique style gardens andstone walls due to the limited
resources in the island.
Old Masuda Family Housings in Iriki-Fumoto (Satsumasendai City).
Cranes on Izumi Plain (Izumi City).
〇 “Miyama FUMOTO” in
Hioki City was originally
including Nagashima Town, are the area of the scenic route. The
opened by potters who have emigrated from Korea, and they aremain roads are National Route Nos 3, 328, 389, and 504, and threestill engaged in pottery activities.
prefectural roads link the three islands of Koshiki Shima. Based
Another excellent resource of this scenic route is wonderful nature.
on this road network and the location of the scenic spots, the area
☆ In the plains of Izumi City, special natural monuments,of North Satsuma Scenic Tour is divided into five zones: Izumi /Nagashima, Akune, Sendai River Basin, Koshiki Island, andcranes more than 10,000 , come from the Siberian region in winterIchikikushikino / Hioki (see the next map).
and fly around in the sky (see above Photo).
Both the Satsuma Route (Q-⓮) and the Kagoshima Route (Q☆ The coastline of the main scenic route area is a plateau made❽) are scenic routes in Kagoshima Prefecture, and share theof volcanic ash shirasu erupted from the volcano (see Photo ⑰). At
unique landscape resources of this region. In other words, from thethe same time, the Shilasu beach formed on the shore is arcuate
Sengoku (Warring States) period to the Edo period, the outeror zonal as shown in the photo, and shines brightly.
☆ Koshiki Island, a quasi-national park, is a place where you cancastle, “To-jo”, and the local samurai village “Fumoto”, were
inherited, preseving local culture, unique traditions, andsee untouched nature, such as the cliffs piled up since 80 million
years ago (Photo ⑤) and stunning huge rocks. Koshiki Island caninteresting customs. Some districts are still retain their look andfeel. Let me explain them first.
be easily accessed in 50 minutes from Sendai Port (high-speed
The Shimadzu lord and one group of samurai who served it livedship) and Kushikino New Port (ferry).
in the inner castle (Uchi-Jo), but the entire territory wasAnother local resource to keep in mind is the Imuta Pond, upsubdivited and most samurai were assigned to it. This is a
stream of the Sendai River, which is registered as a Ramsar Convention (Photo ㉘). In addition, the burial place of Niniginodistributed arrangement of the outer castle as a defense base, andthe place where the samurai who serve there gathered was calledmikoto, Eno-Misasagi, is adjacent to the central area of Satsuma“FUMOTO”.
Sendai City.
Samurai who lives in the village was called “Goshi” in Japanese.
This Goshi was a person usually engaged in agriculture andfighting as a worrior in an emergency.
27

Downstream of the Sendai River is a serrated embankment
built to prevent floods during the Edo period. The Kushikino
Port has also a British Student Memorial Hall, where you cansee materials from young people who studied secretly in the UK
at the end of the Edo period. These are important landscape resources that tell us about the history of Japan.

Q-❻ Kagoshima Scenic Byways.
KAGOSHIMA (Kagoshima Pref.) --Active Volcano,

Subtropical Zone, Leading Activity toward Meiji Era.

The “Kagoshima Scenic Byway” area extends from Kagoshima
City to the southern part of the Satsuma Peninsula along Kagoshima Bay, and consists of five cities: Kagoshima, Ibusuki,
Minami Satsuma, Minami Kyushu and Makurazaki. The mainroutes are National Routes 224, 225 and 226.
Kagoshima Bay is a major scenic resource in this area, but it
was originally a graven along the north-south fault. Subsequently, several volcanoes including the surrounding area
erupted repeatedly and grew into a bay.
In the bay, Sakurajima eruptions were repeated, and theOsumi Peninsula side eventually became land. In addition,
there is an eruption of Kaimondake at the entrance of the bay,and the surrounding area is covered with volcanic ash (shirasu).
These results are the current appearance of Kagoshima Bay
and Satsuma Peninsula.
In other words, the southern part of the Satsuma Peninsula iscovered with volcanic rocks and volcanic ash on old ocean plates
and pyroclastic flow deposits, creating various scenic spots.
Heading south on Kagoshima Bay side, you will encounter Sakurajima, Shirasu Plateau, Sand Steaming Hot Spring, Ikeda
Caldera Lake, Yamakawa Bay, and Kaimondake.

Shokoshuusei Kan (Former Industrial Complex, World
Cultural Heritage).

Q-❻ Kagoshima Scenic Byways.

Kaimondake Volcano （Ibusuki City）
Street of Samurai Residences in Chiran
Fumoto (Minamikyushu City).

Shimazu Nariakira,Lord of Satsuma Clanin the late Edo Period.

Takamori Saigo (Mil- Toshimichi Okubo (Poliitary Man), Leading
tician), Leader of Meiji
Person in Meiji Resto- Restoration and Meiji Adration.
ministration.

Three Great Historical People in the Meiji Restoration。

28

In addition, you can enjoy the dramatic natural scenery of thesouthernmost tip of mainland Kyushu when you drive along
Route 226 from Makurazaki City to Minamisatsuma City via
Bozu and Noma Peninsula. There are various views of coral reefs,
steep terraced fields, rocky reefs painted in Hiroshige ukiyo-e, andlong-lasting Fukiage coast.
Geology and topography are the result of massive volcanic activity.
Nevertheless, people have settled here since ancient Jomon times
and have built countless civilizations and cultures. In this regards,
the following three points can be considered as scenic resources in
the area.
Kagoshima's industrial modernization heritage is designated as a
World Cultural Heritage Site. This is a legacy that introduced European technology in the late Edo era and promoted industries
such as steelmaking, shipbuilding, machinery and spinning. In

in the Edo period, a Higo roadwas established across Kyushu.
The mountain path to the Hitamagistrate, which was directly
managed by the shogunate, led
to many castle towns. This situation can also be understood fromthe network of national routes
and major prefectural roads,
which have succeeded mountainroads. In addition, the modern
road of "Yamanami-highway"
was built for mountain tourism,
after World WarⅡ.
The volcanic eruption ishorrible, but there are many
8.4 Mountain Area in Central Kyublessings, such as mountaineousshu (Q-❽, ❾, ⓫).
sports on vast plateaus,
Fig.21 Three Routes in Central Kyushu.
When traveling from the east to the west in the center ofenjoyable
mountainlife,
Kyushu, it is inevitable to drive a car while sewing throughmountain food and healing spas.
the mountains. Some courses require you to avoid volcanoes, andUtilizing these benefits, three scenic routes, Q-❽, Q-❾, and Q-⓫,
depending on the size of the eruption, you may be barred from enwere provided in the mountain road network of central Kyushu.
tering the volcano.
Enjoy the scenery that people enjoy on the magnificent mountains.
However, mountain roads in Kyushu have been built for a longtime. In ancient times, the ancient road to Dazaifu were built, andQ-❽ Yamanami Highterms of people, there are many soldiers, politicians, andbusiness people who have been active since the Meiji Restoration. Among them, Takamori Saigo and Toshimichi
Okubo are famous nationwide. Kagoshima City is a place
where you can visit these things and the heritage of the people.
The second is a samurai residence in Chiran. "FUMOTO"
is as explained in Q-⓮, but Chiran can be recommended as
one of the most typical cases in the whole Satsuma clan. As
you can see in the picture, you will be impressed by the very
well-maintained samurai residence and Japanese garden.
The third is the Fukiage Beach Sand Festival, which has
been held every year since 1987, in early May. Various sandsculptures are created by artists and are on display as tocompete.

land Parkway.
YAMANAMI (Oita Pre-

fecture)－Scenic Nature,
Hot Spring, Drive in Highlands.

Jigoku of Buddhist Priest (Beppu City)
Yunotubo Dori. in Yufuin Spa (Yufu City).

Kinrin Lake at Mountain Base in Yufu-Dake Mt.

Miyama-Kirishima on Hiiji-Dake.

Mountain Type
Blood Pond Type
Hells in the Beppu Hot Spring (Beppu City).

Rentaro Taki and Ruins of Oka Castle (Takeda City, Oita).

29

The scenic area of the “Yamanami
Highland Parkway” is a region
connecting Beppu City and
Takeda City via Yufu City and Kokonoe Town in Oita Prefecture.
The main scenic spots are 5 zones,
which are 2 hot spring towns(Beppu and Yufuin) and 3 plateaus.
Landscape resources common tothese zones are vast plateaus, volcanoes and hot springs. The mainroute is the section of prefecturalroad No. 11 connecting Yufuin
and Aso, and is called the “Yamanami Highway”. It is the mostpopular driving and touring
course in Kyushu.
Except for of Beppu, Yufu andTakeda cities at both ends of themain scenic route, the rest of thecenter is the plateau at the foot of
the Kuju Mountains. This route isalong the "Yamanami Highway"
and has an altitude of 700 to
1400m. You need to go around theactive volcanoes Tsurumi-dake,spring in Japan. After climbing or hiking, relaxing in these various hot springs is a blissful journey.
Even if you can't see all the scenic spots, Oka Castle and its
castle town, Takeda City, can’t be missed. In other words, when
you follow National Route 442 from Senomoto Kogen to Takeda,
you can see a castle on a hill. This castle is famous for the song,“the Moon Over the Ruined Castle”, composed by Rentaro Taki(see photo). The castle town is located in the valley at the foot of
the hill, and has the same relationship as a medieval town andcastle in Germany.

Q-❾ Aso/Kumamoto Scenic Roads.
ASO/KUMAMOTO (Kumamoto Pref.)-Aso Vol-

cano and Caldera, Bungo Kaido, Kumamoto Castle.

The Aso / Kumamoto Scenic Road Area is a mountainous area
excluding Kumamoto City, and is divided into three major
areas: Oguni / Ubuyama, Aso Volcano, and Kumamoto Castle
Town. The former two areas are included in Aso Kuju National
Park, and the third, Kumamoto, is an urban area that inherits
the castle town was built 400 years ago.
The main road in this scenic area is National Route 57, withthe addition of Yamanami Highway section between Semoto andAso, which is adjacent to the “Yamanami Highland Parkway Q❽”. There are many roads around the
Aso Mountains, Caldera and outerrim. From these reasons, travelers are
not restricted to the main roads concerned, but are travel freely between
the landscape route areas, “Q-❽” and“Q-❾” .
The three main spots in the Aso/Kumamoto Scenic Highway area are volcanoes, calderas, and outer rims. In
addition, there are Kumamoto Castle
and the heritage of the castle town,

Q-❽ Yamanami Highland Parkway.
Yufudake and Kokonoe Mountains. In particular, the Kuju Mountains are composed of more than a dozen volcanoes, and Mt. Nakadake of them is the highest in the mainland of Kyushu at the alti-

Tadehara Wetland (Kokonoe Town).

tude of 1791 m.
This mountain area is on the Oita side of
Aso Kuju National Park. Along theroute, you can stroll through the“Tadehara” wetland (1000 m above sea
level, 38 ha in area) and the “Bogatsuru”
wetland (1200 m, 53 ha.). These are registered the Ramsar Convention and are
the largest intermediate wetlands in Japan.
The base of the route is a visitor centerand a rest house. These can be used as abase for climbing, hiking, and driving
around them.
This scenic route area is unique in thatit has a variety of hot springs. Beppu Onsen (hot spring) boasts the largest number of hot springs in Japan. Yufuin Onsen is a healthy resort-type of hot spring.
Sujiyu Onsen is known as a healing hot
spring that drops hot water from highplaces and relaxes your shoulders. Nagayu Onsen is one of the best carbonatedTakegawara Public Bathhouse built in 1879 (Beppu City).

Otsu Kaido Road
(Kikuchi City).

Q-❾ Aso/Kumamoto Scenic Roads.
30

and the former Higo Kaido Road connecting Aso and Kumamoto.

master piece created by people. Kumamoto Castle, a national special historic site, is one of the three major castles in Japan. Various
facilities such as the castle tower and Honmaru palace have beenrebuilt. However, the earthquake in 2016 caused severe damage
to each facility and is currently being repaired. Nevertheless, there
are some that are seen during repairs, and their wonderful appearance is the pride of Kumamoto citizens.
In the Kumamoto area, three great men appeared from the Edo
period to the Meiji era. Everyone is famous nationwide, but one ofthem is Kiyomasa Kato, the first lord（daimyo）of Kumamoto Clanin the Edo period. In addition to Kumamoto Castle, he had built
Kiyomasa Kato who
Musashi Miyamoto Soseki Natsume ofvarious social infrastructures, such as Higobuilt Kumamotoof skilled Swordsman
Great Novelist
Castle (1562~1611).
(1584~1645).
(1816~1916).
Kaido Road and flood control projects. He
Three Greatest Men who made nationally famous Kumamoto.
is respected by residents.
Miyamoto Musashi is the most famousswordsman in Japan. After a duel on Ganryujima Island in Shimono-seki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in 1612, he was invited by Mr. Hosokawa (daimyo) to Kumamoto. After that, he wrote the “GorinnoSho” (Book of five Rings (1643-45)), that
contained the results of his swordsmanship.
Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto City)
Aso Volcano (Aso City)
Another wonderful person is Soseki
Natsume. He came to Kumamoto as a professor at Fifth High School (now Kumamoto University). He spent several years in
Kumamoto and traveled many surrounding areas. After that, he became a writerand wrote many famous novels including“Kusamakura” (1906) based on his experience in Kumamoto. By the way, “Kusamakura” is translated as “The Three-Cornered World” in English.
In addition to the legacy of the Hosokawa
Aso Jinja Shrine and Parade in Shinto Ritual (Aso City, Kumamoto).
clan in the Edo period, the tour of castle
Aso is a double volcano with five volcanoes in the center andtown is to follow the footsteps of these three great men.
mountains at an altitude of 1326 to1592m. Its activity continues
Q-⓫ Minou Foothills Byways. MIDORINOto erupt with the beating of the earth. Usually you can see the
SATO (Fukuoka Pref.) －Minou Mountains, Historic old
crater, but sometimes there are restrictions on access.
Town, Gardens of Camellias and Azalea.
There is a huge caldera around the mountains of Crater. The scale
The Chikugo Plain is located in the southern part of Fukuoka
is 18km from east to west, 25km from north to south, and an area
Prefecture in the Minou Mountain Range at the southern end ofof 380km2. The crater is home to about 50,000 people and is thethe plain. Although it is a low mountain at the altitude of 800m, it
largest in the world.
extends 26km from east to west. This is because it was formed by
The outside of the caldera is a plateau. The caldera side of the plata fault that occurred in the 679 earthquake. The southern slope is
eau is a steep cliff, and the view the observatory on the north atgentle and the northern slope is steep.
Daikanbo Peak and the west at Tawarayama is spectacular. In adOn the other hand, in the central part of the Chikugo Plain, thedition, the west side of the outer rim mountains is missing., from
Chikugo River runs parallel to the Minou Mountains. The scenic
which the river flows toward the Ariake Sea. In parallel, road androute area of “Minou Foothills Byway” is located between therailway connect the inside and outside of the caldera.
Minou mountains and the Chikugo River on the outskirts of
The above information on the southern part of Aso Kuju National
Fukuoka City.
Park is registered in the UNESCO Global Geopark.
The main routes are National Route 210 and Prefecture Road
The main route from Aso area to Kumamoto Castle Town is the151, which are parallel to each other. On the north side, there isold road on National Route 57. The section between Futae Pass
and Otsu Town was also called Otsu Kaido. In the Edo period, cedar trees and distance indication trees were planted beside theroad, and created a partially cobblestoned path.
The third landscape resource is Kumamoto Castle and its castle
town. Aso is a natural legacy, but Kumamoto Castle is the biggest
31

the Oita Expressway and the “KyuDai
Line” of JR Kyushu Railway, which can beused to access the area of this scenic byway.
The scenic spot is in Kurume City andUkiha City, and can be divided into threeblocks as shown on the map. The landscaperesources of these blocks include Minou
skyline along the fault, ancient tumuli, theheritage of the Kusano family, towns withwhite walled landscape, lively flower gardens and orchards. Below are some items
that characterize this scenic route.
〇 The mountain slope is full of flowers
and fruits. Azalea Park and Camellia Garden (photo (3)) are famous as flower spots.
In June, you can see more than 5,000 hydrangeas at Senko-ji Temple, and see beautiful autumn leaves at another temple. In
addition, there are fruits such as pears,
strawberries, figs and grapes. Fruit picking
takes place seasonally and is visited bymany people. This area is also known as
the birthplace of landscape technology andis now one of Japan's leading horticulturalvillages.
〇 As you can see from the ancient tombs,
people have lived in this landscape area
Tsuzura Terraced Rice Field.
since ancient times and have developed civilization. It flourished as a base for the medieval Kusano family, and as a post-town
on the Hita Kaido Road during the Edo period. As a result, luxurious temples andshrines have been built and kept. And, in
the Meiji era, Yoshii-machi prospered as acommercial town, but its proof is whitewalled houses (see photo).
〇 Along the mountainous area between
Minou Skyline (forest road) and prefectural
Kappa in Tanushimaru.
road 151, you will encounter brooks, waterfalls, and shaded green areas. There arerice terraces in some places, and houses
with thatched roofs that was built in the
Edo period (important cultural property of
the country). In short, you can enjoy thetypical mountain village scenery of thisarea and understand the real situation of
precious mountain area in Japan.
Finally, although not a mountain area or
historical heritage, we recommend thatyou stop by the Tanushimaru area. The
area around JR Tanushimaru Station is a
Kappa town where the aquatic creature“Kappa” is used as a motif to regain its liveliness. That is, kappa sculptures of various
Gate of Susanoo Shrine in Kusano Town.
gestures are installed on roads and waterways to entertain travelers. After visiting
the mountain village, why not end up playing together with acheerful kappa?

32

Q-⓫ Minou Foothills Byways

White wall-street in Yoshii town (Ukiha City).

Hirakawa Family House of U-shape (Ukiha City).

Sennennji Temple in Kusano Town (Kurume City).

Series of Travel Guide of Scenic Byway Kyushu
Please copy from the following address (free).

http://www.qsr.mlit.go.jp/n-michi/fukeikaido/guidebook.html
全 体 編 Overview of Scenic Byway Kyushu〇Japanese edition: 魅惑の九州風景街道

その１ 総論〇English edition: Scenic Byway Kyushu
Part 1 Overview
その 2 ルート別ガイド

Part2 Pamphlet by RouteQ-❶ Nichinan Sparkling CoastQ-❷ Nippo Seashore Road
Q-❸ Nagasaki Sunset Highway
Q-❹ Kitakyushu Hospitality Roads
Q-❺ Munakata Historic Byway
Q-❻ Kagoshima Scenic Byways
Q-❼ Genkai Coastal Highway
Q-❽ Yamanami Highland Parkway
Q-❾ Aso/Kumamoto Scenic RoadsQ-❿ Toyonokuni History RoadsQ-⓫ Green Village in Minou Mountains
Q-⓬ Scenic Area of Beppu Bay and Kunisaki Peninsula
Q-⓭ Amakusa Islands Drive
Q-⓮ North Satsuma Scenic TourQ-⓯ Umi-Yama Byway in Shimabara Peninsula

日南海岸きらめきライン
日豊海岸シーニック・バイウェイ
ながさきサンセットロード
北九州おもてなし“ゆっくりかいどう”
ちょっとよりみち唐津街道むなかた
かごしま風景街道
玄界灘風景街道
九州横断の道やまなみハイウェイ
九州横断の道阿蘇くまもと路
豊の国歴史ロマン街道
みどりの里・耳納風景街道
別府湾岸・国東半島海べの道
あまくさ風景街道
薩摩よりみち風景街道
島原半島うみやま街道

Scenic Byway Kyushu-Part 1
2nd Edition

July. 2020

Editorial Committee of Guidebook for Scenic Byway Kyushu

Member: Takeshi CHISHAKI (Responsibility for this article)
Takamichi TAMAGAWA, Masafumi TSUTSUMI

Tetsunobu YOSHITAKE, Hideaki MASUTANI.

Publication: Promotion Conference of Scenic Byway Kyushu

Copyright © All right reserved.

Secretariat: Kyushu Regional Development Bureau, Road Management Division33