Introduction to Oita's geography and culture

1. Oita City (Japanese: 大分市/书书l大l Öita shi) is a major city located in eastern Kyushu, Japan, and is the seat of Oita Prefecture. 2. In the past, it was the capital of Bungo Province, hence the nickname "Fuchu." It is currently a core city. It is the fifth largest city in Kyushu, after Fukuoka City, Kitakyushu City, Kumamoto City, and Kagoshima City. The city is located in the central part of Oita Prefecture, on the alluvial plain of the Oita Plain formed by the Oita River and the Ono River, surrounded by hills. 3. Some areas of the city are also included in the Seto Inland Sea National Park. The climate is Seto Inland Sea climate, warm and dry all year round. The average annual temperature is 16.0°C, and the annual rainfall is 1,677.8 mm. Oita City's main industries include livestock, agriculture, fisheries, floriculture, steel, and electronics, with agricultural production totaling approximately 7.9 billion yen, and fish catches mainly consisting of Seki horse mackerel and Seki mackerel, with a total production of 670 million yen; the electronics industry has the world's largest 65-nanometer IC manufacturing plant. 4. Professional teams based in Oita City include: Oita Trinita of the Japan Professional Football League, Oita Miyoshi Weisse Adler of the V-League, and Oita Heat Devils of the Japan Futsal League. 5. According to the "Bungo Fudoki," the name "Oita" was given by Emperor Keiko when he came to this area because of the vast rice fields. In the 16th century, it was a major city in Kyushu and traded with China, Portugal, and other countries, introducing European medicine, music, and other knowledge and culture, and was one of the first areas in Japan to exchange with Western culture. 6. The original name of the area was Oita County, mainly located in the "Kokufu" area south of the current city center. From the Kamakura period, it was the territory of the Otomo clan, who served as the governor of Bungo Province. In the Muromachi period, Otomo Yoshiyasu built Fuchu Castle, and the surrounding area began to develop as a castle town. 7. In the Sengoku period, Otomo Sorin established the first Western-style hospital in Japan; however, it was burned down in 1586 due to an attack by Shimazu Iehisa, and the Otomo clan gradually declined under the invasion of the Shimazu clan. After the Imjin War, Otomo Yoshimune was reassigned due to a tactical error, and Bungo Province was divided into many small domains, with the current Oita City area being assigned to Takenaka Shigetoshi, who established the Fuchu Domain.