Kirishima

霧島市きりしましKirishima-shi

From the bay to the volcano where the gods descended

Kirishima is a city in northern Kagoshima Prefecture stretching from the shore of Kinkō Bay to the Kirishima volcanoes, known for its mountain onsen, the vermilion shrine Kirishima Jingū and as the site of Kagoshima Airport.

Overview

Kirishima was created in 2005 when the city of Kokubu merged with the towns of Hayato, Makizono, Kirishima, Mizobe, Yokogawa and Fukuyama. It rises from the northern shore of Kinkō Bay, where the Kokubu plain holds the administrative and industrial centre, to the forested Kirishima range on the Miyazaki border, where volcanic peaks, crater lakes and fumaroles form part of Kirishima-Kinkōwan National Park.

The mountains carry deep mythological weight. Takachiho-no-mine is one of the places identified with the Tenson Kōrin, the descent of the sun goddess's grandson Ninigi to earth, and Kirishima Jingū at its foot enshrines him. Down on the plain, Kagoshima Jingū in Hayato is the leading shrine of the old Ōsumi Province, whose provincial seat lay at Kokubu.

Kirishima is also an economic centre: Kagoshima Airport lies in Mizobe, large electronics and semiconductor plants operate around Kokubu, and the city is known for black vinegar brewed in outdoor pots at Fukuyama and for Kirishima tea.

Landmarks

Kirishima Jingū
霧島神宮Kirishima Jingū
Vermilion-lacquered shrine of 1715 in cedar forest at the foot of the volcanoes, dedicated to Ninigi-no-Mikoto; a National Treasure.
Kagoshima Jingū
鹿児島神宮Kagoshima Jingū
Ichinomiya (leading shrine) of Ōsumi Province in Hayato, known for its horse-dance festival.
Takachiho-no-mine
高千穂峰Takachiho-no-mine
1,574-metre volcano topped by the Ama-no-Sakahoko, a bronze spear said to have been planted by Ninigi.
Uenohara Jōmon Forest
上野原縄文の森Uenohara Jōmon no Mori
Site museum and reconstructed pit dwellings at the early Jōmon settlement of Uenohara, a national historic site.
Maruo Falls
丸尾滝Maruo-no-taki
A 23-metre waterfall fed partly by hot-spring water, in the Kirishima Onsen area.
Fukuyama black vinegar fields
福山町の黒酢Fukuyama-chō no kurozu
Rows of earthenware jars on sunny slopes above the bay in which rice vinegar has been fermented outdoors since the Edo period.

Districts

Kokubu
国分Kokubu
Administrative and commercial centre on the plain, seat of the old Ōsumi provincial government.
Hayato
隼人Hayato
Railway junction and shrine town around Kagoshima Jingū, named after the ancient Hayato people.
Kirishima Onsen area
霧島温泉郷Kirishima Onsenkyō
Cluster of mountain hot springs at 600–900 metres, including Maruo, Hayashida and Ioudani.
Makizono
牧園Makizono
Valley district with the riverside inns of Myōken, Shiobitashi and Hinatayama onsen along the Amori River.
Fukuyama
福山Fukuyama
Bayside district famous for its outdoor black-vinegar breweries.

History

The Kokubu plain was home to the Hayato and, after their subjugation in the early eighth century, the seat of the newly created Ōsumi Province (713), with its provincial temple (kokubunji) that gave Kokubu its name. The early Jōmon settlement at Uenohara, dated to roughly 9,500 years ago, shows that the area was settled long before.

Under the Shimazu, Shimazu Yoshihisa retired to Kokubu, and the area was known for tobacco. In 1866 Sakamoto Ryōma and his wife Oryō stayed at the hot springs of Shiobitashi and climbed Takachiho-no-mine, a journey often called Japan's first honeymoon. In the twentieth century the airport (1972) and high-tech factories transformed the plain.

c. 7500 BCE
Early Jōmon settlement at Uenohara, one of the oldest large settlement sites in Japan.
713
Ōsumi Province is established, with its capital on the Kokubu plain.
720
Hayato uprising in southern Kyushu is put down by the Yamato court.
1484
Kirishima Jingū is rebuilt at its present site after earlier eruptions destroyed previous shrines.
1715
The present main buildings of Kirishima Jingū are erected under Shimazu Yoshitaka.
1866
Sakamoto Ryōma and Oryō visit Shiobitashi Onsen and climb Takachiho-no-mine.
1934
The Kirishima mountains are included in one of Japan's first national parks.
1972
Kagoshima Airport opens at Mizobe.
2005
Seven municipalities merge to form Kirishima city.
2022
The main hall complex of Kirishima Jingū is designated a National Treasure.

Culture

Kirishima's culture is bound up with the mountains and their shrines. The myth of the heavenly descent is told at Kirishima Jingū and on the summit of Takachiho-no-mine; the Kirishima area was also a centre of Shugendō mountain asceticism before the Meiji separation of Shintō and Buddhism. Down in the valleys, the old inns of Myōken and Shiobitashi recall the era when Ryōma and Oryō came to take the waters. In late spring the pink miyama-kirishima azaleas – the prefectural flower – cover the upper slopes.

Festivals

Hatsuuma Festival
初午祭Hatsuuma-sai
Spring festival at Kagoshima Jingū in which dozens of horses in colourful harness dance to drums and shamisen, accompanied by dancers.
Ryōma honeymoon walk
An annual walking event in spring retracing Sakamoto Ryōma and Oryō's route to the hot springs of Shiobitashi.

Food

Kurozu
黒酢kurozu
Amber-black rice vinegar aged in jars in the open air, used in cooking and as a health drink.
Kirishima tea
霧島茶Kirishima-cha
Green tea grown on the misty lower slopes of the volcanoes.
Kurobuta pork
黒豚kurobuta
Kagoshima black pork, widely served in the onsen inns.
Onsen tamago
温泉卵onsen tamago
Eggs cooked in hot-spring steam or water, sold in the mountain spa areas.
Imo-jōchū
芋焼酎imo-jōchū
Several well-known shōchū distilleries operate in the city.

Getting around

Kagoshima Airport lies in the Mizobe district; buses run to Kagoshima city, Kirishima Onsen and Kirishima Jingū.
JR Nippō Line trains link Kagoshima-Chūō with Hayato, Kokubu and Kirishima-Jingū stations; the Hisatsu Line branches off at Hayato inland towards Yoshimatsu and Hitoyoshi.
Local buses climb from Kirishima-Jingū station to the shrine and the Kirishima Onsen area; a car is the most practical way to reach trailheads and scattered onsen.

Day trips

Kirishima mountains
霧島山Kirishima-yama
Crater walks and ascents of Karakuni-dake and Takachiho-no-mine, subject to volcanic restrictions.
Kirishima-Kinkōwan National Park
霧島錦江湾国立公園Kirishima-Kinkōwan Kokuritsu Kōen
The national park joining the Kirishima volcanoes with Kinkō Bay and Sakurajima.
Ebino Plateau
えびの高原Ebino Kōgen
Highland on the Miyazaki side with crater lakes and the start of the Karakuni-dake trail.
Kagoshima city
鹿児島市Kagoshima-shi
The prefectural capital, under an hour by train.
Sakurajima
桜島Sakurajima
Reachable by road around the bay via the Ōsumi side.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalKagoshimaKagoshima-shiA castle town in the shadow of a smoking volcano CityIbusukiIbusuki-shiBuried in warm sand at the southern end of Kyushu TownYakushimaYakushima-chōAn island of rain, moss and thousand-year-old cedars

Frequently asked questions

Is Kirishima a city or a mountain?

Both. Kirishima-yama is the volcanic range on the Kagoshima–Miyazaki border; Kirishima city is the Kagoshima municipality that includes its south-western slopes, the onsen area and the plain around Kokubu.

Can I climb the Kirishima volcanoes?

Some peaks, such as Takachiho-no-mine, are commonly climbed, but access to active craters like Shinmoe-dake and Iōyama is restricted according to volcanic alert levels. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency and park information before setting out.

Why is Kirishima Jingū important?

It enshrines Ninigi-no-Mikoto, whose descent from heaven to the Kirishima peaks is a founding myth of the imperial line; its 1715 buildings are a National Treasure.

Is Kagoshima Airport in Kagoshima city?

No, it is in Kirishima, about 30 kilometres north of Kagoshima city, with bus connections to both.

Sources

1.令和2年国勢調査人口等基本集計 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局
2.霧島市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 霧島市
3.霧島錦江湾国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
4.Kagoshima (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization