Kunisaki

Kunisaki (国東市) is a small coastal city located in Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 25,721 in 13082 households, and a population density of 81 persons per km². The total area of the city is 318.10 km2.

Geography
Kunisaki covers the northeastern part of Ōita Prefecture and almost the eastern half of the Kunisaki Peninsula (excluding the southeastern part), and faces the Gulf of Iyo on the Seto Inland Sea to the north and east. Settlements are scattered in areas near the sea, and the city center is located near the sea in the central eastern part of the city. The western part of the city is located in the central part of the Kunisaki Peninsula and is mountainous. The city center is located approximately 60 km by road (approximately 40 km in a straight line) from Ōita City, the prefectural capital.

Neighboring municipalities
Ōita Prefecture
 * Bungo-Takada
 * Kitsuki

Mountains

 * Mt. Futago (Futago-san) at 720m and the tallest
 * Mt. Monju (Monju-san)
 * Mt. Odomure
 * Mt. Otake
 * Mt. Takeshi Washinosu
 * Mt. Fudo (or Hudo)

Climate
Kunisaki has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is somewhat lower in winter. The average annual temperature in Kunisaki is 16.2 C. The average annual rainfall is 1641.6 mm with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 27.3 C, and lowest in January, at around 6.1 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Kunisaki was 37.3 C on 10 August 2013; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -7.9 C on 8 January 2021.

Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kunisaki in 2020 is 26,232 people. Kunisaki has been conducting censuses since 1920.

History
The area of Kunisaki was part of ancient Bungo Province. During the Edo period it was mostly under control of Kitsuki Domain and was ruled by a cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan, with smaller areas administered as tenryō territory under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji restoration, the village of Kunisaki within Higashikunisaki District, Ōita was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system. It was raised to town status on November 8, 1894. The city of Kunisaki was founded on March 31, 2006, from the merger of the former town of Kunisaki, absorbing the towns of Aki, Kunimi and Musashi (all from Higashikunisaki District).

On June 25, 2008, the City of Kunisaki declared itself a 'Nuclear-free Peace City" in wishing the abolition of nuclear weapons and world permanent peace.

Government
Kunisaki has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members. Kunisaki, together with the village of Himeshima, Ōita contributes one member to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the Ōita 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy
The main industry is agriculture, including fruit and vegetable cultivation and commercial fishing. Industries include factories operated by Oita Canon and Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Education
Kunisaki has seven public elementary schools and three public junior high schools and one public high school operated by the city government and one public high school operated by the Ōita Prefectural Board of Education.

Airports

 * Oita Airport is located in Kunisaki.

Railways
Kunisaki has no passenger railway service. The nearest railway stations are Kitsuki Station, Ōgami Station, or Usa Station on the JR Kyushu Nippō Main Line, each of which has a bus service to the city.

Highways

 * JP Expressway E97.svg Ōita Airport Road

Local attractions

 * Gyonyu Dam and Lake Taro
 * Futago-ji
 * Onizuka Kofun, National Historic Site
 * Ankokuji Site, National Historic Site

Notable people from Kunisaki

 * Miura Baien, Edo period scholar
 * Motoda Hajime, politician
 * Sunao Tawara, pathologist
 * Tatsumi Fujinami, Japanese professional wrestler
 * Toyohiko Yoshida, former Japanese baseball pitcher (Nippon Professional Baseball)