General Incorporated Association

Kitsuki Tourism Organization

　

If you are sightseeing in Kitsuki from JR Kitsuki Station, please start at the Kitsuki Station Tourist Information Center.
If you have any questions about sightseeing, such as how to get to Kitsuki Castle or the samurai residences and the travel time required, please feel free to ask the information desk staff.

In addition, we will have brochures about Kitsuki city and the surrounding area available.

The name "Shigemitsu Mamoru" is one that will forever remain in the history of Japan before and after the war.
He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the turbulent Showa era, and after the war, the name written on the surrender document accepting the Potsdam Declaration aboard the American battleship Missouri was none other than Shigemitsu Mamoru.

He was born in 1887 as the second son of a samurai in Mie-machi, Ono-gun (present-day Bungo-Ono City), and moved to his father's hometown of Kitsuki at the age of 3.
He spent most of his childhood in Kitsuki, attending Kitsuki High School and the former Kitsuki Junior High School, from which he graduated at the top of his class.
He was a hard worker, and the mansion where he studied on the 2nd floor of the storehouse still remains to this day, named "Musekian," and many of his belongings and photographs are on display.
The name's meaning of "having no track record or achievements to be proud of" reflects Shigemitsu's humble feelings.

After graduating from a junior high school under the old system, he went on to Kumamoto's Fifth High School and graduated from the German Law Department of Tokyo Imperial University before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he worked as a diplomat for major countries such as Germany, the UK, and the US.

After the war, he served as both Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Hatoyama Cabinet, and bore important responsibilities in both national policy and diplomacy.
Among other things, Shigemitsu's contributions to the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Soviet Union and Japan's admission to the United Nations were particularly significant.

As soon as you open the sliding door of the sake shop, the aroma of sake koji wafts through the air. The cool air and the clear air unique to old Japanese houses permeate the air. The 130-year-old sake brewery is also designated as a tangible cultural property of Kitsuki City, and classical music plays inside the brewery 24 hours a day.

In addition, the brewing water that has continued to spring up here since the brewery's founding is the lifeblood of the brewery, and it is the sacred water of Rokugo Manzan that springs from 200 meters underground. As the saying goes, where there is famous water, there is famous sake, and the water itself has won the highest gold medal.
If water is life, then rice is life too, and they are particular about using local rice, frequently visiting the producers and watching over the rice growing process. The image of this brewery emerges in the taste of the pure rice sake made only from that rice, water, and rice koji.

Atsuyuki Nakano, the 6th generation owner of this brewery, was trained under the master brewer, who is well known in Oita Prefecture. In order to preserve the freshly pressed flavor, he began bottling the sake directly, even though it takes an extra step.

The flagship brand "Chiebijin" is a product that has been protected since the establishment of the inn in the Meiji era through to the Taisho, Showa and Heisei eras, and is named after the first proprietress, "Chie-san."
Recently, "Chiebijin Yamada Nishiki" received a Parker rating of 90 points, and "Chiebijin Junmaishu" won the Kura Master 2018 President's Award, and the brewery continues to produce delicious sake that is recognized around the world.

During the tour of the brewery, you can also sample the brewing water. The entrance to the brewery also serves as a shop, where in addition to sake, shochu and liqueurs made with locally produced ingredients are also available.

This shrine is located about 1.3 km from the Kitsuki Interchange on the Oita Airport Road, halfway up Mount Kinyo. The forest within the shrine grounds is also designated as a natural monument by the prefecture.

It was founded in Kashiwajima, Shimojima Village by Ki no Kanesada in 985 to protect and enshrine the 4 deity statues from Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine in Kyoto. It is said that it was then moved to its current location in 1326.

Within the shrine grounds remains a tanka poem by Mozume Takayo, a scholar of Japanese classics from Bungo Province, praising Ki no Kanesada for carrying out his duties despite the rough waves of the Seto Inland Sea at the time.

I believe that the boat rowed by the god of Morie does not fear the waves

The rich sea stretches from Beppu Bay to the Iyo Nada Sea. The coastline of Kitsuki offers beautiful views, and you can enjoy not only swimming and camping, but also popular marine sports such as wakeboarding and jet skiing.

Sumiyoshihama Resort Park, which lies on a peninsula jutting out into Morie Bay, is a base camp for marine sports. The vast 400,000㎡ site surrounded by the sea includes a golf course, wedding facilities, and hot springs.
There is also a marine hotel on-site, where all rooms have ocean views and the facility is completely barrier-free, so even those with disabilities can enjoy a comfortable stay.

As per the theme of "Sports & Activities," there are nearly 20 different marine sports to enjoy. There are also field sports such as tennis, and amusement sports such as basketball, volleyball, and softball, and since there are also multi-purpose grounds and gymnasiums, it is often used for recreational and training purposes. Tools and equipment can be rented, and classes are also held.

The name is pronounced "Nada Karishuku". Facing the Iyo Nada Sea, the coastline is a picturesque stretch of beautiful white sand stretching from north to south for about 2km, lined with magnificent old black pine trees.
It has been selected as one of the "100 Best White Sand Beaches in Japan" by the Ministry of the Environment and one of the "Hundred Best Swimming Beaches," and is bustling with beachgoers in the summer.
A walking path has been constructed by volunteers along the pine forest, making it a relaxing spot where you can stroll while basking in the light of the morning sun rising from the sea, and soothing in the gentle moonlight at night.

The beautiful coastline continues to the tidal flats of Morie Bay, where horseshoe crabs live, and almost in the middle of it is Yawata Nada Shrine, which is said to have been founded in 729.
This place has very deep ties to Usa Shrine and Rokugo Manzan in Kunisaki, and the fact that it houses a total of three statues that are said to be the former deities of Usa Shrine: a wooden seated statue of Hachiman in the form of a monk and 2 seated wooden statues of goddesses for a total of 3 is testament to this.
These have also been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

Also, 300m offshore from here is a detached rock called Ichikijima or Ikishima. This is the original shrine of Hachiman Nada Shrine, and is said to be the place where Hime-no-Okami descended, and a small torii gate is installed there.

The Ogumayama Kofun and Otoyama Kofun are large keyhole-shaped and large circular tombs from the early to middle Kofun period, located on a hill in the southeastern part of the Kunisaki Peninsula.

Kogumayama Kofun is a large keyhole-shaped tumulus discovered in 1989, measuring 84m in length and built on the top of Mount Koguma, which is 116m above sea level. It offers a panoramic view of the Saganoseki Peninsula, Sadamisaki Peninsula, and Murozu Peninsula.

Otouyama Kofun is located 500 meters south-southwest of Ogumayama Kofun, and was discovered in 1974. It is a large circular tumulus located on the top of a hill at an altitude of 29 meters.
A variety of figurative clay figures have been excavated, and their ages show the close relationship between the Kinai region and our own region.

The Ogumayama and Otoyama kofun are protected as important historical sites that allow us to learn about the development of the Kofun period in Kyushu from the beginning to the middle period based on the artifacts excavated there.