Coordinates	27°46′23″N82°38′24″N
name	Kyushu
image name	Japan kyushu map small.png
image caption	Kyushu region of Japan and the current prefectures on the island of Kyushu
native name	九州
native name link	Japanese language
location	East Asia
archipelago	Japanese Archipelago
area km2	35640
rank	37th
highest mount	Kujū-san
elevation m	1788
country	Japan
country admin divisions title	Prefectures
country admin divisions	Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Ōita, Saga
country largest city	Fukuoka
country largest welcome city population	1,400,000
population	13,231,995
density km2	332.38
ethnic groups	Japanese }}

is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands.

In the 8th century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region.

Kyushu has a population of 13,231,995 (2006) and covers .

Geography

The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mt Aso at , is on Kyushu. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso, in central Kyushu.

The name ''Kyūshū'' comes from the nine ancient provinces of Saikaidō situated on the island: Chikuzen, Chikugo, Hizen, Higo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyūga, Osumi, and Satsuma.

Today's is a politically defined region that consists of the seven prefectures on the island of Kyushu and also Okinawa Prefecture to the south:

Northern Kyushu

* Fukuoka Prefecture

* Saga Prefecture

* Kumamoto Prefecture

* Nagasaki Prefecture

* Ōita Prefecture

Kagoshima Prefecture

Miyazaki Prefecture

Okinawa Prefecture

The world’s 37th largest island by area, Kyushu is smaller than Spitsbergen but larger than New Britain and Taiwan. By population, it ranks 13th, having fewer inhabitants than Borneo or Sulawesi, but more than Salsette (Mumbai) or Cuba.

Economy and environment

Parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate, particularly Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures. Major agricultural products are rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and soy; silk is also widely produced. The island is noted for various types of porcelain, including Arita, Imari, Satsuma, and Karatsu. Heavy industry is concentrated in the north around Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, and Oita and includes chemicals, automobiles, semiconductors, and metal processing.

In 2010 the graduate employment rate in the region was the lowest nationwide, at 88.9%.

Besides the volcanic area of the south, there are significant mud hot springs in the northern part of the island, around Beppu. These springs are the site of occurrence of certain extremophile micro-organisms, that are capable of surviving in extremely hot environments.

Education

Major universities and colleges in Kyushu:

National universities

* Kyushu University - One of seven former "Imperial Universities"

* Kyushu Institute of Technology

* Saga University

* Nagasaki University

* Kumamoto University

* Fukuoka University of Education

* Oita University

* Miyazaki University

* Kagoshima University

* National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya

* University of the Ryukyus

Universities run by local governments

* University of Kitakyushu

* Kyushu Dental College

* Fukuoka Women's University

* Fukuoka Prefectural University

* Siebold University of Nagasaki

* Nagasaki Prefectural University

* Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences

* Prefectural University of Kumamoto

* Miyazaki Municipal University

* Miyazaki Prefectural Nursing University

* Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts

Major private universities

* Fukuoka University - University with the largest number of students in Kyushu

* Kumamoto Gakuen University

* Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

* Seinan Gakuin University

* Kyushu Sangyo University - Baseball Team won the National Championship in 2005

* University of Occupational and Environmental Health

* Kurume University

See also

Azumi people, an ancient group of people who inhabited parts of northern Kyūshū

Geography of Japan

Group Kyushu

Kanmonkyo Bridge connects Kyūshū with Honshū

Kyushu National Museum

List of regions in Japan

Notes

References

Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0-674-01753-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

Category:Islands of Japan

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was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position.

He was a skilled general and the victory against Ito clan at the battle of Kizakibaru on 1572 is counted as one of his many victories. He contributed greatly to the unification of Kyūshū. On 1587, facing Toyotomi Hideyoshi's troops that sought to pacify Kyūshū, Yoshihiro pressed for a war even after his brother and the head of clan Yoshihisa surrendered. After Yoshihisa repeatedly asked for the surrender, Yoshihiro finally did surrender. After Yoshihisa became a Buddhist monk, it had been believed that he became the head of the clan but the real power remained in Yoshihisa's hands.

He had been a willing and a skillful general for Hideyoshi. On both 1592 and 1597 of the Seven-Year War, Yoshihiro set his foot on the Korean peninsula and successfully carried out a series of battles. On 1597, working together with Todo Takatora, Katō Yoshiaki and Konishi Yukinaga, Yoshihiro defeated Won Kyun's navy. At the Battle of Sacheon (泗川) in 1598, facing Ming army counting 37,000, Yoshihiro defeated them with only 7,000 soldiers. Shimazu troops under Yoshihiro were called "Oni-Shimazu (literal translation-Shimazu demons or Shimazu ogres)" by Ming. On the final battle of the war, the Battle of Noryang, Yoshihiro's objective was to cross the Noryang Strait, link up with Konishi and retreat to Japan. The Korean admiral Yi Soon Shin that had obstructed Yoshiaki was killed by him at sea. And, he rescued all Japanese commanders, and returned to Japan.

For the Battle of Sekigahara on 1600, Yoshihiro was supposed to take the side of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but he was crushed by Torii Mototada on arriving for a rescue at Fushimi Castle and after being humiliated, took the side of Ishida Mitsunari instead. Yet Yoshihiro could not get along with Mitsunari as well, who did not listen to any of Yoshihiro's plan including surprise night attack on the day before the actual battle. On the day of the battle, Yoshihiro and his troop of 1500 simply held ground and did not fight at all. After the rest of Mitsunari's side was wiped out, Yoshihiro was stranded in at least 30,000 of Ieyasu's troop. Vastly outnumbered, Yoshihiro tried to make a charge against Ieyasu himself but after Shimazu Toyohisa demanded that he not kill himself over a meaningless battle, Yoshihiro instead chose to charge straight through Ieyasu's troop to make an exit at the other side. By having his troop make a fighting retreat called ''Sutegamari''(捨て奸) where until certain number of men died holding a position and repelling an attack, the main body of army fought as well. Toyohisa and the bulk of troop died, but the charge and the retreat was a success and fatally wounded Ii Naomasa. After beating back the chase, he picked up his wife at Sumiyoshi of Settsu Province and returned to Satsuma Province by ships.

After recognizing why and how Yoshihiro behaved on the battle field, Ieyasu had Shimazu clan retain its domain and let Yoshihiro's son Shimazu Tadatsune succeed him. Yoshihiro retired to Sakurajima and took up teaching younger generations. He died in 1619 and several of his retainers who had fought alongside him followed him by committing suicide.

Yoshihiro was essential to the Shimazu clan and both Ieyasu and Hideyoshi tried to divide the clan by treating Yoshihiro well, but treating the elder brother Yoshihisa badly, which did not succeed. He was a devoted Buddhist, and built a monument for enemy troops during the Seven-Year War.

Yoshihiro in Popular Culture

See People of the Sengoku period in popular culture.

References

In popular culture

''See People of the Sengoku period in popular fiction.''

Category:1535 births Category:1619 deaths Category:Daimyo Category:People from Satsuma Domain Category:Shimazu clan

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Coordinates	27°46′23″N82°38′24″N
name	Hōjō Tokimune北条 時宗
order	8th Shikken
blank1	Title
data1	Shikken, Tokuso, Rensho(執権, 得宗, 連署)
blank2	Clan name
data2	Heishi, Hōjō Clan, Adachi House(平氏、北条氏, 安達氏)
blank3	Given names
data3	Masatoshi, Sagamitaro, Tokimune (正寿, 相模太郎, 時宗)
blank4	Posthumous names
data4	Houkouji (宝光寺殿道杲)
term start	1268
term end	December 17, 1284
spouse	Kakusanni (覚山尼)
children	Hōjō Sadatoki (北条貞時)
relations	''Siblings:''Hōjō Tokisuke, Hōjō Munemasa (時輔, 宗政, 宗頼)
birth date	June 05, 1251
death date	April 20, 1284
death place	}}

of the Hōjō clan was the eighth ''shikken'' (officially ''regent'', but ''de facto'' ruler of Japan) of the Kamakura shogunate (reigned 1268–84), known for leading the Japanese forces against the invasion of the Mongols and for spreading Zen Buddhism and by extension Bushido among the warrior class.

Life

Born as the eldest son of the regent and Tokuso Tokiyori of the Adachi House, Tokimune was groomed to become the next ruler of Japan, and became a ''shikken'' at age 18.

It is due to him that Zen Buddhism became firmly established in Kamakura, then later in Kyoto, and in the whole of Japan, especially among the warrior class.

In 1271, he banished Nichiren to Sado Island.

Defiance of Mongols

The Mongols had sent a threatening letter and emissaries to Japan in January 1268, after discussing the letter, Tokimune decided to have the emissaries sent back with no answer. They resent emissaries time and time again, March 7, 1269, Sept 17, 1269, Sept 1271 and May 1272. But Tokimune had the emissaries of Kubilai Khan driven away, without even permission to land each time. Soon after came the first invasion in 1274. But even after the failed invasion, five emissaries were sent in September 1275 sent to Kyūshū, refusing to leave without reply. Tokimune responded by having them sent to Kamakura and then beheading them. The graves of 5 executed Mongol emissaries exists to this day in Kamakura at Tatsunokuchi. Then again on July 29, 1279, 5 more emissaries are sent, and again beheaded, this time in Hakata. Expecting an invasion, on Feb 21, 1280, Imperial Court orders all temples and shrines to pray for victory over the Mongol Empire. Kubilai gathered up troops for another invasion in 1281, which again was a failure due to typhoon.

Zen Advice

The Mongol invasion had been stopped by a typhoon (''Kamikaze'' or "divine wind"), and the resistance of the new warrior class known as samurai. Tokimune planned and led the defence. Tokimune wanted to defeat cowardice, so he asked Bukko (his Zen master) for advice. Bukko replied he had to sit in meditation to find the source of his cowardice in himself.

When the Mongols invaded Japan Tokimune went to Bukko and said: "Finally there is the greatest happening of my life." Bukko asked, "How do you plan to face it?" Tokimune screamed "''Katsu!''" ("Victory!") as if he wanted to scare all the enemies in front of him. Bukko responded with satisfaction: "It is true that the son of a lion roars as a lion!"

When Tokimune died, Bukko said he had been a bodhisattva, looked at people's welfare, betrayed no signs of joy or anger and studied Zen so that he reached enlightenment.

Citations in modern media

NHK's 2001 taiga miniseries named Hōjō Tokimune highlighted the dramatic events just prior to Tokimune's birth and up to his death in 1284. Tokimune was portrayed by Kyogen actor, Motoya Izumi.

References

See also

Taiheiki

Mongol invasions of Japan

Bushido

Category:1251 births Category:1284 deaths Tokimune Category:Kamakura shoguns Category:Regents of Japan Category:People of Kamakura period Japan

ar:هوجو توكيمونه ca:Hōjō Tokimune cs:Hódžó Tokimune de:Hōjō Tokimune es:Hōjō Tokimune ko:호조 도키무네 id:Hōjō Tokimune nl:Hojo Tokimune ja:北条時宗 no:Hōjō Tokimune pl:Tokimune Hōjō ru:Ходзё Токимунэ zh:北條時宗