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Kagoshima, Kagoshima

Kagoshima
鹿児島市
Kagoima
Kagomma
Core city
Kagoshima City
From top left: Kagoshima with Sakurajima in background, Statue of Saigō Takamori, Kagoshima Castle, Sengan-en, Statue of Ōkubo Toshimichi, Night view from Mt. Shiroyama
From top left: Kagoshima with Sakurajima in background, Statue of Saigō Takamori, Kagoshima Castle, Sengan-en, Statue of Ōkubo Toshimichi, Night view from Mt. Shiroyama
Flag of Kagoshima
Flag
Official seal of Kagoshima
Seal
Location of Kagoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture
Location of Kagoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima is located in Japan
Kagoshima
Kagoshima
 
Coordinates: 31°36′N 130°33′E / 31.600°N 130.550°E / 31.600; 130.550Coordinates: 31°36′N 130°33′E / 31.600°N 130.550°E / 31.600; 130.550
Country Japan
Region Kyushu
Prefecture Kagoshima Prefecture
Government
 • Mayor Hiroyuki Mori
Area
 • Total 547.05 km2 (211.22 sq mi)
Population (January 1, 2010)
 • Total 605,855
 • Density 1,107.49/km2 (2,868.4/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
– Tree Camphor
– Flower Kyōchikutō
Phone number 099-224-1111
Address 11-1 Yamashita-machi, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken 892-8677
Website www.city.kagoshima.lg.jp

Kagoshima (鹿児島市 Kagoshima-shi?, Japanese: [ka̠ɡ̃o̞ɕima̠]) is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the south western tip of the island of Kyushu in Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern world" for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate, and emblematic stratovolcano, Sakurajima. The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889.

Kagoshima Prefecture (also known as the Satsuma Domain) was the center of the territory of the Shimazu Clan for many centuries. It was a busy political and commercial port city throughout the medieval period and into the Edo period (1603–1867) when it formally became the capital of the Shimazu's fief, the Satsuma Domain. The official emblem is a modification of the Shimazu's kamon designed to resemble the character "市"(shi, means "city"). Satsuma remained one of the most powerful and wealthiest domains in the country throughout the period, and though international trade was banned for much of this period, the city remained quite active and prosperous. It served not only as the political center for Satsuma, but also for the semi-independent vassal kingdom of Ryūkyū; Ryūkyūan traders and emissaries frequented the city, and a special Ryukyuan embassy building was established to help administer relations between the two polities and to house visitors and emissaries. Kagoshima was also a significant center of Christian activity in Japan prior to the imposition of bans against that religion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.


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