Kurume (久留米市, Kurume-shi) is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579[1] and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km².

This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2015)

Kurume 久留米市
Core city
From the upper left: Nishitetsu Kurume Station, city hall, Suitengu shrine, Kora-taisha shrine, Narita-san temple Ishibashi bunka center, JR Kurume Station
Flag Emblem
Location of Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture
Kurume Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°19′N 130°31′E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Fukuoka Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Toshinori Narahara (since February 2010)
Area
• Total	229.96 km2 (88.79 sq mi)
Population  (June 1, 2019)
• Total	303,579
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	15-3 Jonan, Kurume-shi, Fukuoka-ken 830-8520
Climate	Cfa
Website	www.city.kurume.fukuoka.jp
Symbols
Flower	Azalea, Cosmos
Tree	Cinnamomum camphora, Zelkova serrata, Rhus succedanea, Camellia, Round Leaf Holly

On February 5, 2005, the town of Kitano (from Mii District), the towns of Jōjima and Mizuma (both from Mizuma District), and the town of Tanushimaru (from Ukiha District) were merged into Kurume.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Climate

Kurume has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa). The average annual temperature in Kurume is 16.8 °C (62.2 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,938.4 mm (76.31 in) with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.2 °C (82.8 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.6 °C (42.1 °F).[2] The highest temperature ever recorded in Kurume was 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) on 13 August 2018; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −6.5 °C (20.3 °F) on 25 January 2016.[3]

Neighboring municipalities

Fukuoka Prefecture

• Yame
• Asakura
• Ukiha
• Okawa
• Chikugo
• Ogōri
• Ōki
• Hirokawa
• Tachirai

Saga Prefecture

• Tosu
• Kanzaki
• Miyaki

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kurume in 2020 is 303,316 people.[4] Kurume has been conducting censuses since 1960.

Industry

Traditional products

Traditional products of Kurume are kasuri(絣), or woven indigo-dyed cloth; tonkotsu ramen (pork-bone broth noodles); and trays and bowls made from rantai shikki (籃胎漆器), a composite made from lacquered bamboo.

Shrines and Temples

Kurume boasts a number of historic Shinto shrines and temples including:

• Suiten-gu shrine-dedicated to the God of Water, a highly central deity to Shinto, water is used in purification rituals known as misogi
• Bairin-ji Temple, known for its ancient plum trees and its particular ascetic form of zen meditation.

Flora and Fauna

The Kurume Azalea is the flower of the city and blooms from mid-April to early May, there is a park dedicated to them known as the Kurume Forest Azalea Park.

Education

Universities

• Kurume University
  • Kurume University Hospital
• Kurume Institute of Technology
• St.Mary's College
• Kurume Shin-Ai Women's College

Transport

Kurume Station is served by the Kyushu Shinkansen and Kyudai Main Line east to Oita, while Nishitetsu Kurume Station is served by the Nishitetsu Amagi Line.

Sister cities

Kurume is twinned with these cities.

• Kōriyama, Fukushima, Japan[5]
• Modesto, California, United States[6]
• Hefei, Anhui, China[7]

Notable people born or raised in Kurume

In chronological order of birth year:

• Tanaka Hisashige (1799-1881) Engineer and Inventor who started the company which became Toshiba.
• George Shima (1864–1926), "Potato King" of California.[8][9]
• Shigeru Aoki (1882–1911), Western-style artist.
• Shōjirō Ishibashi (1889–1976), founder of Bridgestone Corporation, which originated in Kurume as traditional footwear manufacturers, producing the sock-like shoe (jika-tabi) used by farmers; they found that by coating the bottom of tabi with rubber, farmers could be protected from the invasion of parasitic worms that live in rice paddies.[10]
• Harue Koga (1895–1933), eclectic avant-garde artist and poet.
• Susumu Fujita (1912–1990/91), actor.[11]
• Leiji Matsumoto (1938–present), manga artist, anime character designer and animator.[12]
• Seiji Sakaguchi (1942-present), Japanese professional wrestler and judoka
• Ryo Ishibashi (1956–present), actor.[13]
• Seiko Matsuda (1962–present), singer and actress.[14]
• Fumiya Fujii (1962–present), lead vocalist of The Checkers (Japanese band).[15]
• Izumi Sakai (1967–2007), lead vocalist of Zard; born in Kurume, but raised in Kanagawa.[16]
• Rena Tanaka (1980–present), actress.[17]
• Kanikapila 7 piece Pop Band.
• Leo Ieiri (1994–present), singer, songwriter.[18]^{[circular reference]}

See also

• Chikugo River

References

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kurume.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kurume, Fukuoka.

• Official website (in Japanese)
• 久留米アート.info » 久留米市の歴史と秘話. kurume-art.info. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21.

На других языках

[de] Kurume

[es] Kurume

[ru] Куруме