- Tobata-ku, Kitakyūshū
Tobata (戸畑区; -ku) is the smallest ward of
Kitakyushu city. Population: 64,330 (national census, 2000).Area: 16.66 km².Tobata's greatest and proudest treasure is the annual festival (matsuri) called the
Tobata Gion Yamagasa festival .History and Geography
In 1899 Tobata-cho (Tobata town) was created, and in 1924 Tobata-shi (Tobata city). The city was merged into
Kitakyushu in 1963. Officially Tobata became a ward of Kitakyushu on April 1, 1963.Part of Tobata ward faces the sea inlet or
firth (Scottish English) calledDokai wan , and the surrounding outer sea is calledHibiki nada . The red-painted bridge between Tobata and Wakamatsu wards is called the Waka-To Ohashi (Great Bridge of Waka-To) and was the first suspension bridge in Asia, completed in 1963. On September 30, 2005 it passed into the control of Kitakyushu city.A new tunnel is being constructed in 2005-8 between Tobata and Wakamatsu wards to link the
Hibiki container terminal with Kokura.Much of this ward, especially the part facing the open sea, is taken up by the
Nippon Steel (Shin Nihon Seitetsu) foundries, blast furnaces, coaling docks etc. though the numbers employed there are greatly reduced since the heyday of steelmaking in the 1960s, from about 25,000 to 8,000 employees.Cultural Tobata
The
West Japan Industrial Club (Matsumoto-tei, a house originally built for and owned by Mr. Matsumoto), a large house and garden adjoining Yomiya park, was designed byTatsuno Kingo who also designedTokyo Station as a monument to Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War. A scene from the 2003 movie "Spy Sorge" (director Masahiro Shinoda) aboutRichard Sorge was shot in the garden,Nearby
Kyushu Institute of Technology (founded by Mr. Matsumoto in 1907) has its oldest campus (the faculty of engineering) in Tobata.The most important annual folk-cultural event is the
Tobata Gion festival designated a national intangible cultural asset, and theKitakyushu city art museum is also here. There are standing exhibits of Western and Japanese art and regularly changing art exhibitions.Sayagatani field and athletic stadium was built by Yahata steel workers and is still used for ball sports (rugby, soccer etc.) and athletics.
Education
*
Kyushu Institute of Technology was founded in Tobata in 1907.Notable People
The notable rugby player
Takuro Miuchi is from Tobata. There is a rugby ground at Astem no Mori, and another at Sayagatani. Miuchi first learned to play rugby at [http://www.geocities.jp/srs1980srs/ Sayagatani rugby school] and later atYahata High School .Transport & Facilities
There are two
JR Kyushu rail stations on theKagoshima Main Line (Kagoshima honsen):Tobata Station andKyushu Koudaimae Station , named afterKyushu Institute of Technology which is seven minutes walk from there. Buses are run by the Nishitetsu company.[http://www.jrf-reit.com/english/portfolio/bukken27.html Tobata Saty] is next to JR Tobata station. It is a kind of local and down-market department store, as compared with Isetan and Izutsuya in nearby
Kokura Kita ward.Wakato ferry is for passengers with bicycles. It is one of the shortest and cheapest ferries in Japan (three minutes, 50 yen).
ee also
Other wards of Kitakyushu:
*Kokura Kita
*Kokura Minami
*Moji
*Yahata Higashi
*Yahata Nishi
*Wakamatsu External links
English
* [http://www.culture-dome.or.jp/FS-E/FESTA/JUL/FESTA_9.HTM Tobata Gion festival]
* [http://www.kyutech.ac.jp/english/tobata/index.html KIT Tobata campus]Japanese
* [http://www5b.biglobe.ne.jp/~tonbo/tindex.html 100 Photos of Tobata]
* [http://www.city.kitakyushu.jp/~tobata/ Tobata ward office] (official page)
* [http://kmma.jp/ Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art]
* [http://www.kitakyu-techno-ctr.co.jp/ Kitakyushu Techno Center]
* [http://www.wel-tobata.jp/ Wel Tobata]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.