Kurume, Fukuoka

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
Location of Kurume in Fukuoka Prefecture
Kurume Location in Japan
Coordinates: 33°19′N 130°31′E / 33.317°N 130.517°ECoordinates: 33°19′N 130°31′E / 33.317°N 130.517°E
Country	Japan
Region	Kyushu
Prefecture	Fukuoka Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Toshinori Narahara (since February 2010)
Area
• Total	229.84 km^2 (88.74 sq mi)
Population (February 1, 2010)
• Total	303,277
• Density	1,319.51/km^2 (3,417.5/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Cinnamomum camphora, Zelkova serrata, Rhus succedanea, Camellia, Round Leaf Holly
• Flower	Azalea, Cosmos
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Hall Address	15-3 Jonan, Kurume-shi, Fukuoka-ken 830-8520
Website	www.city.kurume.fukuoka.jp

Kurume (久留米市 Kurume-shi) is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 303,277 and a population density of 1,319.51 persons per km². The total area is 229.84 km².

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.

Traditional products

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

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^[1]
• Modesto, California, United States^[2]
• Hefei, Anhui, China^[3]

Notable people born or raised in Kurume

In chronological order of birth year:

• George Shima (1864–1926), "Potato King" of California.^[4][5]
• 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.^[6]
• Harue Koga (1895-1933), eclectic avant-garde artist and poet.
• Susumu Fujita (1912–1990/91), actor.^[7]
• Leiji Matsumoto (1938–present), manga artist, anime character designer and animator.^[8]
• Ryo Ishibashi (1956–present), actor.^[9]
• Seiko Matsuda (1962–present), singer and actress.^[10]
• Fumiya Fujii (1962–present), lead vocalist of The Checkers (Japanese band).^[11]
• Izumi Sakai (1967–2007), lead vocalist of Zard; born in Kurume, but raised in Kanagawa.^[12]
• Rena Tanaka (1980–present), actress.^[13]

See also

• Chikugo River

References

1. "姉妹都市（国内）". Kurume city. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
2. "姉妹都市（海外）". Kurume city. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
3. "友好都市". Kurume city. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
4. Kim, Hyung-chan. (1999). Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary, pp. 316-317., p. 316, at Google Books
5. Hata, Don and Nadine. "George Shima: The Potato King of California" (PDF). Journal of the West. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2012.
6. About the Founder | ISHIBASHI FOUNDATION
7. 藤田 進(フジタ ススム)とは - コトバンク
8. asahi.com : 「メーテル役は小雪さんに」松本零士さん、松山で講演 - マイタウン愛媛
9. PROFILE｜石橋 凌 (いしばしりょう) OFFICIAL WEBSITE
10. "日本のシンガーTOP30 - 第7位" (in Japanese). HMV Japan. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015.
11. 男の履歴書　藤井フミヤ｜インライフ
12. Group Future: ZARD & Sakai Izumi Profiling (Profiling ZARD and Izumi Sakai). Art Book Hon no Mori, 2000. ISBN 4-87693-550-5 (ISBN ), ISBN 978-4-87693-550-5 (ISBN ) (Japanese)
13. 田中麗奈 OFFICIAL WEBSITE

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• 久留米アート.info » 久留米市の歴史と秘話