Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto

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City in Kyushu, Japan

Hitoyoshi Flag Emblem
Location of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture


Symbols

Bird	Japanese bush-warbler
Flower	Ume
Tree	Oak

Hitoyoshi (人吉市, Hitoyoshi-shi) is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on February 11, 1942.^[1] As of November 2022,^[update] the city has an estimated population of 30,752 and a population density of 144 per km². The total area is 210.55 km².^[2]

It is famous for boat trips on the river and hot springs. Aoi Aso Shrine, one of the National Treasures of Japan, is located in Hitoyoshi.

It is bounded to the north, east, and west by towns of Kuma District, and to the south by Kagoshima Prefecture.

Commerce

Hitoyoshi's main product is rice shochu (an indigenous spirit distilled from rice), or kuma-shochu, which is the official name of rice shochu produced in Kumamoto's Hitoyoshi and Kuma District. This shochu must be produced in these areas from Japanese rice and with water from the Kuma River, which runs through the town. The World Trade Organization granted kuma-shochu geographical indication status in 1994.^[3] The most popular brand is Hakutake Shiro, which currently holds 50% market share on all rice shochu sold in Japan. However, Takahashi Distillery, the producer of Hakutake Shiro, is just one of 28 distilleries in Hitoyoshi in the surrounding region that produce kuma-shochu.

Climate

Hitoyoshi has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, and is heavier in the summer months, especially June and July.

Climate data for Hitoyoshi (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1943−present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	22.3 (72.1)	24.0 (75.2)	26.9 (80.4)	30.4 (86.7)	34.0 (93.2)	34.9 (94.8)	37.0 (98.6)	37.8 (100.0)	36.4 (97.5)	33.2 (91.8)	27.6 (81.7)	22.7 (72.9)	37.8 (100.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	10.3 (50.5)	12.4 (54.3)	16.1 (61.0)	21.3 (70.3)	25.5 (77.9)	27.3 (81.1)	31.2 (88.2)	32.3 (90.1)	29.4 (84.9)	24.4 (75.9)	18.1 (64.6)	12.2 (54.0)	21.7 (71.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.7 (40.5)	6.2 (43.2)	9.8 (49.6)	14.6 (58.3)	19.1 (66.4)	22.4 (72.3)	26.1 (79.0)	26.6 (79.9)	23.6 (74.5)	18.0 (64.4)	11.9 (53.4)	6.3 (43.3)	15.8 (60.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	0.2 (32.4)	1.0 (33.8)	4.5 (40.1)	8.9 (48.0)	13.7 (56.7)	18.7 (65.7)	22.4 (72.3)	22.8 (73.0)	19.5 (67.1)	13.3 (55.9)	7.3 (45.1)	1.9 (35.4)	11.2 (52.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−9.8 (14.4)	−9.1 (15.6)	−6.1 (21.0)	−3.5 (25.7)	3.0 (37.4)	7.8 (46.0)	15.0 (59.0)	15.3 (59.5)	7.4 (45.3)	−0.4 (31.3)	−4.2 (24.4)	−7.8 (18.0)	−9.8 (14.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	75.4 (2.97)	109.0 (4.29)	160.7 (6.33)	177.8 (7.00)	215.6 (8.49)	560.9 (22.08)	491.0 (19.33)	226.3 (8.91)	229.3 (9.03)	108.8 (4.28)	96.9 (3.81)	83.3 (3.28)	2,535 (99.8)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	2 (0.8)	2 (0.8)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1 (0.4)	5 (2)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)	8.0	9.0	11.5	10.5	9.7	15.9	14.0	12.2	10.6	7.2	8.5	8.2	125.3
Average snowy days (≥ 1 cm)	0.6	0.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	1.2
Average relative humidity (%)	76	74	73	72	73	81	81	79	80	79	82	80	78
Mean monthly sunshine hours	123.0	133.9	161.6	175.8	182.1	117.1	167.2	183.5	156.5	163.6	125.6	118.6	1,808.5
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency^[4]^[5]

Tourism

Hitoyoshi Station
Aoi Aso Shrine
SL Hitoyoshi
Hitoyoshi Castle
Kuma River (Japan)
Aoi Aso Shrine in Hitoyoshi
kuma River Rafting
KAJIYA-MACHI STREET
KOYA-MACHI
Sekaiichi Chiisana Bijutsukan Chobit
Eikokuji
MOZOKA station 868

In popular culture

Hitoyoshi is the inspiration for and setting of "Ohitoyo" in the anime Rail Romanesque and the visual novel game that the anime is derived from.

Notable people from Hitoyoshi

Tetsuharu Kawakami, baseball player and manager
Miki Tori, manga artist
Teruyoshi Uchimura, comedian

References

^ "Hitoyoshi's Historical Chronology" (in Japanese). 人吉市政府. Archived from the original on 2006-10-06. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
^ "Hitoyoshi official website" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-12-04.
^ "Branding crops and Geographical indication | The Canon Institute for Global Studies". www.canon-igs.org. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
^ 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
^ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved February 17, 2022.