Saito City

Rebuilding, a monk carved five Buddhas.

Gochi Nyorai, Mokujiki Gochikan

Photo by Saigen Jiro (Public domain)

01 ／ Hyuga Kokufu Site

Pottery inked with what can also be read as“provincial kitchen” (国厨) comes from the site.

This is an ancient government office site (官衙) on a river terrace formed by the Hitotsuse River. The area enclosed by a tsuiji earthen wall (築地) from the late 9th to the early 10th century is estimated at about 96m north-south and about 120m east-west. Some of the ink-inscribed pottery unearthed can also be read as “provincial kitchen” (国厨), suggesting that this was the provincial capital.

National Historic Site (designated 2005)
Walled area estimated at about 96m by 120m
Pottery that can also be read as “provincial kitchen” (国厨)

02 ／ Tonokori Castle Site

Five enclosures, divided from one anotherby dry moats that still clearly survive.

The ruins were the seat of the Ito clan, and the main section, the five-enclosure castle (五城郭), is also called “Ukifune-jo” (浮舟城). It consisted of five enclosures, the Honmaru, Ninomaru, Sannomaru, Nishi-no-jo and Oku-no-jo, plus a dozen or more small waist enclosures. Earthen ramparts about 1m high survive around the Honmaru, and about 2m high from the east to the north side of the Ninomaru.

National Historic Site (designated 2000)
Five enclosures and a dozen or more small ones
Ramparts about 1m (Honmaru) and about 2m (Ninomaru)

03 ／ Sugiyasu Weir

A headman's son began work on a waterwayand weir to draw water from the Mera River.

Kodama (児玉久右衛門) was born in 1689 (Genroku 2), the son of a village headman in the Hokita (穂北) district. Unable to ignore the dry land, he began the work; the first stage was completed in 1722 (Kyoho 7), irrigating 14 cho (町歩), and the second, in 1750 (Kanpo 3), reached over 80 cho of paddy, later growing to 600 cho.

Work began 1720 (Kyoho 5)
Stage 1: 14 cho (Kyoho 7)
Stage 2: over 80 cho of paddy (Kanpo 3)

Living here

58 minutes from Miyazaki Station by route bus.

about 30,000 people

There is no railway station in the city; Miyazaki Kotsu route buses link Miyazaki Station and Saito Bus Center. On the timetable revised on 1 October 2026, many weekday down services from Miyazaki Station take 58 minutes. The city also runs community buses and reservation-based shared taxis.

People living here: 28,610people
Area: 438.79km²
Households: 11,783households
Rent (average for rentals): 33,821yen
Healthcare: 5 hospitals ／ 24 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —20 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Saito City in Japan32.108°N 131.401°E

to MiyazakiLocal bus58min

Travel times follow 宮崎交通の路線別時刻表『2-02 宮崎駅・宮交シティ〜西都、国立東病院（路線番号200・202・215・220）』（2026-10-01 改正〔PDFのファイル名が 2-02_20261001〕。宮崎交通公式の時刻表一覧 https://www.miyakoh.co.jp/rosen/timetable-rosen.html から読んだ）。平日の宮崎市街〜西都（下り）は、宮崎駅に停まる便の宮崎駅発→西都BC着が 10:35→11:33・11:00→11:58・11:50→12:48・12:50→13:48・13:36→14:34・14:46→15:44・15:31→16:29・16:25→17:23 のどれも58分、17:50→18:51 が61分。土日祝は 9:56→10:55（59分）・10:00→10:59（59）・11:20→12:21（61）・12:30→13:29（59）・14:20→15:21（61）ほか全13便が59〜61分。上り（西都BC発→宮崎駅着）は平日 7:40→8:51（71分）・8:30→9:29（59）・8:50→9:49（59）・10:30→11:26（56）・11:30→12:26（56）・12:30→13:26（56）・14:10→15:06（56）・15:00→15:56（56）・16:20→17:16（56）・17:00→17:59（59）、土日祝は10便すべて57分 (checked 2026-10-06). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 8 municipalities.

Territory of Saito City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

35.8km

西米良村, 木城町, 国富町, 新富町, 宮崎市, 美郷町, 椎葉村, 高鍋町

Saito City isthis kind of town.

01The five Gochi Nyorai statues at Mokujiki Gochikan, on the Hyuga Kokubunji Site (a National Historic Site), are Hosho, Yakushi, Dainichi, Amida and Shaka. The monk Mokujiki carved them in the Edo period during the rebuilding of the burned provincial temple. They are a prefecturally designated tangible cultural property, in kaya wood with joined-wood construction, about 3m tall.
02The Hyuga Kokufu Site and the Tonokori Castle Site are both National Historic Sites. The Saitobaru Kofun Group (a Special Historic Site) has about 300 mounds on its plateau, and Oni-no-Iwaya (鬼窟古墳) is a round tomb with a stone chamber exposed in its mound. The Saitobaru group is a component of the Japan Heritage story 'Monuments of the Ancients' (古代人のモニュメント).
03Sugiyasu Weir was begun by Kodama, a headman's son. The hunting tools of the former Higashimera Village are a nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property, and Shiromi Kagura is part of the nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property 'Mera no Kagura'.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Saito City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗