Iki City

Six Jizo, said to have hollowed bellies.

Harahoge Jizo, Yahataura

Photo by Bakkai (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Kakegi Kofun

Beyond three chambers liesa hollowed-out stone coffin.

This tumulus dates from the late 6th to early 7th century and is one of the six tombs of the Iki Kofun Group designated National Historic Sites. The stone chamber has three rooms: front, middle and burial. In the burial chamber a house-shaped stone coffin, hollowed out of the stone and the only one on the island, remains as it was. Grave goods showing ties with the Korean Peninsula have also been found in large numbers.

Late 6th to early 7th century
Three chambers: front, middle, burial
House-shaped coffin: city-designated

02 ／ Sora's Tomb

Sora, who journeyed with Bashō,ended his days in Katsumoto, Iki.

The haiku poet Kawai Sora (河合曽良) was the disciple who travelled with Matsuo Bashō on the journey of Oku no Hosomichi (『奥の細道』). In Katsumoto, where he ended his days, his grave remains as a city-designated historic site. The town became a friendship city with his birthplace, Suwa in Nagano, in 1994, and a sacred pillar (onbashira) from Suwa Taisha (諏訪大社) was given and stands in Shiroyama Park (城山公園).

1994: Katsumoto and Suwa, friendship cities
2005: Iki and Suwa, sister cities
Grave: city-designated historic site

03 ／ Iki's Foundation Stone

The layer that forms the island's baseis called the "foundation stone."

At Amagahara coast (天ヶ原海岸), on the island's northern tip, cliffs of the Katsumoto Formation (勝本層), the island's bedrock, come into view. Sandstone and mudstone (shale) were laid down in alternating layers; the rock is very brittle and easily split, and the ground nearby is covered with thin, layered fragments. Haibyakushin (ハイビャクシン), a prefectural natural monument, grows around it.

Sandstone and mudstone in alternating layers
Cliffs of the Katsumoto Formation
Haibyakushin colony: prefectural designation

Living here

An island 70 minutes from Hakata by high-speed boat.

about 20,000 people

The town's gateway is Gonoura Port, reached by boat from Hakata Port. A Kyushu Yusen jetfoil takes about 70 minutes and a ferry about 2 hours 20 minutes (July to October 2026 timetable). From Nagasaki Airport to Iki Airport takes about 30 minutes.

People living here: 24,948people
Area: 139.42km²
Households: 9,726households
Rent (average for rentals): 24,955yen
Healthcare: 5 hospitals ／ 15 clinics

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

Children waiting for childcare: —7 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.

Iki City in Japan33.750°N 129.691°E

to HakataKyushu Yusen70min

Travel times follow 島の町の決め（駅の無い町のバスの起点と同じ扱い。上島町〈愛媛〉の書き方に倣う）。事業者公式・九州郵船『時刻表 2026年7月1日〜2026年10月31日』（https://www.kyu-you.co.jp/route/ のPDF）の『博多～壱岐～対馬（厳原）航路超高速船ヴィーナス／ヴィーナス2』で、博多発→壱岐（郷ノ浦）着を読むと、111便 08:00→09:10（70分）・119便 15:45→16:55（70分）。観光公式・壱岐観光ナビのアクセス（https://www.ikikankou.com/access）も『博多港～郷ノ浦港（ジェットフォイル）所要時間：約1時間10分』と書き、事業者の時刻表と一致する。市公式『交通アクセス』（shiyakusho/shokai/3307.html・更新2019-01-29）は『博多港から郷ノ浦港まで約76キロメートル、芦辺港まで約66キロメートル高速船で約1時間』。博多ふ頭第1ターミナルから乗り、乗り換えなしで町内の郷ノ浦港に着く。 (checked 2026-09-30). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 0 municipalities.

Territory of Iki City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

19.3km

Iki City isthis kind of town.

01Six Harahoge Jizo (はらほげ地蔵) stand in the sea at Yahataura (八幡浦); the name is said to come from their hollowed bellies, and they are said to save people from the suffering of the six realms of existence
02The Harunotsuji site (原の辻遺跡), a National Special Historic Site, has been identified as the royal capital of Ikikoku (一支国) recorded in the Chinese chronicle Gishi Wajinden (『魏志』倭人伝), and a human-face stone shaped like a Munch painting drew attention. The Iki City Ikikoku Museum (一支国博物館) stands on a hill overlooking the site
03The six tombs of the Iki Kofun Group are National Historic Sites, and Iki Kagura (壱岐神楽) is a nationally designated folk cultural property. Katsumoto is where the haiku poet Kawai Sora ended his days, and Iki is a sister city of his birthplace, Suwa

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Iki City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗