Usuki City

Ieyasu's future advisor washed up here.

De Liefde, William Adams

Photo by Project Kei (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Usuki Stone Buddhas

Japan's first rock-cut Buddhasto become a National Treasure.

Carved from the late Heian to Kamakura periods, the 61 statues across the Hoki, Sannozan and Furuzono groups (ホキ石仏・山王山石仏・古園石仏) were named a Special Historic Site in 1952. In 1995 they became Japan's first rock-cut Buddhas (magaibutsu) to be named a National Treasure, with two more Kongo Rikishi statues added in 2017.

1952: Special Historic Site
1995/6/15: National Treasure (59 statues)
2017: 2 more added (61 total)

02 ／ Nioza and Naora Nobuo

Born in a road cut through tuff rock,he found 'Akashi Man'.

Archaeologist Naora Nobuo (直良信夫) was born in 1902 in the Nioza cutting (二王座), a road carved through volcanic tuff. On April 18, 1931, he found human bones at Nishiyagi Beach in Akashi, Hyogo, which became known as 'Akashi Man' (明石原人). The bones were lost in wartime air raids; only a plaster cast survives today.

1902: born in Nioza
1931/4/18: bones found at Nishiyagi Beach
Bones lost in air raids; a cast survives

03 ／ Usuki Castle

A castle said to be built by Otomo Sorinbecame a National Historic Site in 2025.

Usuki Castle is said to have been built around 1562 by Otomo Yoshishige (Sorin) on Niujima, an island in the bay, and is nicknamed Turtle Castle (亀城) for its shape. Japan's Council for Cultural Affairs recommended it in December 2024, and on March 10, 2025 it became the city's fourth National Historic Site, after the Usuki Stone Buddhas, Shimoyama Tumulus, and Shimofuji Christian Cemetery.

c.1562: said to have been built
2024/12/20: council recommendation
2025/3/10: National Historic Site

Living here

Oita to Usuki: 35 minutes by limited express.

about 40,000 people

Usuki City was formed in 2005 when Usuki merged with Notsu (野津町). The city's gateway is JR Usuki Station, a 10-minute walk from city hall. The Nippo Main Line limited express takes 35 minutes from Oita Station and 2 hours 35 minutes from Kokura. In 2021, Usuki joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy.

People living here: 36,158people
Area: 291.2km²
Households: 14,749households
Rent (average for rentals): 39,721yen
Healthcare: 4 hospitals ／ 31 clinics

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

Population from 2005 onward (municipal boundary changed).2005-01-01 に合併。2005年調査から市域が変わっている。

Children waiting for childcare: —9 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.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Usuki City in Japan33.126°N 131.805°E

Territory of Usuki City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

28.5km

津久見市, 豊後大野市, 佐伯市, 大分市

Travel times per leg are not published by the municipality, so they are not shown.

Usuki City isthis kind of town.

01In 1600, the Dutch ship De Liefde drifted ashore at Usuki's Kuroshima (黒島); survivor William Adams (三浦按針, Miura Anjin) later became Tokugawa Ieyasu's foreign advisor. A replica of the ship's guardian, a statue of Erasmus, now stands on Kuroshima.
02The Usuki Stone Buddhas, Japan's first rock-cut Buddhas to become a National Treasure, and the Nioza cutting where archaeologist Naora Nobuo -- discoverer of 'Akashi Man' -- was born, tell the story of Usuki's past.
03Usuki Castle, said to have been built by Otomo Sorin, became a National Historic Site in 2025.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Usuki City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗