Hofu City

A shrine keeps long-crowing black fowl.

Kurokashiwa, Tamanooya Shrine

Photo by Shidax (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Suo Kokuga Ruins

The "Bo" of Hofu comes from Suo,and the "Fu" from kokufu, the provincial capital.

A kokuga was the office where provincial governors carried out government. The Suo Kokuga ruins cover about 92,500 square meters south of Mt. Tatara and were designated a National Historic Site in 1937. The designated area includes the government-office zone, where the main buildings are thought to have stood, and the Funadokoro and Hamanomiya districts, believed to be the site of the provincial port.

Suo Kokuga ruins: National Historic Site (designated 1937)
Designated area: about 92,500 sq m
Place names Kokuga, Tatara, Mure and Kachima remain in the city

02 ／ Mitajiri Salt

In Tohoku, salt is also saidto have been called "mitajiri."

From 1699, the Hagi Domain began large-scale salt making at Mitajiri. Its six irihama (tide-fed) salt fields were known as the Mitajiri Rokkasho-hama, and the salt was shipped mainly by Kitamaebune trading ships to the San'in, Hokuriku and Tohoku regions. The fields were ordered closed in 1959; a kamaya (boiling house) chimney stands in the memorial park.

Mitajiri Rokkasho-hama: six irihama salt fields
Salt-making tools: 73 items, Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property
Closure of the salt fields decided in 1959

03 ／ Ushigae Ritual

At Setsubun, a lotterycan win a live ox and its ritual role.

At Hofu Tenmangu's Setsubun festival, the Ushigae ritual has long been held. Prizes drawn by lottery include a live sacred ox, and whoever wins it takes the role of the sacred ox pulling the palanquin in that year's Gojinko-sai procession, also called the Hadakabo Festival.

Setsubun festival: February 2 and 3 each year
Gojinko-sai: fourth Saturday of November
The sacred ox pulls the Ajiro palanquin

Living here

On the Hofu plain, the old provincial capital and its Kokubunji temple.

about 110,000 people

Hofu lies near the center of Yamaguchi Prefecture, facing the Seto Inland Sea. Close to the Kokuga ruins stands Suo Kokubunji, whose main hall has kept its original site since the temple's founding. The island of Mukoshima to the south is a National Natural Monument, a habitat of tanuki, and has had the Nishiki Bridge since 1950, replacing the ferry.

People living here: 113,979people
Area: 189.37km²
Households: 48,858households
Rent (average for rentals): 43,123yen
Healthcare: 10 hospitals ／ 83 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.

Shape

Borders 2 municipalities.

Hofu City in Japan34.051°N 131.563°E

Territory of Hofu City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

25.8km

山口市, 周南市

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

Hofu City isthis kind of town.

01Tamanooya Shrine in Osaki, Hofu, is the ichinomiya of Suo Province and keeps kurokashiwa fowl (黒柏鶏) in its grounds. They are long-crowing black Japanese chickens, a National Natural Monument, and a monument marks the site as their birthplace. On the eve of the annual festival, the Urate Ritual, resembling sumo, has been held.
02The city's name comes from the Suo provincial capital (kokufu), and the Suo Kokuga ruins are a National Historic Site. Nearby Suo Kokubunji has kept its main hall's position since its founding, and Mitajiri once had irihama salt fields. The 73 salt-making tools are an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property.
03Hofu Tenmangu, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, is known for its Gojinko-sai, called the Hadakabo Festival. The haiku poet Taneda Santoka was born in Hofu, and the city has more than 80 haiku monuments. Mukoshima to the south is a National Natural Monument as a habitat of tanuki.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Hofu City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗