Northeast Japan Quake And Tsunami

Thank you to all who have sent me an email asking how I am.  Miyazaki is very far from the area affected.  My family and I are safe, healthy, and happy.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I've been busy at work and with family obligations.

Please click on the disaster relief icon and make a donation to the Red Cross.  They are doing an awesome job.

Thank you,

Daniel Rea

Update: Japan Red Cross Link has been removed.  Thank you to all who helped with your prayers, kindness, and kind words of support.  頑張って日本。(May 8, 2012)

Another Thank You

I wish to thank Mr. Ichiro Sakita (崎田一郎さん) at the Saitobaru Burial Mounds Museum today for his time to answer questions about the Hayato/ Kumaso/ Yamato, and the historical periods in Miyazaki.

This man went above expectations.  He provided books, videoes, and academic journals.  Thank you so much, ありがとうございます、崎田さん.

Big Thank You

I wish to thank Miyazaki City and Saitobaru Burial Mounds for allowing me to link their sites.  I am very encouraged that they enjoy the site and have read my posts and provided me with some corrections and more information.  Also thank you for suggesting books to consult.  This is very kind and valuable.  This shows the pride the people of Miyazaki have for not only their beautiful prefecture but for their history as well.  Thank you so very much to JR Kyushu for emailing the history of the main stations in the prefecture as well.

Mayor Tojiki and Governor-Elect Kono are working very hard for the people of Miyazaki and exiting Governor Higashikokubaru will be very missed.

Together we work for mutual benefit - 宜しくお願いします.

Miyazaki Station



Original Miyazaki Station January 1914



I wish to thank the station master at Miyazaki Station for having JR Kyushu email me this picture.  The station opened December 1913 and was destroyed in bombing during WWII.  People used to picnic on the massive grounds and Miyazaki's festivals during the year took place there.  Miyazaki is the largest station in the prefecture and is the main station to travel to Kagoshima, Nobeoka, Nichinan, and Oita.

The station was rebuilt in 1946 and was extensively remodeled in 1967 and in 1993.  The rebuilt station's entry was lined with over 50 haniwa, and two are still in the central garden in the bus round-about.  Miyazaki's first Mister Donuts and KFC opened in the station in 1976.

Important People From Miyazaki



Mansho Ito (1570 - 1612)

Born in Tonokori which is present day Saito, Mansho was selected by the Catholic faithful Daimyo of Oita Lord Otomo to be the head diplomat to an embassy that visited Pope Gregory XIII in 1586.  During the embassy trip Mansho won great respect of the Vatican and helped to advance the mission work of the Jesuits and Franciscans in Hyuga as well as all Kyushu.  Mansho also helped to assure Vatican help for the missions through more funding as the Catholic population in Japan was (and still is) so small.  He died from a long bout of pneumonia in Nagasaki.  One of his several graves is on the grounds of the Tonokori Castle ruins in Saito.  Others are in Obi, Nagasaki, and Oita.  A memorial of his emabassy trip is in Nagasaki where one of his bones is entombed in the monument, it was erected during the Meiji Era.  The Nagasaki memorial to Mansho is one of the most revered by Catholics and non-Catholics alike in Nagasaki.



Tanetatsu Akizuki (1833 - 1904)

The final of the Akizuki Daimyo of the Takanabe Domain, he was born in Takanabe.  Akizuki was selected to be vice president of the Kogisho, the precursor to the modern Japanese Diet.  He supported the abolition of the Council of Lords (daimyo) and supported Emperor Meiji's plans for rapid modernization and more open trade with Western and Asian nations.  Akizuki worked closely with Saigo Takamori until Saigo split with the reform government.

Jutaro Komura (1855 - 1911)

Born in Obi to a merchant family, Komura attended the clan school and went onto graduate from the prestigious Imperial University in Tokyo.  He was one of the first students to study abroad after graduation, he received a law degree from Harvard.  As one of the most skilled diplomats in Japan, Komura was an ambassador to Britain and helped negotiate the treaties of Portsmouth and Peking in 1905 that ended the Russo-Japanese War.



Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa
(1886 - 1966)

Born in the Koyu District of Takanabe, Ozawa was an able cadet at Japan's Naval Academy.  He also studied naval warfare at Anapolis.  He gained the nickname "The Gargoyle" because of his seriousness and stern disposition.  His first assignment as an officer was aboard destroyers based in Nagasaki Navy Yards.  During World WarII he made distinction for his command in the Philippine Theatre and was vice commander of Navy forces during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.  Upon return to the mainland he was promoted as the final Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet.  After the war he was known for his charity work and for his support of Miyazaki becoming an industrial center.