Hyūga

Hyūga is a port city in central Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan, bordered by the Hyūga Sea to the east and the Kyushu Mountains to the west. It is known for producing Go stones and for beaches that are popular with surfers, and part of its ria coastline around Cape Hyūga with its hexagonal pillar rocks lies within the Nippō Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The city takes its name from the historical Hyūga Province, and legend in the Nihon Shoki says Emperor Keikō named it after watching the sunrise over the ocean. Artifacts up to about 30,000 years old have been found here. The present city was formed in 1951 and enlarged by a merger with Tōgō in 2006. With about 57,700 residents in 2023, it is the fourth largest city in the prefecture and a major industrial centre with chemical plants, smelting and titanium production.