During the Edo period (1600-1868), Hita was a
Tenryo town, directly controlled by the
Tokugawa Shogunate. With the Meiji Restoration
of 1868, the Prefecture of Hita was
established, with Masayoshi Matsukata as its
governor; in 1871 it was incorporated into Oita
Prefecture as part of the abolishment of clans
and establishment of prefectures. In 1901,
Hita-machi was founded with the amalgamation of
Mameda, a prospering castle town, and Kuma, a
commercial town which had grown wealthy by
selling timber floated down the river as rafts,
and by trading agricultural and wooden
products. The inauguration of Hita-machi
allowed the industry and economy of Hita to
expand, and they did so rapidly. Soon, the time
came for the town to be recognised as a
municipality, and on the 11th of December 1940,
the town of Hita and the villages of Miyoshi,
Takase, Teruoka, Asahi, Mihana and Nishiarita
were amalgamated, and the municipality of Hita
was born. Subsequently, in 1955 five villages
from the neighbouring Hita Country
(Higashiarita, Ono, Otsuru, Yoake and Gowa)
were amalgamated, and in 1956 part of the town
of Kusu in Kusu County (Takenohaya) was also
incorporated, thus forming the city of Hita as
it is today.
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