is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Japan. As of November 1, 2004, it had a population of 128,057 people, making up 9.2% of

Fukuoka City is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

, with an area of 16.02 km². At the time of Fukuoka City's official designation as a City in 1972, the area now known as Jōnan-ku was part of the larger ward of Nishi-ku. On May 1, 1982, Nishi-ku was subdivided into the three smaller wards of Nishi-ku,

Sawara-ku is one of the wards in Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken, Kyūshū, Japan. Data *Population: 213,178 people (as of January 1, 2012) *Area: 95.88 square kilometers (the largest in Fukuoka-shi) History On April 1, 1889, Fukuoka-shi was founded. The n ...

and Jōnan-ku. Located southwest of the downtown area of Tenjin, Jōnan-ku is a primarily residential area. Despite its proximity to downtown Fukuoka, Jōnan-ku has suffered from a lack of transport infrastructure, leading to congested roads and difficult access to the rest of the city. The Nanakuma Line of the

Fukuoka Subway The serves Fukuoka, Japan. It consists of three subway lines, the Kūkō, or Airport Line, the Hakozaki Line and the Nanakuma Line). The lines are operated by the Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau. Unlike most other public operators in Japa ...

opened in 2005, improving traffic flow in the area. Like most of

, the construction in Jōnan-ku is relatively recent, as the area consisted mostly of fields after

World War 2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, lacking even paved roads. The result has been a crowded jumble of roads, houses, apartment buildings and businesses, with no real centre to the ward. A few large parks help to create a peaceful atmosphere. Jōnan-ku is home to

Fukuoka University Fukuoka University is a private research university located in Fukuoka, Japan. The university has nine faculties with a total of around 20,000 students, 800 of whom are foreign. Its two campuses are in Nanakuma and Kitakyushu. Fukuoka Universit ...

, whose students are everpresent during the school year and help support a growing number of local convenience stores. The St Sulpice Great

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

of Fukuoka is another notable landmark, having been built in the 1950s and serving to train Japanese

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priests from Kyūshū. Historical sites include

Kikuchi Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Kikuchi, Kumamoto Prefecture, in which Kikuchi Taketoki (菊池武時, 1292 – April 27, 1333), Kikuchi Takeshige (菊池武重, 1307?-1338?) and Kikuchi Takemitsu (菊池武光, – 1373) are enshrined. It is o ...

and Yūsentei Park.

Gallery

File:Kikuchi Yoshiyuki 2.jpg, Portrait said to be of Kikuchi Yoshiyuki,

File:Fukuoka-university.jpg,

File:Befu Stationmark.jpg, Stations of

File:Yusentei Park 07.jpg, Yūsentei Park Wards of Fukuoka {{Fukuoka-geo-stub