is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1972. As of January 31, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 59,296, with 22,059 households and a population density of 1,303.21 persons per km2. The total area is 45.50 km2. It is bounded by Kurume to the south, Saga Prefecture to the east, Chikushino to the north, and Chikuzen, Tachiarai and what used to be Kitano to the west. It has seven stations on the Nishitetsu Tenjin Ōmuta Line. Attractions Kyushu Historical Museum Tanabata Shrine Nyōirin Temple, also known as temple of the frog Notable residents Maki Itoh - professional wrestler, idol Misa Eguchi - tennis player Masahiro Nakatani - baseball player Hikaru Naomoto - footballer Kazuyuki Hoashi - baseball player References External links Cities in Fukuoka Prefecture