The area of Hikai was part of an ancient
Suō Province and traces of settlements dating to the
Yayoi period have been found. Murozumi Bay used to be called Mitarai Bay, and was a key point for maritime traffic on the
Seto Inland Sea in ancient times. The name comes from the legend that
Empress Jingū washed her hands in this bay when she was on her way to conquer the
Korean Peninsula. In addition, the
Silla expeditionary force led by
Otomo Satehiko found shelter here when it was caught in a storm. During the
Edo Period, the area was part of the holdings of
Chōshū Domain and prospered as a port-of-call for the
kitamaebune coastal trade. Following the
Meiji restoration, the villages of Mitsui, Shimada, Mii and Asae within
Kumage District, Yamaguchi was established with the creation of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. These municipalities were merged for the town of Shunan on April 1, 1939. The town was renamed Hikari on October 1, 1940, On April 1, 1943 Hikari merged with the town of Murozumi to form the city of Hikari.
Military The Hikari Naval Arsenal (or Dockyard) included a
fire-control factory, built in 1942, that employed about 600 people. It was one of the principal establishments for producing the Standard H.A. System (Type 94
Kosha Sochi) at the rate of ~15 per month, along with bomb components,
torpedo afterbodies, and misc. machined parts. The
Imperial Japanese Navy formed the Second Special Attack Force (former First Special Base Unit) on March 1, 1945, at Hikari for conducting
kaiten attacks. Rear Admiral Nagai Mitsuru was the
Commanding Officer. On that same day, a
kaiten crew training unit is also formed at
Hirao, SE of Hikari. The Hikari Naval Arsenal was consequently bombed the next day on August 14, 1945 (one day before the end of war), taking 738 lives. The attacking U.S. aircraft were 156
B-29 bombers stationed in
Saipan, supported by
P-51 Mustangs from
Iwo Jima. Including this bombing, Hikari lost more than 1,200 citizens in
World War II, both military and civilian.
Postwar On July 1, 1955 Hikari annexed the village of Suō. On October 4, 2004, the town of
Yamato (from Kumage District) was merged into Hikari. The former Hikari Naval Arsenal is now the sites for
Nippon Steel Corporation and
vaccine manufacturing by
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. Takeda discovered the hull of a Type 4 Kaiten under one of the buildings in August 1989, an attestation to the history of the site. ==Government==