Tuban was formerly an important port in the Majapahit era and is mentioned in Chinese records from the eleventh century.

The town's name has been derived from the following story: a mythical pair of birds flying from Majapahit to Demak dropped a precious heirloom stone on the town thereafter named Tuban based on the Javanese phrase "waTU tiBAN atau meTU BANyu", which means "stone fallen from the sky".

Another explanation refers to flooding ("TU BANyu" meaning "water streaming out") that occurred when the aristocratic Islamic scholar Raden Dandang Wacana entered the Papringan Forest, discovering an old well near the seaside that miraculously contained freshwater.

Voluntary Service Overseas posted several ELT volunteers to train local counterparts from 1989 onwards, followed by teachers from Volunteers in Asia, all warmly received as the only Westerners (called Londo, derived from the Javanese word for Belanda = Dutch) in the town.

Besides, there are many recreational sites worth visiting, such as Goa Ngerong, a natural swimming pool called Pemandian Alam Bektiharjo, a waterfall named Air Terjun Nglirip, and the beach and pier for young couples, Pantai Boom.

Historically, the Tubanese used tuak as a strategic weapon against the colonial invaders, who were unable to fight when inebriated.

Tuak and a kind of gin named arak are also served at traditional dance parties known as Tayuban or Sindiran, at which heavily made-up and padded female entertainers called Waranggono sing satirical songs and dance with paying males until the break of dawn, accompanied by a small gamelan orchestra.

One of the most notable of these entertainers, Nyi Sumini, was selected as one of five representatives to perform at Jakarta's Taman Mini Indonesia Indah Park.

The first female candidate in Tuban's history, Haeny Relawati, won and the instigator of the riots has been imprisoned.

A construction permit was officially obtained from a local authority, and many Islamic organizations in Tuban did not object to the construction of the statue, however, some religious extremists outside Tuban tried to create religious discrimination by making a comparison of the Kwan Sing Tee Koen and Sudirman statues.