is the capital
city of
Kumamoto Prefecture on the
island of
Kyūshū,
Japan. Greater Kumamoto (
:ja:熊本都市圏) has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 Census. It is never considered part of the
Fukuoka-Kitakyushu metropolitan area despite both bordering each other.
History
Kato Kiyomasa, a contemporary of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was made
daimyo of half of the (old) administrative region of
Higo in
1588. After that, Kiyomasa built
Kumamoto Castle. Due to its many innovative defensive designs, Kumamoto Castle was considered impregnable, and Kiyomasa enjoyed a reputation as one of the finest castle-builders in Japanese history. After Kiyomasa died in
1611, his son, Tadahiro, succeeded him, but Tadahiro was removed by
Tokugawa Ieyasu in
1633, replacing him with the
Hosokawa clan. Former
Prime Minister of Japan Hosokawa Morihiro is a direct descendant of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto. Another famous politician, former president of Peru
Alberto Fujimori, also has roots in Kumamoto; Fujimori's parents emigrated from Kumamoto to Peru early in the 20th century.
The city absorbed the town of
Tomiai on
October 6,
2008. A planned
merger of municipalities will be implemented around March 31, 2010; the City of Kumamoto will be merged with the
Shimomashiki District town of
Jonan and the
Kamimashiki District town of
Mashiki.
["." kokudo.or.jp. Retrieved on November 22, 2008.]Landmarks
The city's most famous landmark is
Kumamoto Castle, a large and, in its day, extremely well-fortified Japanese castle. The
donjon (castle central keep) is a concrete reconstruction built in the 1970s, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle, which was assaulted during the
Satsuma Rebellion and sacked and burned after a 53-day
siege. It was during this time that the tradition of eating
basashi (raw
horse meat) originated.
Basashi remains popular in Kumamoto and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Japan, though these days it is usually considered a delicacy.
Within the outer walls of Kumamoto Castle is the Hosokawa Gyobu-tei, the former residence of the Higo
daimyo. This traditional wooden mansion has a fine
Japanese garden located on its grounds.
Miyamoto Musashi lived the last part of his life in Kumamoto. His tomb and the cave where he resided during his final years (known as Reigando, or "spirit rock cave") is situated close by. He penned the famous
Go Rin No Sho (
The Book of Five Rings) whilst living here.
Kumamoto is also home to
Suizen-ji Jōju-en, a formal garden neighboring Suizenji Temple approximately 3 kilometers southeast of Kumamoto Castle. Suizenji Park is considered to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, together with
Kenroku-en in the city of
Kanazawa,
Ishikawa Prefecture,
Kairaku-en in
Ibaraki Prefecture and
Koraku-en in
Okayama Prefecture.
Suizenji Park is also home to the Suizenji Municipal Stadium, where the city's
football team,
Roasso Kumamoto used to play regularly, but nowadays they use the larger
KKWing Stadium, northeast of the city.
Economy
Asiana Airlines operates a sales office on the fourth floor of the Asahi Shibun Daiichi Seimei Building in Kumamoto.
Administration
The current administrative body of the "City of Kumamoto" was founded on
April 1,
1889.
Transport
Local public transport is provided by the
Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau.
Kumamoto Airport is located in nearby
Mashiki.
Education
Sister cities
Gallery
Notes and references
