Kumamoto (熊本市, Kumamoto-shi) is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
As of March 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 731,286 and a population density of 1,880 persons per km². The total area is 389.53 km².
Greater Kumamoto (熊本都市åœ) had a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census. It is not considered part of the Fukuokaâ€"Kitakyushu metropolitan area, despite their shared border. The city was designated on April 1, 2012 by government ordinance.
History
KatÅ 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 Iemitsu in 1632, replacing him with the Hosokawa clan.
The current administrative body of the City of Kumamoto was founded on April 1, 1889.
On February 1, 1991, the towns of Akita, Kawachi, Tenmei and Hokubu (all from HÅtaku District) were merged into Kumamoto.
On October 6, 2008, the town of Tomiai (from Shimomashiki District) was merged into Kumamoto.
On March 23, 2010, the town of JÅnan (also from Shimomashiki District); and the town of Ueki (from Kamoto District) were merged into Kumamoto.
Geography
Climate
Kumamoto has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is much heavier around the summer, especially the months of June and July.
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 ReigandÅ, 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 JÅju-en, a formal garden neighboring Suizenji Temple approximately 3 kilometers southeast of Kumamoto Castle.
A notable shrine is Takahashi Inari Shrine.
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 in Higashi Ward.
The downtown area has a commercial district centred on two shopping arcades, the Shimotori and Kamitori, which extend for several city blocks. The main department stores are located here along with a vast number of smaller retailers, restaurants, and bars. Many local festivals are held in or near the arcades.
Cultural venues include the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art and Kumamoto Prefectural Theater.
Kumamoto has a prefectural mascot, "Kumamon". Kumamon is a black bear with red cheeks.
Economy
Asiana Airlines operates a sales office on the fourth floor of the Asahi Shimbun Daiichi Seimei Building in Kumamoto.
Government
Wards
The mayor is Seishi KÅyama election in the 2006 election.
Since April 1, 2012, Kumamoto has five wards (ku):
- Kita-ku (北区)
- Nishi-ku (西区)
- ChÅ«Å-ku (ä¸å¤®åŒº)
(administrative center) - Higashi-ku (æ±åŒº)
- Minami-ku (å—区)
Transport
Local public transport is provided by the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau. Trams run to a few suburbs near the downtown area. A large bus terminus, called the Kotsu Centre, provides access to both local and intercity destinations. JR Kumamoto station provides rail links to Japan's extensive rail network. On March 12, 2011, work on the shinkansen (high-speed bullet train) network was completed, establishing a direct high-speed rail link to Tokyo via Fukuoka's Hakata terminus. Several local taxi companies serve the Kumamoto metropolitan area and are the only 24-hour public transport in the city.
Kumamoto Airport is located in nearby Mashiki.
Sports
There is a local football club Roasso Kumamoto in J.League.
Sporting events
The Kumamoto Castle Marathon is a yearly event in Kumamoto City. It was established in commemoration of Kumamoto becoming a designated city in 2012.
Education
- Kumamoto University
- Kumamoto Gakuen University
- Kyūshū Lutheran College
- Sojo University
- Prefectural University of Kumamoto
Notable people
- Naochi Fujimori, father of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori
- Inoue Kowashi, statesman
- Kang Sang-jung, political scientist
- Sayuri Ishikawa, enka singer
- Rie Kugimiya, voice actress
- Yuri Masuda, vocalist from the group m.o.v.e
- Higonoumi Naoya, sumo wrestler
- Eiichiro Oda, manga artist, author of One Piece
- Hitomi Tanaka, adult model and porn star
- Momoko Ueda, female professional golfer
- Yokoi ShÅnan, scholar and political reformer
- Isao Yukisada, film director
Sister cities
Kumamoto City is twinned with the following cities.
- Billings, Montana, USA
- Bristol, United Kingdom
- Guilin, China
- Heidelberg, Germany (since 1992)
- Helena, Montana, USA
- San Antonio, Texas, USA (since 1987)
- Ulsan, South Korea (since 2010)
References
External links
- Kumamoto City official website (Japanese)
- Kumamoto City official website (English)
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