Kumamoto

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Kumamoto 熊本
—  Core city  —
熊本市 · Kumamoto City
City view of Downtown Kumamoto from Kumamoto Castle
Flag
Location of Kumamoto in Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto
Coordinates: 32°47′N 130°44′E / 32.783°N 130.733°E / 32.783; 130.733
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū
Prefecture	Kumamoto Prefecture
Government
- Mayor	Seishi Kōyama
Area
- Total	266.26 km2 (102.8 sq mi)
Population (August 1, 2007)	670,113
- Density	2,516.76/km2 (6,518.4/sq mi)
City Symbols
- Tree	Ginkgo
- Flower	Camellia
- Bird	Great Tit
Website	Kumamoto City
Phone number	096-328-2111
Address 1-1 Tetorisai-machi, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-ken 860-8601

Kumamoto (熊本市, Kumamoto-shi^?) 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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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

• Kumamoto University
• Kumamoto Gakuen University
• Kyushu Lutheran College
• Hilltop International School
• Souzyou University
• Prefectural University of Kumamoto

Sister cities

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

• Heidelberg, Germany since 1992^[4]
• Guilin, China
• San Antonio, USA [1]
• Kumamoto En, USA [2]
• Billings, USA
• Helena, USA
• Bristol, United Kingdom

Gallery

Kumamoto Castle Keep Tower

View from Kumamoto Castle Keep Tower

Kumamoto Castle at night

Suizenji Park

Notes and references

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kumamoto

• Official site of Kumamoto city
• Kumamoto, Kumamoto travel guide from Wikitravel
• Kumamoto Gakuen University
• Kumamoto Links

v • d • e Kumamoto Prefecture Cities Amakusa | Arao | Aso | Hitoyoshi | Kami-Amakusa | Kikuchi | Kōshi | Kumamoto (capital) | Minamata | Tamana | Uki | Uto | Yamaga | Yatsushiro Districts Amakusa | Ashikita | Aso | Kamimashiki | Kamoto | Kikuchi | Kuma | Shimomashiki | Tamana | Yatsushiro See also: Towns and villages by district