Kumamoto, Kumamoto
Encyclopedia : K : KU : KUM : Kumamoto, Kumamoto
Kumamoto (熊本市; -shi) is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 669,034 and a density of 2,507.91 persons per km². The total area is 266.77 km².
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 ancestors emigrated from Kumamoto early in the 20th century.
The city's most famous landmark is Kumamoto Castle, a large, and in its day, an 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. The castle was besieged during the Satsuma Rebellion, and was sacked and burned after a 53-day siege. It was during this time that the tradition of eating raw horse meat was born, and basashi (raw horse meat) remains popular in Kumamoto and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Japan.
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 in its grounds.
Miyamoto Musashi lived the last part of his life in Kumamoto.
Kumamoto city is home to Suizenji-Joujuen, a formal garden neighbouring the Suizenji Temple approximately 3 kilometres southeast of Kumamoto Castle. Suizenji Koen is considered to be one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan, together with Kenroku-en in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and the gardens Kairaku-en and Koraku-en.
The current administrative body of the "City of Kumamoto" was founded on April 1, 1889.
Education
- Kumamoto University
- Kumamoto Gakuen University
- Kyushu Lutheran College
Kumamoto in Fiction
- Akira Kurosawa was granted permission to use the castle at Kumamoto for one of the three castles in his 1985 epic film Ran.
- In the episode Emissary, Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) remarks that when his wife Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao) saw their quarters she spoke of going to visit her mother in Kumamoto.
- Kumamoto Castle, Suizenji Park, and parts of Mt. Aso were used as filming locations for the 2003 movie Last Samurai. source: Kumamoto Film Commission
Photo gallery
Sister cities
External links
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| Cities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Amakusa | Arao | Aso | Hitoyoshi | Kami-Amakusa | Kikuchi | Kumamoto (capital) | Minamata | Tamana | Uki | Uto | Yamaga | Yatsushiro | |||
| Districts | |||
| Amakusa | Ashikita | Aso | Kamimashiki | Kamoto | Kikuchi | Kuma | Shimomashiki | Tamana | Yatsushiro | |||
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