Designated city in Kyushu, Japan
Designated city in Kyushu, Japan
Kumamoto
(
熊本市
,
Kumamoto-shi
)
is the capital
city
of
Kumamoto Prefecture
on the island of
Kyushu
,
Japan
. As of June 1, 2019
[update]
, the city has an estimated
population
of 738,907 and a
population density
of 1,893 people per km
2
. The total area is 390.32 km
2
.
Greater Kumamoto
(
熊本都市?
)
had a population of 1,461,000, as of the 2000 census. As of 2010
[update]
, Kumamoto
Metropolitan Employment Area
has a GDP of US$39.8 billion.
[3]
[4]
It is not considered part of the
Fukuoka?Kitakyushu
metropolitan area, despite their shared border. The city was designated on April 1, 2012, by
government ordinance
.
History
[
edit
]
Early modern period
[
edit
]
Shokuh? period
[
edit
]
Kat? Kiyomasa
, a contemporary of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, was made
daimy?
of half of the (old) administrative region of
Higo
in 1588. Afterwards, Kiyomasa built
Kumamoto Castle
. Due to its many innovative defensive designs, Kumamoto Castle was considered impenetrable, and Kiyomasa enjoyed a reputation as one of the finest castle-builders in Japanese history.
Edo period
[
edit
]
After Kiyomasa died in 1611, his son, Tadahiro, succeeded him. In 1632, Tadahiro was removed by
Tokugawa Iemitsu
and replaced with the
Hosokawa clan
.
Hosokawa Tadatoshi
, the third lord of Kumamoto, was the patron of the artist
[5]
and
swordsman
Miyamoto Musashi
[6]
Late modern period
[
edit
]
Meiji period
[
edit
]
The current administrative body of the City of Kumamoto was founded on April 1, 1889.
Showa period
[
edit
]
On July 1, 1945, near the end of World War II, Kumamoto was bombed in an
Allied air raid
that destroyed one square mile, which was 20% of the city's area.
[8]
Contemporary history
[
edit
]
After World War II
[
edit
]
After the war, the Japanese Buddhist monk
Nichidatsu Fujii
decided to construct a
Peace Pagoda
atop Mount Hanaoka in the city to commemorate all those lost in war and to promote peace.
[9]
Inaugurated in 1954, it was the first of over 80 Peace Pagodas built by Fujii and his followers all over the world.
[10]
Heisei period
[
edit
]
On February 1, 1991, the towns of
Akita
,
Kawachi
,
Tenmei
, and
Hokubu
(all from
H?taku 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
J?nan
(also from Shimomashiki District) and the town of
Ueki
(from
Kamoto District
) were merged into Kumamoto.
[11]
A
series of earthquakes
struck the area beginning April 14, 2016, including a tremor with
moment magnitude
7.1 early in the morning of April 16, 2016.
[12]
Geography
[
edit
]
Climate
[
edit
]
Kumamoto has a
humid subtropical climate
(
Koppen climate classification
Cfa
) with hot, humid summers and cool winters. There is significant precipitation throughout the year, especially during June and July. The average annual temperature in Kumamoto is 17.2 °C (63.0 °F). The average annual rainfall is 2,007.0 mm (79.02 in) with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 28.4 °C (83.1 °F), and lowest in January, at around 6.0 °C (42.8 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Kumamoto was 38.8 °C (101.8 °F) on 17 July 1994; the coldest temperature ever recorded was ?9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on 11 February 1929.
Climate data for Kumamoto (1991?2020 normals, extremes 1890?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
22.5
(72.5)
|
26.4
(79.5)
|
27.4
(81.3)
|
30.7
(87.3)
|
34.4
(93.9)
|
36.1
(97.0)
|
38.8
(101.8)
|
38.5
(101.3)
|
37.0
(98.6)
|
33.7
(92.7)
|
28.9
(84.0)
|
24.6
(76.3)
|
38.8
(101.8)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
10.7
(51.3)
|
12.4
(54.3)
|
16.1
(61.0)
|
21.4
(70.5)
|
26.0
(78.8)
|
28.1
(82.6)
|
31.8
(89.2)
|
33.3
(91.9)
|
30.1
(86.2)
|
25.0
(77.0)
|
18.8
(65.8)
|
12.9
(55.2)
|
22.2
(72.0)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
6.0
(42.8)
|
7.4
(45.3)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
15.8
(60.4)
|
20.5
(68.9)
|
23.7
(74.7)
|
27.5
(81.5)
|
28.4
(83.1)
|
25.2
(77.4)
|
19.6
(67.3)
|
13.5
(56.3)
|
8.0
(46.4)
|
17.2
(63.0)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
1.6
(34.9)
|
2.6
(36.7)
|
5.9
(42.6)
|
10.6
(51.1)
|
15.6
(60.1)
|
20.2
(68.4)
|
24.2
(75.6)
|
24.8
(76.6)
|
21.2
(70.2)
|
14.9
(58.8)
|
8.8
(47.8)
|
3.4
(38.1)
|
12.8
(55.0)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?9.2
(15.4)
|
?9.2
(15.4)
|
?6.9
(19.6)
|
?2.5
(27.5)
|
1.3
(34.3)
|
7.1
(44.8)
|
14.3
(57.7)
|
15.3
(59.5)
|
6.7
(44.1)
|
0.5
(32.9)
|
?3.8
(25.2)
|
?7.9
(17.8)
|
?9.2
(15.4)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
57.2
(2.25)
|
83.2
(3.28)
|
124.8
(4.91)
|
144.9
(5.70)
|
160.9
(6.33)
|
448.5
(17.66)
|
386.8
(15.23)
|
195.4
(7.69)
|
172.6
(6.80)
|
87.1
(3.43)
|
84.4
(3.32)
|
61.2
(2.41)
|
2,007
(79.02)
|
Average snowfall cm (inches)
|
1
(0.4)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
0
(0)
|
1
(0.4)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.5 mm)
|
8.1
|
9.0
|
11.4
|
10.7
|
10.4
|
15.2
|
13.3
|
11.3
|
10.4
|
7.2
|
8.3
|
8.3
|
123.5
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
70
|
67
|
66
|
65
|
67
|
76
|
76
|
72
|
71
|
69
|
72
|
71
|
70
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
133.0
|
141.1
|
169.6
|
184.0
|
194.3
|
130.8
|
176.7
|
206.0
|
176.4
|
187.1
|
153.7
|
143.4
|
1,996.1
|
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency
[13]
|
Area
[
edit
]
Wards
[
edit
]
Since April 1, 2012, Kumamoto has five wards
(ku)
:
Surrounding municipalities
[
edit
]
- Kumamoto Prefecture
Demographics
[
edit
]
Per Japanese census data, the population of Kumamoto in 2020 is 738,865 people.
[14]
Kumamoto has been conducting censuses since 1920.
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1920
| 267,466
| ?
|
---|
1925
| 290,729
| +8.7%
|
---|
1930
| 312,013
| +7.3%
|
---|
1935
| 329,225
| +5.5%
|
---|
1940
| 321,622
| ?2.3%
|
---|
1945
| 389,649
| +21.2%
|
---|
1950
| 413,497
| +6.1%
|
---|
1955
| 454,514
| +9.9%
|
---|
1960
| 474,859
| +4.5%
|
---|
1965
| 502,463
| +5.8%
|
---|
1970
| 534,228
| +6.3%
|
---|
| Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1975
| 574,299
| +7.5%
|
---|
1980
| 619,236
| +7.8%
|
---|
1985
| 654,348
| +5.7%
|
---|
1990
| 680,765
| +4.0%
|
---|
1995
| 708,097
| +4.0%
|
---|
2000
| 720,816
| +1.8%
|
---|
2005
| 727,978
| +1.0%
|
---|
2010
| 734,294
| +0.9%
|
---|
2015
| 740,822
| +0.9%
|
---|
2020
| 738,865
| ?0.3%
|
---|
|
Kumamoto population statistics
[14]
|
Government
[
edit
]
Kazufumi ?nishi has been the city's mayor since December 2014.
[15]
Working mother incident
[
edit
]
In November 2017, Kumamoto politician
Yuka Ogata
was forced to leave the Kumamoto municipal assembly because she had brought her baby.
[16]
The incident was reported by international media as an example of the challenges facing
women in Japan
.
[17]
Transportation
[
edit
]
Local public transport is provided by the
Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau
.
Airways
[
edit
]
Airports
[
edit
]
Kumamoto Airport
is located in nearby
Mashiki
.
Railways
[
edit
]
High-speed rail
[
edit
]
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
station.
- Kyushu Railway Company
(JR Kyushu)
Conventional lines
[
edit
]
The JR
Kumamoto station
provides rail links to Japan's extensive rail network.
- Kyushu Railway Company
(JR Kyushu)
- Kumamoto Electric Railway
Tramways
[
edit
]
Trams run to a few suburbs near the downtown area.
- Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau
A large bus terminus, called the
Kotsu Centre
, provides access to both local and intercity destinations.
Taxi
[
edit
]
Several local taxi companies serve the Kumamoto metropolitan area and are the only 24-hour public transport in the city.
Roads
[
edit
]
Expressways
[
edit
]
Japan National Route
[
edit
]
Seaways
[
edit
]
Seaports
[
edit
]
Ferry
[
edit
]
- Kyusyu Shosen: Kumamoto - Shimabara
- Kumamoto-Ferry: Kumamoto - Shimabara
- Korean Marine Transport: Kumamoto -
Busan
Education
[
edit
]
Universities
[
edit
]
Landmarks
[
edit
]
Kumamoto Castle
[
edit
]
The city's most famous landmark is
Kumamoto Castle
, a large and once extremely well fortified Japanese castle. The
donjon
(castle central keep) is a concrete reconstruction built in the 1970s, but several ancillary wooden buildings from the original castle remain. The castle 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, although 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
daimy?
. This traditional wooden mansion has a fine
Japanese garden
located on its grounds.
Religious sites
[
edit
]
The first of many
peace pagodas
around the world was erected by Japanese Buddhist monk
Nichidatsu Fujii
atop
Mount Hanaoka
beginning 1947.
[18]
Inaugurated in 1954, it was the first of over 80 built by Fujii and his followers all over the world.
[19]
Kumamoto is also the location of
Takahashi Inari Shrine
and
Fujisaki Hachimang?
.
Suizenji area
[
edit
]
Kumamoto is home to
Suizen-ji J?ju-en
, a formal garden neighboring Suizenji Temple approximately 3 kilometers southeast of Kumamoto Castle. Suizenji Park is also home to the Suizenji Municipal Stadium, where the city's
football
team,
Roasso Kumamoto
, used to play regularly. The team now uses the larger
KKWing Stadium
in Higashi Ward.
Other notable sites
[
edit
]
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
Reigand?
, or "spirit rock cave") are situated close by. He penned the famous
Go Rin no Sho
(
The Book of Five Rings
) whilst living here.
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 large 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
.
Culture
[
edit
]
Sports
[
edit
]
Sports teams
[
edit
]
- Baseball
- Football
- Basketball
- Volleyball
Sporting events
[
edit
]
The
Kumamoto Castle Marathon
is a yearly event in Kumamoto City. It was established in commemoration of Kumamoto becoming a
designated city
in 2012.
[20]
The city also hosted the
1997 World Men's Handball Championship
and the
2019 World Women's Handball Championship
.
External relations
[
edit
]
Twin towns/sister cities
[
edit
]
Kumamoto City is twinned with the following cities.
International
[
edit
]
- Bilings
,
Montana
, United States
- Bristol
,
South West England
, United Kingdom
- Guilin
,
Guangxi
, People's Republic of China
- Heidelberg
,
Baden-Wurttemberg
, Germany (since 1992)
[21]
- Helena
,
Montana
, United States
- San Antonio
,
Texas
, United States (since 1987)
[22]
- Ulsan
, South Korea (since 2010)
- Kaohsiung
, Taiwan (since 2017)
[23]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Aimer
, pop singer and lyricist.
- Naoichi and Mutsue Inomoto Fujimori, parents of
Alberto Fujimori
, the 54th
President of Peru
.
- Yuki Fukushima
, Japanese badminton player.
- Lafcadio Hearn
, writer, lived in Kumamoto for three years, from 1891.
- Higonoumi Naoya
,
sumo
wrestler.
- Sayaka Hirota
, Japanese badminton player.
- Inoue Kowashi
, statesman.
- Sayuri Ishikawa
,
enka
singer
- Yuta Iwasada
, Japanese baseball player.
[24]
- Masahiko Kimura
, judoka.
- Kobato Miku, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, singer and creator of the rock band
BAND-MAID
.
- Noriko Kubo
, Japanese female fencer.
- Rie Kugimiya
, voice actress.
- Yuri Masuda
, vocalist from the group
m.o.v.e
.
- Musashi Miyamoto
, famed swordsman, lived and died in Kumamoto, 1645.
- Chisato Moritaka
, pop singer and lyricist.
- Eiichiro Oda
, manga artist, author of
One Piece
.
[25]
- Akari Ogata
, judoka.
- Y?ko Shimada
, actress.
- Go Shiozaki
,
Japanese
professional wrestler
, currently signed to the
Pro Wrestling Noah
promotion and Chairman of the Noah Wrestlers' Association.
[26]
- Sh?dai Naoya
, sumo wrestler.
- Soseki Natsume
, writer, lived in Kumamoto, 1896-1900.
- Tochihikari Masayuki
, sumo wrestler.
- Momoko Ueda
, professional golfer.
- Tadako Urata
, ophthalmologist
- Sean Michael Wilson
, Scottish manga writer, living in Kumamoto since 2004, his books are often about the city.
- Kaji Yajima
, educator, pacifist, president of the
WCTU
in Japan.
- Yokoi Sh?nan
, scholar and political reformer.
- Seiki Yoshioka
,
Japanese professional wrestler
- Isao Yukisada
, film director.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Kumamoto City"
.
JAPAN SHOWCASE
. The Japan Times
. Retrieved
24 October
2015
.
- ^
市長名の?索結果
(in Japanese). Japan Association of City Mayors
. Retrieved
24 October
2015
.
- ^
Yoshitsugu Kanemoto.
"Metropolitan Employment Area (MEA) Data"
. Center for Spatial Information Science, The
University of Tokyo
.
- ^
Conversion rates - Exchange rates
- OECD Data
- ^
"Art of Miyamoto Musashi"
.
ecole-miyamoto-musashi.com
. 2009
. Retrieved
August 12,
2020
.
- ^
Wilson,
The Lone Samurai
, pp. 104?105.
- ^
"Mimasaka. Musashi Miyamoto"
.
Memorial Heiho Niten Ichi Ryu
. 2018
. Retrieved
August 12,
2020
.
- ^
Craven, Wesley; Cate, James, eds. (1953).
The Pacific: Matterhorn to Nagasaki
. The Army Air Forces in World War II. Volume V. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. p. 664.
OCLC
256469807
.
- ^
Kisala, Robert (1999).
Prophets of Peace: Pacifism and Cultural Identity in Japan's New Religions
. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 52?53.
ISBN
9780824822675
.
- ^
Stone, Jacqueline I.
(2003). Queen, Christopher S.; Prebish, Charles S.; Keown, Damien (eds.).
Action Dharma: New Studies in Engaged Buddhism
. Psychology Press. p. 81.
ISBN
9780700715947
.
- ^
"
都道府?別市町村?更情報:福岡
Archived
2010-04-06 at the
Wayback Machine
." kokudo.or.jp. Retrieved on November 22, 2008.
(in Japanese)
- ^
"Japan earthquake: Powerful new tremor in Kumamoto"
.
BBC News
. 2016-04-15
. Retrieved
2016-04-15
.
- ^
?象? / 平年値(年?月ごとの値)
.
Japan Meteorological Agency
. Retrieved
May 19,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Kumamoto population statistics
- ^
市長のプロフィ?ル
(in Japanese). Kumamoto City. 3 December 2014
. Retrieved
24 October
2015
.
- ^
"Japanese politicians force colleague with baby to leave chamber"
.
TheGuardian.com
. 24 November 2017.
- ^
"A Japanese politician took her baby to work. Male colleagues made a fuss. - The Washington Post"
.
The Washington Post
.
- ^
Kisala, Robert (1999).
Prophets of Peace: Pacifism and Cultural Identity in Japan's New Religions
. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 52?53.
ISBN
9780824822675
.
- ^
Stone, Jacqueline I. (2003). Queen, Christopher S.; Prebish, Charles S.; Keown, Damien (eds.).
Action Dharma: New Studies in Engaged Buddhism
. Psychology Press. p. 81.
ISBN
9780700715947
.
- ^
Kumamoto Castle Marathon website
Information on 2013 Kumamoto Castle Marathon
Archived
2012-11-01 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Twinning"
. City of Heidelberg. Archived from
the original
on 2011-06-10
. Retrieved
2009-11-12
.
- ^
City of San Antonio International Relations Office. Retrieved 12 October 2011
- ^
"Kumamoto Prefecture - the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)"
.
- ^
"熊本出身の阪神岩貞7回0封、3?連?2桁K?らず"
[Kumamoto native Hanshin Iwasada 7 innings 0 shutout, 3 consecutive double-digit K fruitless].
Nikkan Sports
(in Japanese). April 16, 2016
. Retrieved
June 7,
2024
.
- ^
"Destination: Paradise"
.
apricot.com
. Retrieved
June 7,
2024
.
- ^
"Go Shiozaki"
.
Cagematch
. Retrieved
June 7,
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Kumamoto
.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for
Kumamoto
.
Links to related articles
|
---|
|
---|
| ※
also a
prefectural capital
;
†
eligible for core city status but not yet nominated;
☆
to become core cities
|
|
---|
2,000,000 and more
| |
---|
1,000,000?1,999,999
| |
---|
500,000?999,999
| |
---|
200,000?499,999
| |
---|
|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Geographic
| |
---|
Academics
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|