Kumamoto, Kumamoto

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Kumamoto City**
**熊本市**
Kumamoto City's location in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kyūshū
Prefecture	Kumamoto Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	266.26 km² (102.80 sq mi)
Population (as of August 1, 2007)
Total	670,113
Density	2,516.76 /km² (6,518 /sq mi)
Location	32°47′N, 130°44′E
Symbols
Tree	Ginkgo
Flower	Camellia
Bird	Great Tit
Flag
Kumamoto City Government Office
Mayor	Seishi Kōyama
Address	〒860-8601 1-1 Tetorisai-machi, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-ken
Phone number	096-328-2111
Official website: Kumamoto City

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.

1 History
2 Landmarks
3 Administration
4 Transport
5 Sports
6 Education
7 Sister cities
8 Photo gallery
9 External links

[edit] 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 ancestors emigrated from Kumamoto early in the 20th century.

[edit] 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.

Kumamoto is also home to Suizenji-Jōjuen, 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.