Kumamoto, Kumamoto

Infobox City Japan
Name= Kumamoto City
JapaneseName= 熊本市
Map

Region= Kyūshū
Prefecture= Kumamoto Prefecture
District=
Area_km2= 266.26
PopDate= August 1, 2007
Population= 670,113
Density_km2= 2516.76
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 32
LatitudeMinutes= 47
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 130
LongtitudeMinutes= 44
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Ginkgo
Flower= Camellia
Bird=Great Tit
Symbol

SymbolDescription= Flag
Mayor= Seishi Kōyama
CityHallPostalCode= 860-8601
CityHallAddress= 1-1 Tetorisai-machi, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto-ken
CityHallPhone= 096-328-2111
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.kumamoto.kumamoto.jp/ Kumamoto City] nihongo|Kumamoto|熊本市|Kumamoto-shi is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. Greater Kumamoto () 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 ancestors emigrated from Kumamoto early in the 20th century.

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 (Book of Five Rings) whilst living here.

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.

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.

ports

Roasso Kumamoto represents the city in J. League professional football. They play at KKWing Stadium.

Education

*Kumamoto University
*Kumamoto Gakuen University
*Kyushu Lutheran College
*Hilltop International School
*Souzyou University
*Kumamoto prefectural University

ister cities

* Heidelberg, Germany
* Guilin, China
* San Antonio, USA [http://www.sanantonio.gov/iad/kumamoto.asp]
* Kumamoto En, USA [http://www.japanesegardening.org/kumamotoen/index.html]
* Billings, USA
* Helena, USA
* Bristol, United Kingdom

Photo gallery

External links

* [http://www.city.kumamoto.kumamoto.jp/menu-e.html Official site of Kumamoto city]
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* [http://www.kumagaku.ac.jp Kumamoto Gakuen University]
* [http://www2.kumagaku.ac.jp/teacher/~masden/links.html Kumamoto Links]