is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, Miyazaki Prefecture to the southeast, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

is the capital and largest city of Kumamoto Prefecture, with other major cities including

Yatsushiro is a city located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Geography Located at the geographic center of Kyushu, Yatsushiro City is situated on the aptly named Yatsushiro Sea in between Kumamoto and Ashikita City. Climate Yatsushiro has a humid subtro ...

Amakusa , which means "Heaven's Grass," is a series of islands off the west coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. Geography The largest island of the Amakusa group is Shimoshima, which is 26.5 miles long and 13.5 mi ...

, and Tamana. Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū on the coast of the

Ariake Sea The is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters (165 ft) deep, and ext ...

, across from

Nagasaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,314,078 (1 June 2020) and has a geographic area of 4,130 km2 (1,594 sq mi). Nagasaki Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the northeast. N ...

, with the mainland separated from the East China Sea by the Amakusa Archipelago. Kumamoto Prefecture is home to Mount Aso, the largest active

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...

in Japan and among the largest in the world, with its peak above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

History

Historically, the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese

orthography An orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation. Most transnational languages in the modern period have a writing system, and ...

for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin", or "origin of the bear".

Geography

Kumamoto Prefecture is in the center of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four major Japanese islands. It is bordered by the

Ariake Ariake (有明: "daybreak") may refer to: Places in Japan *Ariake, Kagoshima, a former town in Kagoshima Prefecture *Ariake, Kumamoto, a former town in Kumamoto Prefecture *Ariake, Saga, a former town in Saga Prefecture *Ariake, Tokyo, a district w ...

inland sea and the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

to the west,

and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south. Mount Aso (), an extensive active volcano, is in the east of Kumamoto Prefecture. This volcano is located at the centre of the Aso caldera. As of 31 March 2019, 21% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as natural parks: the Aso Kujū and Unzen-Amakusa National Parks; Kyūshū Chūō Sanchi and Yaba-Hita-Hikosan Quasi-National Parks; and Ashikita Kaigan, Itsuki Gokanoshō, Kinpōzan, Misumi-Ōyano Umibe, Okukuma, Shōtaisan, and Yabe Shūhen Prefectural Natural Parks.

Cities

Minamata City Central from Nakaoyama 2020

Fourteen cities are located in Kumamoto Prefecture:

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Mergers

Demographics

the population was 1,748,134 inhabitants with a population density of . The prefecture ranks 23rd in Japan.

Economy

There is a

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

motorcycle plant.

Tourism

* Mount Aso is one of the world's largest active volcanoes. *

Kumamoto Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle ...

* Suizenji Park *

Tsūjun Bridge Tsūjun Bridge (通潤橋 ''-kyō'') is an aqueduct in Yamato, Kumamoto, Japan. It is an arch bridge completed in 1854 and is 84.0m long. The arch spans 27.3m. It is the largest stone aqueduct in Japan. The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affa ...

, the largest stone aqueduct in Japan is in Yamato The prefecture has a mascot named " Kumamon", a black bear with red cheeks, who was created to attract tourists to the region after the

Kyushu Shinkansen The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima ( Kagoshima-Chuo St ...

line opened.

Education

Universities

National

* Kumamoto University

Public

* Kumamoto Prefectural University

Private

Kumamoto Gakuen University called Gakuendai (学園大) or Shōdai (商大), is a private Japanese university in Kumamoto, Japan. It was established in 1942, at which time Eastern Language Vocational College (東洋語学専門学校 ''Tōyō Gengo Senmon Gakkō'') wa ...

* Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare * Kyushu Lutheran College * Kumamoto Health Science * Shokei Gakuin University * Sojo University *

Heisei College of Music is a private university in Mifune, Kumamoto, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of J ...

Transportation

Rail

* JR Kyushu **

Kagoshima Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its tw ...

** Hohi Line **

Hisatsu Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Yatsushiro on the Kagoshima Main Line to Hayato station, Kirishima on the Nippo Main Line. From 1909 the line was the original rail conne ...

Misumi Line is a railway line in Kyushu, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Uto Station in Uto, Kumamoto Prefecture with Misumi Station in Uki Uki or UKI may refer to: *Uki Goñi, writer, journalist and musician *Uki ...

Kumamoto Electric Railway The is a public transport company in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is abbreviated as or . The company was founded in 1909. The company operates railway and bus lines. Lines * Kikuchi Line (菊池線) ** Kami-Kumamoto — Miyoshi: * Fu ...

* Kumagawa Railroad *

Minami Aso Railway The is a Japanese railway line in Kumamoto Prefecture, between Tateno Station, Minamiaso, and Takamori Station, Takamori. This is the only railway line operates. As the company name suggests, the line traverses the south part of Mount Aso ca ...

Hisatsu Orange Railway is a third-sector railway company which operates Hisatsu Orange Railway Line in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. The line follows the former part of the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line that connected Yatsushiro and Sendai in Kumamoto and Kago ...

Tramway

* Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau

Road

Expressways and toll roads

* Kyushu Expressway * South Kyushu Expressway * Kumamoto Amakusa Road

National highways

* Route 3 * Route 57 * Route 208 (Kumamoto-Tamana-Arao- Ōmuta) * Route 212 * Route 218 (Kumamoto- Takachiho-

Nobeoka is a Cities of Japan, city located in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 119,521 and a population density of 138 persons per km². The total area is . History The city was offici ...

) * Route 219 * Route 265 * Route 266 * Route 267 (Hitoyoshi- Isa- Satsuma- Satsumasendai) * Route 268 * Route 324 * Route 325 (Yamaga-Minamiaso-Takamori-Takachiho) * Route 387 * Route 388 ( Saiki-Nobeoka-Unomae) * Route 389 * Route 442 * Route 443 * Route 445 * Route 501 (Ōmuta-Arao-Udo) * Route 503

Ports

Ferry routes

- Shimabara * Nagasu- Unzen * Ushibuka- Kuranomoto (

Nagashima was a series of fortresses and fortifications controlled by the Ikkō-ikki, a sect of warrior monks in Japan's Sengoku period who opposed samurai rule. It was attacked and destroyed by Oda Nobunaga in the 1570s. This, combined with the surrende ...

) *

- Kamiamakusa * Reihoku- Nagasaki

Airport

Kumamoto Airport , also known as , is an airport in Mashiki, Kumamoto, Japan. History The first Kumamoto Airport opened in 1960 on the site of a former Imperial Japanese Army air base and had a 1,200 m runway. It was replaced by the current Kumamoto Airport i ...

* Amakusa Airport

Sports

These sports teams are based in the prefecture: *Professional: **

Roasso Kumamoto is a Japanese football club based in Kumamoto, the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture. The club currently plays in the J2 League, which is the second tier of football in the country. ''Roasso'' is a portmanteau of the Italian words ''rosso'' a ...

- Men's football and J League Second Division **Blaze Kumamoto - Men's

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

**Mashiki Renaissance Kumamoto - Women's association football *Amateur: **Kumamoto Golden Larks - regional baseball The Kumamoto Prefecture hosted the

2019 World Women's Handball Championship The 2019 IHF World Women's Handball Championship, the 24th event hosted by the International Handball Federation, was held in Japan from 30 November to 15 December 2019. The Netherlands won their first title after defeating Spain in the final. ...

, having previously hosted the 1997 World Men's Handball Championship.

Sister cities

Kumamoto Prefecture is the 'sister state/prefecture' of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

in the United States. Kumamoto has a sister city located in Texas named

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, which holds an annual fall festival 'akimatsuri' for its Japanese citizens. In 2015 the mascot, 'Kumamon' visited as an honorary ambassador during the festival located at the Japanese Tea Gardens.

Notable people

Jun Kunimura is a Japanese actor who has performed in Japan, Hollywood and Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in the South Korean horror film ''The Wailing (film), The Wa ...

, a popular Japanese actor * Tetsu Komai, a Hollywood actor * Kazuaki Kiriya, a filmmaker * Kimeru, a pop artist * Miku Kobato, founder and vocalist of Band-Maid *

Moe Kamikokuryou is a Japanese pop singer and model. She is a fourth-generation member of the idol pop group Angerme. Biography Moe Kamikokuryo was born on October 24, 1999, in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. In November 2015, Kamikokuryo was chosen as the sole fo ...

, a Japanese idol *

Yuri Masuda , better known by her stage name yuri, is a Japanese singer, best known as a vocalist of the Japanese band m.o.v.e. She began her musical career at 19 years old in 1996, and released her first song as a solo artist in 1997, the Eurobeat song “PA ...

, singer * Shodai Naoya, Sumo wrestler *

Tomiko Van , is a Japanese pop singer and occasional actress. She is as a member of the band Do As Infinity (DAI), along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split. Career Do As Infinity Beginnings as solo a ...

, singer, vocalist of

Do As Infinity Do As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as DAI, alluding to the fact that ...

* Eiichiro Oda, manga author, creator of ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual cha ...

'' *

Yuki Midorikawa is a Japanese Mangaka, manga artist. She is primarily known for her shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga works in the magazines ''LaLa'' and ''LaLa DX'', published by Hakusensha. Her most successful works have been ''Hotarubi no Mori e'', which rece ...

, manga author, creator of '' Natsume's Book of Friends'' and '' Hotarubi no Mori e'' *

Tetsuya Noda is a contemporary artist, printmaker and educator.
Government of Japan, Embassy of J ...

, contemporary artist * Katsuhiro Ueo, drifting driver * Ichiki Tatsuo, journalist and defector in the Indonesian National Revolution * Madoka Hisagae, female Japanese fencer * Hitomi Tanaka, pornographic actress in Japanese * Kenta Matsumoto, vocalist and bassist of WANIMA * Koushin Nishida, guitarist of WANIMA * Kouki Fujiwara, drummer of WANIMA

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 58053128

External links

* * National Archives of Japa
... Kumamoto map (1891)
* {{Authority control Kyushu region Prefectures of Japan