- Source: Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture (熊本県, Kumamoto-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 (as of 1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,409 square kilometres (2,861 sq mi). Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture to the northeast, Miyazaki Prefecture to the southeast, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.
Kumamoto is the capital and largest city of Kumamoto Prefecture, with other major cities including Yatsushiro, Amakusa, and Tamana. Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū on the coast of the Ariake Sea, across from Nagasaki Prefecture, with the mainland separated from the East China Sea by the Amakusa Archipelago. Kumamoto Prefecture is home to Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan and among the largest in the world, with its peak 1,592 metres (5,223 ft) above sea level.
History
Historically, the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system. The current Japanese orthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin," or "origin of the bear." However, Man'yōgana-like phonetic transcriptions based on the kanji for "a ball, a sphere" (球 /ku/ ~ /kjū/) and "to polish, to grind, to brush (one's teeth)" (磨 /ma/) are used for the names of the Kuma River (球磨川) and Kuma District (球磨郡). The Kuma element also appears in the ancient Kumaso.
Geography
Kumamoto Prefecture is in the center of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four major Japanese islands. It is bordered by the Ariake inland sea and the Amakusa archipelago to the west, Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture to the north, Miyazaki Prefecture to the east, and Kagoshima Prefecture to the south.
Mount Aso (1,592 m (5,223 ft)), 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
=Fourteen cities are located in Kumamoto Prefecture:
= Towns and villages
=These are the towns and villages in each district:
= Mergers
=Demographics
As of 1 June 2019, the population was 1,748,134 inhabitants with a population density of 236 inhabitants per square kilometre (610/sq mi). The prefecture ranks 23rd in Japan.
Economy
The largest motorcycle production facility in the world is located in Kumamoto.
In 2023, Mitsubishi Electric announced plans to spend 100 billion yen on a new semiconductor factory in Kumamoto, with a target start date of April 2026 to begin production.
= Tourism
=Kumamoto Castle
Mount Aso is one of the world's largest active volcanoes.
Suizenji Park
Tsūjun Bridge, 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 line opened.
Education
= Universities
=National
Kumamoto University
Public
Prefectural University of Kumamoto
Private
Heisei College of Music
Kumamoto Gakuen University
Kumamoto Health Science
Kyushu Lutheran College
Kyushu University of Nursing and Social Welfare
Shokei Gakuin University
Sojo University
Transportation
= Rail
=Hisatsu Orange Railway
JR Kyushu
Hisatsu Line
Hohi Line
Kagoshima Line
Kyushu Shinkansen
Misumi Line
Kumamoto Electric Railway
Kumagawa Railroad
Minami Aso Railway
= Tramway
=Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau
= Road
=Expressways and toll roads
Kumamoto Amakusa Road
Kyushu Chūō Expressway
Kyushu Expressway
South Kyushu Expressway
National highways
Route 3
Route 57
Route 208 (Kumamoto-Tamana-Arao-Ōmuta)
Route 212
Route 218 (Kumamoto-Takachiho-Nobeoka)
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
Kumamoto-Shimabara
Nagasu-Unzen
Reihoku-Nagasaki
Ushibuka-Kuranomoto (Nagashima)
Yatsushiro-Kamiamakusa
= Airport
=Amakusa Airport
Kumamoto Airport
Sports
These sports teams are based in the prefecture:
Professional:
Blaze Kumamoto - Men's association football
Mashiki Renaissance Kumamoto - Women's association football
Roasso Kumamoto - Men's football and J League Second Division
Amateur:
Kumamoto Golden Larks - regional baseball
The Kumamoto Prefecture hosted the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship, having previously hosted the 1997 World Men's Handball Championship.
Sister cities
Kumamoto Prefecture is the 'sister state/prefecture' of Montana in the United States.
Kumamoto has a sister city located in Texas named San Antonio, 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
Aki Yashiro, a popular Japanese singer
Jun Kunimura, 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
Kunio Nakagawa, Japanese Army general
Yuri Masuda, singer
Shodai Naoya, Sumo wrestler
Tomiko Van, singer, vocalist of Do As Infinity
Eiichiro Oda, manga author, creator of One Piece
Yuki Midorikawa, manga author, creator of Natsume's Book of Friends and Hotarubi no Mori e
Tetsuya Noda, 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
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. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
External links
Official website
National Archives of Japan ... Kumamoto map (1891)
Geographic data related to Kumamoto Prefecture at OpenStreetMap
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Prefektur Kumamoto
- Gempa bumi Kumamoto 2016
- Nishi-ku
- Kumamoto Asahi Broadcasting
- Daftar kota di Prefektur Kumamoto menurut jumlah penduduk
- Gunung Aso
- Empat Penyakit Polusi Besar di Jepang
- Jepang
- Hirokatsu Hashimoto
- Jalan Raya Nasional Jepang Rute 3
- Kumamoto Prefecture
- Kumamoto
- History of Kumamoto Prefecture
- Kumamoto Castle
- Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
- Roasso Kumamoto
- Nishigoshi, Kumamoto
- Kaō, Kumamoto
- Tanoura, Kumamoto
- Arao, Kumamoto
