Kumamoto City

is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto (熊本都市圏) has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 Census. It is not considered part of the Fukuoka-Kitakyushu metropolitan area, despite their shared border.

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<!-- 1633? Tokugawa Ieyasu died in 1616 -->, 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 parents emigrated from Kumamoto to Peru early in the 20th century.

Mergers

• On February 1, 1991 the towns of Akita, Kawachi, Tenmei and Hokubu, all from Hōtaku 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 Jōnan, also from Shimomashiki District; and the town of Ueki, from Kamoto District, were merged into Kumamoto.<ref......
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