Kumamoto is the capital and largest city of Kumamoto Prefecture, with other major cities includingYatsushiro,Amakusa, andTamana.[4] Kumamoto Prefecture is located in the center of Kyūshū on the coast of theAriake Sea, across fromNagasaki Prefecture, with the mainland separated from theEast China Sea by the Amakusa Archipelago. Kumamoto Prefecture is home toMount Aso, the largest activevolcano in Japan and among the largest in the world, with its peak 1,592 metres (5,223 ft) abovesea level.
Historically, the area was calledHigo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during theMeiji Restoration.[5] The creation of prefectures was part of theabolition of the feudal system. The current Japaneseorthography for Kumamoto literally means "bear root/origin," or "origin of the bear." However,Man'yōgana-like phonetic transcriptions based on thekanji 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 theKuma River (球磨川) andKuma District (球磨郡). TheKuma element also appears in the ancientKumaso.
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 theAso caldera.
As of 1 June 2019,[update] 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.
The largestmotorcycle production facility in the world is located in Kumamoto.[7]
In 2023,Mitsubishi Electric announced plans to spend 100 billion yen on a newsemiconductor factory in Kumamoto, with a target start date of April 2026 to begin production.[8]
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 theKyushu Shinkansen line opened.[9][10]
Kumamoto Prefecture is the 'sister state/prefecture' ofMontana in theUnited States.
Kumamoto has a sister city located in Texas namedSan 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.
^自然公園都道府県別面積総括 [General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture](PDF) (in Japanese).Ministry of the Environment. 31 March 2019. Retrieved3 August 2019.
