Kumamoto

(2002 est. pop. 1.9 million). Kumamoto Prefecture is situated in the western region of Japan's island of Kyushu, where it occupies an area of 7,408 square kilometers. Its main geographical features are the active volcano Asosan, a generally mountainous south and northeast encircling a broad central plain, and part of the Amakusas, a group of about one hundred offshore islands. Kumamoto is bordered by the Amakusa Sea and by Fukuoka, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima Prefectures. Once known as Higo Province, it assumed its present name and borders in 1876.

The prefecture's capital is Kumamoto city, the Higo Province seat of power since the seventh century. In 1588, Kato Kiyomasa (1562–1611) was assigned to restore order after a long samurai uprising. In 1607, he completed Kumamoto Castle, one of Japan's most massive fortresses. The city later came under the control of the Hosokawa family and then was a Meiji era (1868–1912) military post. Today the city is home to Kumamoto University. The prefecture's other important cities are Yatsushiro, Arao, and Hitoyoshi.

Excavations of the prefecture's numerous ornamented tombs, similar to the wall-mural tombs of the Asian continent, indicate cultural exchanges during ancient times. During the Kofun period (300–710 CE), this was Kumaso tribe territory. Various warlords ruled from the late eighth century until the late sixteenth century. In 1637, Kyushu's Shimbara uprising of discontented peasants and masterless samurai spread to the Amakusa Islands, a hiding place for persecuted Japanese Christians.

In present-day Kumamoto Prefecture, the primary economic activity is agriculture, with rice, vegetables, and fruit, particularly mandarin oranges, the chief crops. Also important are dairy and livestock herding, as well as forestry. The regional industrial base is relatively small. Visitors are drawn by the volcano Asosan and the coastal scenery of the Amakusa Islands.

"Kumamoto Prefecture." (1993) Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha.