Kumamoto

Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu, Japan. It is designated as a core city and serves as the prefectural capital, often referred to by the nickname "The Heart of Kyushu." The city is historically significant as the place where the famed swordsman Musashi Miyamoto lived and died in 1645. The writer Lafcadio Hearn resided in Kumamoto for three years beginning in 1891, and the novelist Soseki Natsume lived there from 1896 to 1900. The city is also the birthplace or home of many notable figures. These include pop singer and lyricist Chisato Moritaka, enka singer Sayuri Ishikawa, and pop singer Aimer. In sports, Kumamoto has produced numerous athletes: judoka Masahiko Kimura and Akari Ogata; badminton players Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota; sumo wrestlers Higonoumi Naoya, Shōdai Naoya, and Tochihikari Masayuki; baseball players Yuta Iwasada and Munetaka Murakami; and professional golfer Momoko Ueda. The city is also associated with manga artist Eiichiro Oda, creator of *One Piece*, and with Inoue Kowashi, a prominent statesman. Other residents include the Scottish manga writer Sean Michael Wilson, who has lived in Kumamoto since 2004 and often writes books about the city, and the educator and pacifist Kaji Yajima, who served as president of the WCTU in Japan. The scholar and political reformer Yokoi Shōnan also has ties to the city. The parents of Alberto Fujimori, the 54th President of Peru, were Naoichi and Mutsue Inomoto Fujimori from Kumamoto. The city is also known for the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake.