Intro to Kumamoto and the anniversary of the Kumamoto Christian Band

If you were unaware I have moved away from Tokyo and am now living in Kumamoto city. Kumamoto definitely has a different feel then Tokyo did since Kumamoto is considered a "rural" city and is much smaller then Tokyo. At the same time I am saying "rural" because that is its classification here in Japan but the city has over 1,817,426 residence and wouldn't be considered rural in America. To put things in perspective for you my suburban home city in Illinois, Lombard, is only comprised of approximately 52,098 people. So for me Kumamoto is far from the rural city that I was told about or think of when I hear the word "rural".

The city of Kumamoto is part of the Kumamoto Prefecture (shown in red) on the island of Kyushu in South Japan.

Inside the downtown Kumamoto mall. It is very large and is almost always busy with people.

The old style trolly, Densha でんしゃ in Japanese, just outside one of the entrances to the open air mall in downtown Kumamoto

Overall I have been in Kumamoto for just over a month now and I think I can say that I love it here. Yes there are a few things about Kumamoto that I don't like or wish would be more like Tokyo, but I think my new home for the next few years is awesome. Especially since I can now say my town has a famous mascot that is ranked number one out of over 300 mascots in all of Japan. His name Is Kumamon and he is a giant black bear with red cheeks. kumamoto's name stands for land of bears in Japanese (Kuma means Bear) and Kumamon くまモン, with Kuma in the name, means Bear person or Bear monster.

Kumamon hanging out on the ceiling and lit up inside the mall.

His face can be found all over the city in advertisements, food and random miscellaneous objects. So when I found Kumamon walking around one day and took his picture I was excited.

 Along with Kumamon, Kumamoto is well known for the old castle that rests in the heart of the town. Kumamoto Castle, 熊本城 Kumamoto-jō in Japanese, was originally built in 1467, however each owner of the castle over its history added or modified the castle to become a well fortified strong hold. Sadly, in 1977 during the last major conflict in Japan the majority of the original castle was lost to fire. However between 1998 and late 2008 the castle was restored to its former glory. Today Kumamoto Castle is ranked as one of the top 3 castles in all of Japan. Here are some of my many pictures from when I visited the castle. Sadly it is hard to get across the grandeur of the castle just looking at these images.

Kumamoto castle from the back view. The sloped stone walls between the passageways that lead to the castle and that rest underneath the castle are amazing and very tall.

On the left you see the castle along with an excavation site located inside the green fence. I took this image from the 7th floor of the guard tower.

Historians that are demonstrating the dress of traditional Japanese Warriors in front of the castle.

This building was the barracks for the soldiers and shows part of the passage that leas to the castle.

Outer building that held weapons or previsions for the soldiers along with an attached guard tower.

One of the rooms inside the guest reception building where the owners of the castle would have hosted high status guests.

Outer wall from the base of the hill.

The view from the plateau near the base of the castle shows the mountains that are just outside of the city.

Part of the perimeter from the center area of the castle.

This is one of the stair way entrances that leads to a wooden gate. This gate blocks the inner compound from the outside world in case of a seidge from enemy attacks.

Another view of the castle from the main plateau.

Inside one of the buildings on the castle compound. This is the tea room where high status guests would have been entertained while waiting for an audience with the castle's owner.

Kumamoto is also steeped with an abundance of Christian heritage and has a long history with Christianity. Kumamoto was where Christianity was first introduced to Japan in 1542 and was also where the first Japanese missionaries from the Christian church arrived in 1550. Between 1597 to 1873 Christianity was strictly baned by punishment of death in Japan. Both missionaries and native Japanese Christians were martyred for their belief in Christianity. While other Christians were made to denounce their Christian faith to escape martyrdom. Through this long time period of Christian repression many Japanese Christians secretly held onto their faith in Christ Jesus. When the ban on Christianity was lifted in 1853 many native Japanese people confessed that they were Christian to the surprise of the government. Even with Kumamotos rich Cristian heritage the total population of Japanese Christians amounts to less then 1% of the total population and is considered a minority religion. 

(read more about the Martyrs of Japan here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Japan).

On January 30th, 2012 Christians in the Kumamoto area gathered to remember the " Kumamoto Band". On January 30th, 1876 at Mt. Hanaoka in the city of Kumamoto students from the Kumamoto Western School signed a pledge of commitment to be Christians and followers of Christ Jesus. This group of students who spent the night on top of the mountain sharing stories of Christianity around a bonfire and became known as the Kumamoto Band. Every year on January 30th Christians in Kumamoto gather around a bonfire before sunrise to pray, sing songs and remember the Kumamoto Band. ( I will share a more in depth story about the Western school and the Kumamoto band in a post next month). I was happy to take part in this historical and faith sharing experience.

Around 6:00am on top of the mountain just before the bonfire is lit.

The other Missionaries from the school that i am assigned, Luther Gakuin. From Right to left: Allyson Bedford, Carolyn Stypka and Ally Streed.

The bonfire ablaze.

The bonfire really connected you to the history of the Kumamoto Band. The only downside was the embers shooting into the air and hitting people in the direction of the wind.

After prayers, singing and a joyous sunrise people joined together to talk over warm soup and tea.

Pastor Asahina Sensei and his wife  next to the Kumamoto Band monument.

 So as you can see I have been keeping myself busy. I hope you have enjoyed this very brief introduction to Kumamoto and the Christian heritage of the area and as always please feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

Peace and blessings from Japan,


Patrick