Soseki and Kyoko became engaged after a formal matchmaking meeting. When his next posting turned out to be Kumamoto, Soseki worried that Kyoko, a Tokyo lady, might fear moving somewhere unfamiliar and distant, so he wrote that they could call off
2026 marks 100 years of the Takuma New Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage, a Kumamoto City cultural asset. Established in 1926, its 84 remaining sites are preserved by the community and visited annually.
White and Black Bozu are yokai long told of in Ueki Town. White Bozu may strike your head with a mallet from a tree at night—go home quickly, and never look up. Black Bozu sneaks in at night to drink water jars dry; seeing it is said to cause
A plan to demolish Kumamoto Castle emerged during political reforms. The castle was deemed obsolete and costly to maintain. Though opened to the public in 1870, demolition was never carried out, and it came under Army control in 1871.