is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.As of March 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 731,286 and a population density of 1,880 persons per km². The total area is 389.53 km².Greater Kumamoto (熊本都市圏) had a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census. It is not considered part of the Fukuoka–Kitakyushu metropolitan area, despite their shared border. The city was designated on April 1, 2012 by government ordinance.HistoryKatō Kiyomasa, a contemporary of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was made daimyo of half of the (old) administrative region of Higo in 1588. After that, Kiyomasa built Kumamoto Castle. Due to its many innovative defensive designs, Kumamoto Castle was considered impregnable, and Kiyomasa enjoyed a reputation as one of the finest castle-builders in Japanese history. After Kiyomasa died in 1611, his son, Tadahiro, succeeded him, but Tadahiro was removed by Tokugawa Iemitsu in 1632, replacing him with the Hosokawa clan.The current administrative body of the City of Kumamoto was founded on April 1, 1889.