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The Yomiuri Shimbun Kumamon is surrounded by fans in a recreation of his “department head office” on March 8.
By Makoto Furuno and Tomonori Arima / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
11:36 JST, April 5, 2025
KUMAMOTO — Kumamoto Prefecture’s mascot Kumamon celebrated the 15th anniversary of his 2010 debut in March. Kumamon is one of Japan’s most beloved characters for regional promotion. The prefecture is now working toward attracting fans from overseas.
Kumamon was born on March 12, 2010, a year before the Kyushu Shinkansen line fully opened. The character gained popularity through events at home and abroad, including the Yuru-Kyara Grand Prix contest. Kumamon also contributed to reconstruction after a major earthquake hit the prefecture in 2016.
On March 8, an opening ceremony was held for a special exhibition of panels and photos about the history of Kumamon at the Kumamoto-Jo Hall in Kumamoto.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Kumamon interacts with fans at Kumamon Square in Kumamoto during his birthday celebration event on March 12.
About 60 fans called out, “Kumamon!” and he confidently made his appearance, drawing loud cheers. He expressed his gratitude with a sign saying, “Thank you for your constant support!” Kumamon then welcomed fans by giving out high fives.
At the exhibition, visitors were able to participate in the “Kumamon Quiz” to test their knowledge about the character and see a recreation of the “department head office,” which is Kumamon’s workplace. Many fans came to see the exhibition.
A 53-year-old woman from Niihama, Ehime Prefecture, who attended the event, said she had been his fan for over 10 years.
“Kumamon works hard for Kumamoto Prefecture, and he is always there for his fans, which encourages me a lot. I hope he will get more fans worldwide,” she said.
Premiered looking very different
Looking toward the full opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen line in March 2011, the Kumamoto prefectural government asked Kundo Koyama, a radio and television script writer from Amakusa in the prefecture, to create a catchphrase and logo to be used for the prefecture’s tourism strategy.
In February 2010, Koyama said he had created something extra and showed numerous sheets of paper with illustrations, saying, “I made this, too.” Kumamon was born from this bonus material.
The character’s eyes had tall, thin pupils and it was completely covered in black fur. It did not remind people of local specialties or tourist destinations. The character was modeled after a bear, which are not known to exist in Kyushu in the first place. Some prefectural government officials voiced concerns, but then Kumamoto Gov. Ikuo Kabashima adopted the idea, saying, “OK, we’ll take it.”
“My family said the character was weird and I couldn’t even imagine him becoming popular,” a prefectural government official, who had been a manager at that time, said with a wry smile. At the time of his debut, Kumamon’s body was slimmer, and it barely resembled the illustration at all since the costume had been created hastily. Some children even began crying at the sight of Kumamon.
A few months later, Kumamon was remade more like his current form. According to the prefecture’s explanation, “He became rounder after eating the delicious specialty food of the prefecture.”
In September 2010, the prefecture implemented a “guerrilla strategy” in which Kumamon appeared in public without notice in Osaka, as trains had been scheduled between Kumamoto Station and Shin-Osaka Station after the full opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen line. Many sightings of Kumamon were reported and posted on social media, which made him a popular topic of conversation.
The Yomiuri Shimbun Kumamon and Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura, on his right, celebrate the 15th anniversary of Kumamon’s debut.
Kumamon was promoted from a temporary worker to a department head, but he ran away because the workload was too heavy for him, in line with his official profile that says he is a “mischievous boy.”
Overturning the usual image of regional mascots, Kumamon jumped into hot springs and did bungee jumping.
The prefecture tried hard to arrange collaborations with confectionery and beverage manufacturers. They did not charge companies for the use of the character’s image. Since pictures of Kumamon appeared on product packages, more and more people came to recognize the character.
Goods sales top ¥1 tril.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
According to a survey on regional characters released by the Tokyo-based Nippon Research Center Ltd. in 2024, 95% of respondents to the questionnaire said they knew Kumamon, making him the most recognized local character in Japan for 10 consecutive years since the company started the survey in 2014.
The sales of Kumamon goods exceeded ¥1 trillion in 2021 and are expected to have reached ¥1.5 trillion in 2024, seeming to prove claims that “It is impossible to move around Kumamoto without seeing Kumamon” and “Each household has at least one Kumamon item.”
The Kumamoto prefectural government is now eyeing overseas markets. In its initial budget for fiscal 2025, about ¥440 million has been allocated for overseas marketing. The prefecture plans to hold promotion events in regions like South Korea, China, Thailand, as well as Taiwan, as it deepens relations after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract manufacturer of semiconductors, entered the prefecture.
Kumamon is enthusiastic about the plan, saying, “Let’s aim for world domination!”
