Kuma District, Kumamoto

Kuma is a district located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.
In 2003 the district had an estimated population of 64,552 and a density of 48.64 persons per square kilometer. The total area is 1,327.16 km².

History

Economy

Kuma District is noted for its many shōchū distilleries.

Culture

A local tradition in Kuma District is the sakazuki. At social settings such as a party one presents one's empty cup to a friend to hold, into which one then pours some beverage for the friend to drink. After the friend finishes the drink he returns the glass and fills it with more of the beverage.

Language

The local dialect is called Kuma-ben. For example, the Japanese word for hot is pronounced "atsui" in standard Japanese, but "ats-ka" or "nuka" in Kuma-ben.

Towns and villages

Asagiri
Nishiki
Taragi
Yunomae
Itsuki
Kuma
Mizukami
Sagara
Yamae
Merger
On April 1, 2003 the town of Menda, and the villages of Fukada, Ōkaharu, Sue and Ue merged to form the new town of Asagiri.