Trillion-Won Sales Record...The Hero Behind the Birth of the 'Icon of Hope,' Final Commute [Japanese Side]

Mascot 'Kumamon' Eases Earthquake Pain
Kumamoto Prefecture's Annual Sales Reach 1.58 Trillion Won with Character
Ikio Gabashima, Creator of Kumamon and Kumamoto Governor,
Retires on the 15th

Those who have traveled to Fukuoka have probably seen the black bear mascot quite often. The 'Kuma' in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, means the kanji character for bear (熊) in Japanese, which inspired the creation of this bear character. With its somewhat dazed expression and quirky behavior, it has become a beloved local character.

Kumamon chasing the Gabashima branch manager who is leaving by car. (Photo by FNN)

Recently, there was a flood of news articles about Kumamon in Japan. This was because it marked the 8th anniversary of the Kumamoto Earthquake, and Kumamon, who toured the affected areas at that time to encourage children, met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to promote Kumamoto's revival. Above all, the biggest issue was the retirement ceremony of Ikuo Kabashima, the governor of Kumamoto Prefecture who created Kumamon. Known as the 'Kumamon boss,' his retirement and the younger Kumamon rising above the pain of the earthquake damage drew much attention.

Today, we share the touching story that moved the nation over the past week?the story of Governor Kabashima of Kumamoto Prefecture and Kumamon.

Kumamon was born in 2010. It was created as a way to attract tourists ahead of the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen, which includes Kumamoto Prefecture. At that time, there was a possibility that the terminal station might be Kagoshima instead of Kumamoto, and Kumamoto could have remained just a pass-through station. Facing a situation where the Shinkansen would not bring significant regional economic development, the Kumamoto Prefectural Office decided to create a local character to raise awareness.

Profile of Ikuo Gabashima, Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture. (Photo by Ikuo Gabashima Official Website)

Here, Governor Kabashima's leadership played a decisive role. He often used the phrase, "Don't say you can't do it. Break the plates." The idea is that those who break many plates are the ones who wash many dishes. In other words, it's okay to experience trial and error or failure as long as you keep trying repeatedly. He said he learned this motto from Kim Heung-sik, former mayor of Jangseong County in Korea.

Kumamon literally became a huge hit, and Governor Kabashima appointed Kumamon as the sales manager of the Kumamoto Prefectural Office. He also urged Kumamon to tour rural areas rather than just big cities.

In this situation, a natural disaster struck Kumamoto?a major earthquake. The Kumamoto Earthquake occurred on April 16, 2016, the same date as the Sewol Ferry disaster in Korea. After a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on the 14th, a strong tremor of intensity 7 followed on the 16th. The disaster caused 1,100 casualties and significant damage, including the collapse of the historic Kumamoto Castle.

When news of the earthquake broke, many children across Japan asked, "Is Kumamon safe?" However, in Kumamoto Prefecture, there were children who had experienced the earthquake and could not even worry about Kumamon's safety. Children sheltering in evacuation centers were trembling in fear watching the frightening earthquake damage reports on TV.

Kumamon and Governor Gabashima embracing each other. (Photo by FNN)

Kumamon personally toured evacuation centers in the affected areas, playing with the children and giving hope to both children and parents. Since then, Kumamon has become a mascot of hope.

On the 15th, Governor Kabashima, Kumamon's direct superior and "father," retired after an impressive 16-year tenure. At his retirement ceremony, he said, "These 16 years were the best time of my life. There were many hardships, but they were filled with even greater dreams." At the farewell ceremony, Kumamon ran out, hugged Governor Kabashima, and held hands until the very end. Governor Kabashima said, "I am truly happy to leave with peace of mind," as he left the prefectural office. A broadcast showed Kumamon chasing after the governor's car and then falling down.

The appearance of Kumamon. (Photo by X, Kumamon official account)

Although Kumamon's direct superior has changed, Kumamon plans to continue faithfully performing his duties. Marking the 8th anniversary of the Kumamoto Earthquake, Kumamon met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida alongside the Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural Cooperative to personally deliver Kumamoto specialties such as watermelon. Prime Minister Kishida tasted the fruit and praised Kumamon, saying, "You have overcome the hardship of the earthquake and produced excellent local specialties. I sincerely salute you." At this point, Kumamon deserves the highest performance evaluation as a sales manager.

On the 16th, Kumamon also posted a photo on the official X (formerly Twitter) account showing his back as he gazed at the recovering Kumamoto Castle. Along with the photo, he wrote, "Today marks 8 years since the Kumamoto Earthquake. Let us continue to work together with one heart toward revival."

Kumamon introducing Kumamoto's specialties to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. (Photo by Kumamon official account on X)

In fact, a single local character like Kumamon generates annual sales of 170 billion yen (about 1.58 trillion won) for Kumamoto. The official account has over 800,000 followers, a number comparable to Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo Metropolis (930,000 followers). It's impressive how much vitality a single character can bring to a region?truly a great promotional method.