Kosa Town

Wish after planting, release in autumn.

Ryugan-mairi, Kosa Shrine

Photo by Siwamura (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Yanaba

A letter by Hosokawa Sansai callsa 'Furu-Higo teahouse' a 'kawagari' teahouse.

Yanaba is a site on the Midori River for yana weir fishing of sweetfish (ayu). Long said to have been founded by Hosokawa Tadatoshi, it is now traced by the town to Kato Kiyomasa's time: letters from Hosokawa Sansai and Tadatoshi mention a 'Furu-Higo' (古肥後, meaning Kiyomasa) 'kawagari' (川狩, river-fishing) teahouse. Its water is drawn from the town-designated Unose Weir (鵜ノ瀬堰), and the Yana sluice gate (簗の樋門), which regulates the flow, stands in front of the site.

Letters: Hosokawa Sansai and Tadatoshi
Unose Weir (town-designated)
Yana sluice gate (town-designated)

02 ／ Jinnouchi Castle Site

Among Higo's medieval castle sites,one of outstanding scale.

On a low hill called Men-no-yama (面の山), the square site measures over 210m east-west and over 190m north-south. Its dry moat runs 400m in total, and the north and east sections are about 18m wide and 6m deep. In the Edo period it was said to have been the residence of the Aso Daiguji (阿蘇大宮司, chief priest). The town considers it built by Konishi Yukinaga.

National Historic Site (2021-10-11)
Over 210m east-west, over 190m north-south
Dry moat: 400m in total

03 ／ Asobaru Kinmokusei

Its national designation says 'Kinmokusei';the town writes the tree is a usugimokusei.

This large tree stands in the grounds of a Kannon hall (観音堂). It was designated a national natural monument in 1934, with an addition in 1978. Its pale yellow flowers bloom around the autumn equinox, and the fragrance is said to carry even to the far bank of the Midori River.

National Natural Monument (1934-12-28)
Addition 1978-12-27
Blooms around the autumn equinox

Living here

About 69 minutes by bus to Sakuramachi, Kumamoto.

about 10,000 people
Rural district town

From Sakuramachi Bus Terminal in Kumamoto City, a Kumamoto Bus local bus takes about 69 minutes (timetable of October 1, 2026). The Midori River runs through town, with many water-deity shrines along it. The Kumaen Railway (熊延鉄道) ran here until 1964 (Showa 39).

People living here: 10,132people
Area: 57.93km²
Households: 3,678households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 2 hospitals ／ 5 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —5 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Kosa Town in Japan32.652°N 130.811°E

to KumamotoLocal bus69min

Travel times follow 熊本バス公式『区間検索・運賃案内』（www.kuma-bus.co.jp/bustime/）の『令和8年10月1日から』のダイヤ（timetable 271。2026-09-17 告知）。桜町バスターミナル発→甲佐（終点）着を、事業者公式の停留所別時刻表のデータ（桜町バスターミナルの出発便のうち行先『甲佐』の全77便）と各便の経由地つきの時刻表（trip）で全便読んだ。町公式『町内の公共交通機関のご案内』（更新2026-06-04）が最初に挙げる路線が『桜町バスターミナル〜田迎〜嘉島〜辺場〜甲佐』ほか熊本バスの5系統（桜町バスターミナルから甲佐まで乗り換えなし）。 (checked 2026-10-03). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 3 municipalities.

Territory of Kosa Town

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

10.4km

御船町, 美里町, 熊本市

Kosa Town isthis kind of town.

01Ryugan-mairi (立願参り) at Kosa Shrine is a rite in which people make a wish for a good harvest after rice planting and release it at the autumn harvest; it is held in several districts of town. The shrine is the Ninomiya (二の宮, second shrine) of Aso Shrine, one of the four Aso shrines along with two others (健軍社 and 郡浦社).
02Irrigation water drawn from the Midori River at Unose Weir (鵜ノ瀬堰) passes in front of Yanaba and waters 663ha of rice fields in four districts (甲佐・竜野・白旗・豊秋). From the letters of Hosokawa Sansai and Tadatoshi, Yanaba's origin is traced to Kato Kiyomasa's time.
03Jinnouchi Castle Site on Men-no-yama is a National Historic Site, and the big tree at the Kannon hall in Asobaru is a National Natural Monument. Its designated name is 'Kinmokusei', but the town writes that the tree is a usugimokusei.

See the town as it is now.

FacebookKosaTownKumamotoJapan ↗

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Kosa Town official site ↗Wikipedia ↗