Anime in Kumamoto

The first statue (2018) presides over the prefectural office promenade: the captain orders his crew to spread across the 'Land of Hino' to help with the recovery. At its feet are Eiichirō Oda's handprints.

The ship's doctor (2020) sits before the main gate of the municipal zoo and botanical garden, whose facilities were damaged in the quake, caring for the animals that had to be evacuated.

The swordsman (2022) stands guard in Ōzu's central park, a town with a strong kendo tradition, spurring on the children who lost their dōjō in the quake to keep training.

The navigator (2021) sits on a treasure chest at the Moe no Sato exchange centre at the foot of Mt. Tawara, sending 'winds of encouragement' to Nishihara's damaged hamlets and windmills. (Approximate coordinate by address.)

The sniper (2019) points skyward on the Aso Station roundabout, using his 'pop green' seeds to help regenerate the volcano's grasslands, the region's pride, damaged in the disaster.

The cook (2019) serves a steaming dish at Mashiki's sports park — the municipality hit by two intensity-7 quakes that lost its school kitchen: Sanji feeds its children's smiles with local produce.

The archaeologist (2021) studies the fault that split the former university campus in Minamiaso, now the KIOKU earthquake memorial museum, preserving the disaster's memory and lessons. (Approximate coordinate by address.)

The shipwright (2020) poses before the terminus of the Minamiaso Railway, severed by the quake, hammer raised for the line's full reopening — achieved in 2023.

The musician (2020) plays his shark guitar in the 'dinosaur town', cheering on the emotional recovery of a municipality full of damaged homes with concerts and jokes. (Approximate coordinate by address.)

The helmsman (2022), the most imposing of the ten statues, gazes over the Ariake Sea next to the famous Nagabeta tidal road, steering the course of Uto's reconstruction. (Approximate coordinate.)

The gateway to 'Natsume country': the station of the Kuma-valley onsen town appears in the series and gathers the pilgrimage information, with corners devoted to Nyanko-sensei.

The little shrine wrapped in a sacred grove on a Sagara hill is one of the series' most recognisable settings: its tree tunnel and steps appear in openings and episodes, and the village signposts it as an official location. (Approximate coordinate by address.)

The stone walls and riverside meadows of the old Sagara clan castle evoke the settings where Natsume strolls and talks with spirits; the grounds are a National Historic Site overlooking the old town.

The old blacksmiths' street, with its wooden houses, sake breweries and century-old tea shops, distils the atmosphere of the quiet town where Natsume's life with the Fujiwaras unfolds.

In 1643, aged 59, Musashi retired to this cave to write Go Rin no Sho (The Book of Five Rings). He died in 1645, shortly after finishing it. Entrance fee: 300¥.

Park containing the tomb of Miyamoto Musashi. According to legend, he was buried in full armor to protect his lord even after death.