Kamimashiki district

Kamimashiki is an administrative district in Kumamoto Prefecture comprising five municipalities: Kashima, Kōsa, Mashiki, Mifune, and Yamato. These towns form a rural region characterized by farmland, rice paddies, and small residential communities spread across the landscape.

The district was created in 1879 during Japan's Meiji period reforms that reorganized the country's administrative boundaries. This institutional restructuring established the foundation for the region's current municipal organization.

Residents of the district maintain agricultural traditions through rice cultivation and local produce farming, contributing to the regional food production of Kumamoto Prefecture.

Visitors will find this region is primarily rural with limited public transportation connections between municipalities. Exploring with personal transport is the most practical way to visit all five towns and see the surrounding areas.

The district underwent significant changes in 2005 when the municipalities of Yabe and Seiwa merged with Soyō from Aso District to form the current town of Yamato.