Kumamoto Revival Project

The ONE PIECE Kumamoto Revival Project is a service project in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan started by Eiichiro Oda.

Information[]

Janes Residence Ruins — The historical Janes' Residence, the first western-style house built in Kumamoto, was destroyed by the earthquakes.

On April 14, 2016, Eiichiro Oda donated ¥800,000,000 to help reconstruct his home city of Kumamoto, Japan after it was struck by two earthquakes. Eiichiro Oda wrote supportive messages, and drew art for local products. After rebuilding Kumamoto, the governor Ikuo Kabashima announced that they would build statues of the Straw Hat Pirates to thank Eiichiro Oda for his help. Here is the information about when other characters are going to be built:

Statue Schedule[]

Kumamoto Statue Map — Map of the statue locations.

The statue construction phase is known as Straw Hat Pirates "Hino Country" Reconstruction Arc (麦わらの一味「ヒノ国」復興編, Mugiwara no Ichimi "Hino kuni" Fukkō-hen^?). The name refers to the ancient Hi Province of Japan, which was located within the present-day Kumamoto Prefecture; It is also likely intended to reference "Wano Country".

The statues for Brook and Chopper were completed before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the outbreak caused their unveilings to be delayed.

Monkey D. Luffy - Unveiled on November 30, 2018, Located at the Kumamoto Prefectural Government office.
Sanji - Unveiled on December 7, 2019 in the town of Mashiki.
Usopp - Unveiled on December 8, 2019 in front of Aso Station.
Tony Tony Chopper - Originally scheduled for March 28, 2020. Unveiled on November 7, 2020 at the main gate entrance of the Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens.^[2]
Brook - Originally scheduled for March 29, 2020. Unveiled on November 8, 2020 at Fureai Hiroba Square in Mifune Town.^[2]
Franky - Unveiled on November 21, 2020 at Takamori Station.^[3]
Nami - Unveiled on July 31, 2021 in the Nishihara village.^[4]
Robin - Unveiled on October 9, 2021 on former Tokai University Campus in Aso.^[5]
Roronoa Zoro - Unveiled on January 22, 2022 in Ōzu.^[6]
Jinbe - Unveiled on July 23, 2022 at Sumiyoshi Nature Park in Uto.^[7]

Promotion[]

Kumamoto Bus Wraps — The bus wrap decals to promote Chopper's statue.

To promote the unveiling of Chopper's statue, the city of Kumamoto wrapped a train with decals of the Straw Hat Pirates. The train would travel through the city to the Kumamoto City Zoo and Botanical Garden where Chopper's statue was dedicated. It was installed on November 7, 2020 and was in service until March 31, 2021.^[8]

Kumamoto Tour Guidebook[]

The Kumamoto Tour Guidebook (熊本周遊ガイドブック, Kumamoto Shūyū Gaidobukku^?) is a 75-page guide of the One Piece-themed attractions across the Kumamoto Prefecture. It includes recommended transportation maps between the Straw Hat statues and information on each, a timeline of the Kumamoto Revival Project, and other recommended tourist attractions in Kumamoto, like Kumamoto Castle. The booklet ends with recommended One Piece souvenirs.

The booklet released for free online on March 22, 2024,^[9] where it was available directly in browsers or as a downloadable PDF.^[10] The distribution of physical copies began on May 17, 2024 at selected locations, such as the Tourist Information Center.^[11]

The guidebook's cover is based on the cover of Chapter 843, and the guidebook includes a two-page spread of Chapter 992's cover.

Statues[]

The Luffy statue.

The Sanji statue.

The Usopp statue.

The Chopper statue.

The Brook statue.

The Franky statue.

The Nami statue.

The Robin statue.

The Zoro statue.

The Jinbe statue.

Episode of Kumamoto[]

Episode of Kumamoto is an animated webseries that was posted to YouTube in April of 2021. It shows Monkey D. Luffy and Buggy arriving at Kumamoto and going on a treasure hunt there alongside the prefecture's mascot, Kumamon. They visit multiple Kumamoto landmarks, and and each time Kumamon will press a button that gives the viewers information about that landmark, as well as damage the landmark suffered in the earthquake and efforts to restore it. The episode is split up into multiple segments that are only a few minutes long, with the last segment releasing on July 1st, 2021.^[12]^[13]