JPN: Kumamoto Castle

1-1 Honmaru, Chuo, Kumamoto, Japan
Sun & Public Holidays: 9.00am - 5.00pm [till end March 2020]

Kumamoto Castle is one of the most impressive castles in Japan, even though only a few structures have survived since its construction in the early 1600s. Unfortunately, it has sustained serious damages from a series of violent earthquakes in April 2016. At the point of writing, the castle complex is undergoing extensive restoration that may take up to 20 years to complete.



To go to the castle, my BFFs and I took the tram and dropped off at Kumamotojo-mae tram stop.


The history of the castle dates back to 1467, but it was between 1601 and 1607 when it was developed
into an impressive complex with 49 turrets, 18 turret gates, and 29 smaller gates.


Kato Kiyomasa, who was given lordship over Higo Province (now Kumamoto Prefecture) in 1600,
designed Kumamoto Castle with fortifications highly regarded for their strategic effectiveness.
We passed through Josaien, a bustling shopping arcade, to reach the main gate to the castle complex.


The aroma of the various food sold there was really inviting.


Interestingly, those seemingl non-soupy buns filled with tofu skin are called shoronpo,
which comes from the Chinese word xiao long bao.
Kumamoto Castle Museum Wakuwakuza presents the history of Kumamoto and the castle from many angles. We didn't go inside though.


One of my BFFs decided to get a can of Coca-Cola Energy, which is said to include caffeine from naturally-derived sources, from one of the vending machines.



At 11.00am, Higomaru, the mascot of Kumamoto Castle, appeared to bring smiles to visitors.



I only took a short video clip of it. You may want to see how cutely it walked towards the end.


From Josaien, you need to climb the stairs and still walk further to reach the entrance. Alternatively, you may want to consider Kumamoto Castle Loop Bus that starts and ends at Kumamoto railway station with several stops in between.



That's how Kumamoto Castle Loop Bus looks like.
A one-way flat fare is ¥160 (~S$2.00), while a one-day pass costs ¥400 (~S$2.00).
Before purchasing the entrance tickets, we went to take a quick look at the information centre and gift shop.


There are benches for you to sit down and rest your legs.


Keroro as a feudal lord!
It costs ¥500 (~S$6.25) per adult to enter the castle grounds. A combination ticket that includes entry to Kumamoto Castle Museum Wakuwakuza mentioned earlier costs ¥600 (~S$7.50).



There are thirteen Important Cultural Property classified by the Agency of Cultural Affairs of Japan within the complex.


The sight of mown grass patch in juxtaposition with a destroyed wall section...


Efforts to repair the entire complex as a whole began in 8 June 2016.
As we were walking up the gentle slope, we admired the sight of Uto Yagura.


Yagura is Japanese for 'turret'.
There's a stone named Goro's Stone, which weighs 1,800 kg. Story has it that Goro, a man of enormous strength, had a father who was killed in a battle against Kato Kiyomasa in 1589. To seek revenge, he disguised himself as a construction worker, carrying the huge stone over his shoulder to the castle grounds. He was eventually caught and buried alive in a well.


Below are some photos of the main keep called Tenshukaku, which is also shown in the very first photo of this post.


The original building was burned down during Satsuma Rebellion in 1877.
It was reconstructed using concrete in 1960.



The interior of Tenshukaku is scheduled to reopen sometime in 2021.
The reconstructed Honmaru Goten Palace, which was erected in celebration of the castle's 400th anniversary, was first opened to the public in 2008. The original palace building was much larger, but it was among the many buildings destroyed during Satsuma Rebellion.



Such an extravaagant interior!
Once Tenshukaku has been restored, it'll be possible to enjoy the view of the city from its top floor like before.


From there, we walked back to the entrance.


The castle complex measures roughly 1.6 km from east to west and 1.2 km from north to south.

Mototaiko Yagura collapsed after a heavy rain in June 2018 that caused the already
weakened stone wall supporting the structure to crumble.
Along with Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle, Kumamoto Castle is considered one of the three premier castles of Japan. Should things go according to plan, an elevated walkway for tourists will be opened every day from end April 2020 onwards, allowing visitors to go to selected areas of the inner grounds without impacting the reconstruction works.

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