Kumamoto Castle (熊本城, Kumamoto-jō), Kumamoto, Japan

Kumamoto Castle is located in Kumamoto City on the southernmost Japanese main island of Kyushu, about six hours and a distance of approximately 1300 km (800 miles) from Tokyo, or about 3.5 hours from Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station) by Shinkansen. Kumamoto Castle is one of the three most famous castles that travelers should see when visiting Japan (the other two castles being Himeji and Matsumoto Castles) [1]. A large-scale renovation of the inner castle was completed in Dec 2007, in time for the castle's 400th anniversary [2]. I was fortunate enough to visit the castle in Dec 2009 (and Matsumoto Castle; Himeji Castle had been visited previously) to see the results of the renovation before my most recent visit in Nov 2017.

On 14 April 2016, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck the island of Kyushu, which caused major damage to many places on the island, with Kumamoto Castle having the most visible and significant. Roof tiles fell, foundations were damaged, entire structures collapsed, and the stone walls sustained major damage. Sections of the wall collapsed (as pictured above), leaving some structures perilously close collapsing themselves. The repairs to the castle started two months after the earthquake and has a target completion date of 2036 (yes, an estimated 20 years to repair the damage!) [2]. Whereas previously you could freely walk the grounds of the castle before the earthquake, visitors are now restricted to walking the perimeter of the castle while reconstruction is in progress (for obvious safety reasons). The route is well marked, easily walkable, and there are numerous informative signposts in Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese  (Simplified and Traditional) along the way.

Kumamoto Castle Keep, Kumamoto, Japan (Dec 2009)

Before discussing more about Kumamoto Castle, let's briefly talk about castles in Japan. There are really two types of castles in Japan (actually there are three if you include castle ruins or former castle sites), one being original construction and the other being reconstructed. The former is the original wooden structure and the later being a concrete reconstruction which keeps the facade's original outward appearance. Himeji and Matsumoto Castles, mentioned previously, are the original wooden structures and definitely worth visiting. Osaka and Nagoya Castles, another two famous castles worth visiting, together with Kumamoto Castle, are concrete reconstructions from the 1960's. You can always tell that you're in a reconstructed castle when you can take an elevator to the top floor of the castle keep!

Kumamoto Castle Keep, Kumamoto, Japan (Nov 2017)

The picture at the top of this blog post is of Inui-Yagura, which is a three-story wooden turret at the northwest corner of Kumamoto castle. The damage to the stone castle walls was extensive in this area and this picture is emblematic of the the earthquake damage. Stone castle walls are constructed using individual stones, each individually placed and fitted to construct the wall. Stone placement is critical to the strength of the wall, so the stones are tightly fitted together with minimal gaps between stones. As you can see from the picture, the stone wall supporting Inui-Yagura has collapsed, leaving the turret supported by only its corner stones. This is probably the most dramatic example of the damage to the castle walls, and a testament to the robust design and construction techniques. The corner stones are designed to support the turret without the total support of the stone wall. I took this picture in Nov 2017 before work on this part of the castle had begun. This picture cannot be reproduced now since the turret has since been disassembled in order to reconstruct the wall.

Numbered Wall Stones, Kumamoto Castle (Nov 2017)

Reconstructing the castle walls will be no easy task. With an estimated 20 years needed to reconstruct the castle, there are some 100,000 stones that need to be individually placed to reconstruct the damaged walls. Each collapsed stone will be returned to its original position by recording and numbering each stone to facilitate the reconstruction. The collapsed stones have been moved and preliminary placed (to help with reconstruction) in open fields around the castle perimeter. This makes the wall reconstruction the ultimate puzzle, since the stones fit together tightly and each stone must be correctly placed individually by skilled artisans.

Honmaru Goten Palace, Kumamoto Castle (Dec 2009)

The large-scale renovation of the inner castle completed in late 2007 resulted in the total reconstruction of the Honmaru Goten Palace on the Kumamoto Castle grounds. The Palace was the residence to the castle's feudal lord, the daimyo (大名). The Honmaru Goten Palace pictures were taken when I visited in Dec 2009. This part of the castle is now under reconstruction after the earthquake and is currently not accessible.

Honmaru Goten Palace, Kumamoto Castle (Dec 2009)

Even if you're not a fan of castles, the reconstruction of the Honmaru Goten Palace, once the inner castle grounds reopen, is worth seeing. When you visit castles or palaces with the original construction, the atmosphere is much different since the wood has aged and is very dark in color, and the original painting colors have faded. The reconstruction was very well done, with the overall atmosphere of the building being bright and the beauty of the paintings stunning. So once the Honmaru Goten Palace reopens, I would urge you to visit Kumamoto Castle.

Kumamoto Castle Keep (Dec 2009)

Kumamoto Castle (熊本城, Kumamoto-jō) Information and Access

Name: 

• Kumamoto Castle

• 熊本城 (Kumamoto-jō)

Address: 

• １-1, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto, 860-0002, Japan

• 〒860-0002 熊本県熊本市中央区本丸１−１

Access:

• When I first visited Kumamoto Castle in 2009, the Shinkansen terminated in Fukuoka, where you had to switch to an express train to Kumamoto. The Shinkansen now goes to Kumamoto from Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station), so the entire journey can now be done without having to switch trains.

• Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station) is about as far north where a day trip is possible to see the castle since it's the start of the Shinkansen line to Kyushu, but your time at the castle will be limited. Staying farther south would be better and allow you to see more of Kumamoto. Ideally staying in Kumamoto is the best option (which I did for my 2017 trip), but Fukuoka (where I stayed in 2009) is also a good option if you want to stay on Kyushu Island.

• Note: Fukuoka's train station is called Hakata, not Fukuoka (Fukuoka Station is in another part of Japan).

• The Shinkansen trip is fully covered by the JR Pass.

• Japan Rail Pass (7-, 14-, 21-day):
• Valid for travel throughout Japan on Japan Rail (with some exceptions).
• Purchase outside of Japan.
• Must show passport and have a short-term (90 day) visitor's stamp to redeem at selected airports and rail stations. (This is changing)
• Once activated, must be used on consecutive days (i.e. cannot skip days).
• Website: https://japanrailpass.net/en/.

• Take the Shinkasen to Kumamoto:

• From Osaka (Shin-Osaka Station via Shinkansen Sakura):
• ¥18200 (Unreserved).
• ¥18740 (Reserved).
• ¥26560 (Green Seat).
• The trip takes approximately 198 minutes.

• From Fukuoka (Hakata Station via Shinkansen Sakura or Tsubame):
• ¥4610 (Unreserved).
• ¥5330 (Reserved).
• ¥6670 (Green Seat).
• The trip takes 38 minutes by Shinkansen Sakura or 50 minutes by Shinkansen Tsubame.

• Transfer at Kumamoto Station to the Kumamoto City Tram Shinden A.

• The one-way fare to Kumamoto Castle is ¥170 (¥340 round-trip).
• Smart IC cards from other regions of Japan (e.g. Suicca from Tokyo) can also be used to pay the fare.

• If you plan to see other sights in Kumamoto, a One Day Pass for ¥500 can be purchased at the Tourist Information Center in Kumamoto Station or on the tram.
• Tip: If you don't speak Japanese, purchase your one day tram pass at the Tourist Information Center in Kumamoto Station.

• Get off the Shinden A tram at the Hanabatacho (6 stops) or Kumamotojo-mae (7 stops) tram stop (about 12 min) and walk to the castle (about 10 min).

• Prices are accurate as of the published date of this article and are subject to change.

Hours and Admission Fee:

• The castle is closed during reconstruction, with only a free perimeter walk around the castle allowed.

• There is a small tourist area with shops and restaurants at the entrance to Kumamoto Castle called Josaien. In fact, that is the gateway to the perimeter walkway around the castle while it is undergoing reconstruction

• Information accurate as of the published date of the article and is subject to change.

Websites:

• The Japan Guide website is a good starting place for planning a trip to the castle:

• https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4501.html.

• The official Kumamoto Castle website:

• https://kumamoto-guide.jp/kumamoto-castle/en/admission/.

• Plan your train and tram trip using Hyperdia:

• http://www.hyperdia.com/en/.

• Japan Rail Pass (7-, 14-, 21-day):

• https://japanrailpass.net/en/.

• Kumamoto City Tram information:

• https://kumamoto-guide.jp/en/access/city.html.

Map:

References

[1] Kobayashi Travel Service. "The Three Famous Castles of Japan". Last accessed: 28 Mar 2019. http://www.ktshawaii.com/our-blog/the-three-famous-castles-of-japan.html.

[2] Wikipedia. "Kumamoto Castle". Last updated: 11 Dec 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumamoto_Castle.

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