Tenshukaku (Main Castle Tower)

The main tower, ortenshukaku of Kukamoto Castle is characterised by its jidorihafu plover gable windows found on all four sides, as well as its north and south-facing decorative karahafu tang gables on the top floor. During the Edo period, various weapons were stored in the castle, so you can find several rooms still named for their former purposes, including the gun room, the armor room and the arrow room.
Above the stone wall of the minor tower, there were iron spikes called shinobi-gaeshi, which were used to help keep out enemies, with various traps laid out in inconspicuous places. Searching for these is one of many ways to enjoy Kumamoto Castle.
In the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, tiles and the decorative shachihoko (a half-tiger half-fish roof ornament) fell from the top of the castle, and parts of the underlying stone wall crumbled.
Using a combination of the latest earthquake-defence technology and traditional building techniques, we are making steps towards reconstructing Kumamoto Castle's, as a symbol of the earthquake recovery effort.

Details on Special Openings

Honmaru-goten Ohiroma Great Hall 'Shokun-no-Ma'

In the great hall of the palace, the Ohiroma, where the lively atmousphere of Daimyo culture lingers in the air, there is an even more important place called the Shokun-no-Ma. Within the Shokun-no-Ma with its hook-shaped platform, Kano artwork is displayed across the walls, including that depicting an event from the times of the Emperor Yuan of Han, involving the tragic heroin Wang Zhaojun (Oshokun in Japanese). If you look up at the celing, you will see plants painted there, depicting the four seasons.

Kuragari-Tsuro (The Dark Passage)

Underneath the Honmaru-Goten, there is an underground stone passageway called Kuragari-Tsuro or 'Dark Passage'. This particilar feature is something of an architerctual anomily amongst Japanese castles, and the official entrance to the palace itself is underground. The passage is one of the castle's noteable defence features.

Uto-Yagura

To the north-west of Honmaru, is Uto-Yagura, the only multicomplex tower remaining from the time of original construction. With 3 tiers, 5 storeys and one basement floor, the construction rivals even that of the main towers, so much so that it is even referred to as the Daisan-no-Tenshu, or the Third Tower. Up until the Meiji period there were in fact four 5-storey watchtowers, but now Uto-Yagura is the only one that remains. It is thought that the tower is named so becasue it was occupied by the vassals of feudal Lord Konishi Yukinaga (1555-1600), who owned Uto Castle, but this story cannot be confirmed.

In the Kumamoto earthquake of 2016, the Tsuduki-Yagura to the south of the Uto-Yagura was damaged, collapsing in parts.

Chizuishi (Map Stones)

Chizuishi (Map Stones) is a semi-underground space in an area of Sukiyamaru, with a floor, sides and stairs made from flagstones. Made using ashlar, of all of the stone arrangements to be found at Kumamoto castle, these Map Stones are perhaps the most unique. The smooth stones which have been placed together with no gaps between them are said to look like a map, earning the area its name. A picture from around 1769 bears the words On-machiai iriguchi, (Waiting Room Entrance). In Japanese on-machiai is often used in the tea ceremony world, so this map stone area would have likely been the space where guests passed through to the waiting room, but on the way enjoying the interesting aesthetics of the map stones.

Iidamaru Gokai-Yagura

Another interesting point about the Honmaru is that because it is built independent from the rest of the structure, it looks like a small castle. Important duties at Iidamaru were carried out at the Iidamaru Gokai-Yagura in the southwest corner. In 2005 the wooden tower here was restored.

In the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, a significant area of the stone wall that holds up the structure crumbled, but the cornerstones survived, and prevented the structure from toppling. These cornerstones earned the nickname kiseki no ippon ishigaki, which means ' miracle stone pillars'.

Akazu-no-mon Gate

Akazu-no-mon Gate is the only remaining tower gate left at Kumamoto Castle grounds, and is recognised as a National Important Cultural Property. In Japanese culture, the northeast gate is considered unlucky, and called Kimon, which literally means 'demon's gate'. The gate was not usually opened for this reason, garnering it the name 'Akazu-no-mon' which roughly translates as 'the gate that should not be opened'.

In the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, some of the stone wall crumbled away, and the turret above the gate collapsed.

Nagabei Wall

Nagabei Wall, which runs along the banks of the Tsuboi River in a straight 242m line, is recognised as an Important Cultural Property. Drawings from the Edo Period show us that there used to be ten ishiotoshi (Bretèche) on the wall. During the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, these were removed, and then later on restored.

During the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, an 80m length of the eastern part of the wall collapsed.

Nishi-otemon Gate

Of the three gates at Kumamoto Castle, the west gate, Nishi-otemon, is considered the official entrance to the grounds. It is said that in 1632, upon recieving Higo (Kumamoto), the Daimyo Tadatoshi Hosokawa (1586-1641) departed from his vehicle to bow deeply before the gate, in appreciation of the 54 Mangoku (a measure of one's rice harvest) he had recieved.

In 2004, Nishi-otemon Gate was restored, but in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake the founding stones collapsed and the turret was damaged, becoming slanted.

Watchtower (Kenmotsu-Yagura Turret)

Together with the northerly castle entrance, Shinbori-Yagura, Kenmotsu-Yagura was the watchtower that controlled who could pass along the highway. This turret has become an Important National Cultural Property.

In the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, the interior and exterior walls suffered from damage.

Ninomaru Park

Situated to the west of Kumamoto Castle Honmaru, Ninomaru (the second tower) was the living quarters for high ranking retainers throughout the Edo period.
In 1754, Shigetaka Hosokawa, the 6th daimyo of Kumamoto's Hosokawa clan, established the Jishukan Han (domain) school. The school permitted entry not only to those who were in the clan, but to ordinary citizens who demonstrated ability. Jishukan has produced many great scholars, such as the thinker Yokoi Shonan, Motoda Nagazane, who served as tutor for the Emperor Meiji, and Kowashi Inoue, who drafted up the Meiji Constitution, amongst others.