Kumamoto Castle is the premier landmark of Kumamoto City, as well as its main attraction. It is also regarded as one of the most impressive castles in Japan, together with the white-walled Hijemi Castle and the black-walled Matsumoto Castle.
The castle was built by Kato Kiyomasa from 1601 to 1607 following the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, although its foundations date back to 1467. Because of his faithful service to Tokugawa Ieyasu, he was awarded the whole of Kumamoto Prefecture, then known as the Higo Province, and the construction of Kumamoto Castle was part of his efforts to unify and develop it.
Because of his skills in the battlefield, Kiyomasa was an excellent castle architect. In fact, he designed several castles in Korea during the Imjin War, many of which were able to repel even larger Korean-Chinese forces because of their strategic construction.
Kumamoto Castle itself is considered a most impregnable fortress up until today. Its defensive features, particularly its curved stone walls called mushagaeshi and its wooden overhangs, originally designed as protection against the ninja, continue to be its best points, together with its black and white donjons (main towers). There is also an underground passage leading to the Hosokawa Mansion that is open to visitors.
Although largely destroyed during the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, Kumamoto Castle was extensively reconstructed in 1960. In 2007, the reconstruction of the Honmaru Goten Palace, the lord’s extravagant inner palace, with its ornate lacquered rooms, was completed, restoring the castle to its former glory.
Today, Kumamoto Castle also houses a museum which contains palanquins, samurai armor, Japanese swords and other artifacts from the Kato and Hosokawa clans, as well as detailed information on the castle’s remarkable history. It is also an excellent site for cherry blossom viewing, since the path leading uphill to the castle is line with many cherry blossom trees, and is particularly breathtaking at night when it serves as an illuminated beacon for all of Kumamoto to see.