Kumamoto Castle Restoration Still Ongoing 10 Years after Quakes

Kumamoto, April 14 (Jiji Press)–Efforts to restore Kumamoto Castle, a landmark in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto that was damaged in a pair of powerful earthquakes a decade ago, are still ongoing. While repair work has been completed on the castle’s main tower, the Uto-yagura tower, known as the castle’s third tower, and stone walls are still being reconstructed. Those involved in the restoration aim to fully reopen the castle in fiscal 2052. Kumamoto Castle was battered by the magnitude-6.5 foreshock at 9:26 p.m. on April 14, 2016, and the magnitude-7.3 main quake some 28 hours later. Property damage totaled about 63.4 billion yen. Most of the roof tiles of the main tower fell off, and all 13 national important cultural properties inside the castle were damaged. About 23,600 square meters of the stone walls that make up the foundation of the castle, or about 30 pct of the total, collapsed. The city of Kumamoto drew up a basic plan for restoring the castle in March 2018. It initially aimed to complete reconstruction work in fiscal 2037, but the work period was extended due to the time needed to consider methods that would not damage the value of cultural properties and historic sites. The Uto-yagura tower, whose restoration is slated for completion in fiscal 2032, is a national important cultural property about 19 meters tall, comprising five floors in three layers and a basement floor. The tower is believed to have been built in the early 17th century. It maintained its original appearance until the earthquakes, which damaged 42 parts including the foundation and pillars. Pillars tilted and floors became uneven, resulting in height differences of up to 265 millimeters within a single floor. The city found that partial repairs were difficult, and decided to demolish and rebuild the tower. Construction is expected to begin in fiscal 2028. It will be the first time since 1927 for the tower to be fully taken apart for restoration. “We will work hard to pass the tower on to future generations,” said Yuichi Uemura, chief of the restoration section of the Kumamoto Castle office. The stone walls are expected to take longer to restore. Recognized as a national special historic site, they are characterized by “mushagaeshi” steep inclines at the top that make it difficult for enemies to climb over them. To rebuild the walls, stones that moved out of place will be removed and returned to their original positions, with reference to photographs taken before the earthquakes. Over 100,000 stones are believed to require repositioning using heavy machinery, and only about 7 pct of the work has been completed so far. “We can’t damage the remains,” said Kazunori Kitazono, a stonemason engaged in the work for about five years. “If we could move 40 stones a week, that would be great progress.” Shinko Tanaka, 25, who grew up in the city and was in the first year of high school when the earthquakes struck, became a stonemason about three years ago. He now works alongside Kitazono to rebuild the stone walls. “I want to make a stone wall that can withstand major earthquakes in the future,” Tanaka said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]