The main keep
30.3 metres.
Suicasmo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 663highland — CC BY 2.5 · Yoshikazu TAKADA from Tokyo, Japan — CC BY 2.0 · 663highland — CC BY 2.5 · Drivephotographer — CC0 · Tokyo-Good — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Unknown — CC BY-SA 3.0 · DryPot — CC BY 2.5
A hilltop castle in central Kumamoto, counted among Japan's three premier castles with Himeji and Matsumoto. Its origins go back to 1467; Katō Kiyomasa expanded it between 1601 and 1607 into a vast complex of 49 turrets, 18 turret gates and 29 smaller gates, about 1.6 kilometres from east to west. It is famous for its curving musha-gaeshi stone walls, which grow steeper toward the top until they cannot be climbed. Besieged in 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion, it lost its main keep to fire; the keep was rebuilt in concrete in 1960 at 30.3 metres, and 13 original structures survive as Important Cultural Properties. The 2016 earthquake badly damaged the castle; the main keep was restored and reopened, and work on the whole complex runs to around 2052. Then a strong earthquake struck Kumamoto on 28 July 2026, collapsing stone walls in about forty places; the castle reopened to visitors on 13 August 2026, and some routes may stay closed during repairs. Tickets are 800 yen, and it opens 9:00-17:00, according to its official site. The entrance is near Kumamotojō-Shiyakusho-mae tram stop; check which routes are open before you go.
30.3 metres.
Curving upward.
An original building.
Honmaru, Chūō ward, Kumamoto
Yes, it reopened on 13 August 2026 after the 28 July quake; some routes may stay closed while the walls are repaired, so check before you go.