Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto Overview
One of the three great castles of Japan, built by Kato Kiyomasa from 1601 with stone walls that curve outward so steeply they were called musha-gaeshi, warrior repellers. The 2016 earthquakes broke much of it. Most guides still say you can only look from outside, and that has been wrong since 2021: the keep interior is open, reached on a 300 metre raised walkway built over the damaged grounds, for 800 yen. The Honmaru Goten palace is still closed.
Read More
