Kumamoto Castle

The biggest feature of Kumamoto Castle is the sight of two towers, one large and one small, standing side by side. The four sides of the towers are adorned with "chidori-hafu" (plover-style gables), while the top floor of both the north and south sides of the large tower are decorated with "kara-hafu" (Chinese-style gables). On top of the stone walls of the small tower, there are "shinobi-kaeshi" (iron spikes) installed to prevent enemy invasion. The large tower has three layers on the outside and six floors plus a basement on the inside, allowing visitors to enjoy a breathtaking view of Kumamoto City and the mountains of Aso from the top floor.

The Uto Yagura Tower, located on the northwest side of the Honmaru, is a valuable building that has preserved its original appearance from when it was first built. It is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. With its three floors, five stories, and one basement level, it is comparable in size and structure to a castle tower, and is sometimes referred to as the "third tower." When you hear that it has preserved its appearance from the time of its construction, it makes you wonder how they built such a structure 400 years ago.

In the Otemaru Goten Zone, there is the most prestigious and colorful "Shokun-no-ma" room. The walls of the room are decorated with paintings by Kano school artists depicting the story of the Han dynasty beauty, "Wang Zhaojun," and the ceiling is adorned with plants for each season. This room, painted in gold and various colors, evokes the glamorous daimyo era of the time, so be sure to see it when you visit!

Underneath the Honmaru Palace, there is an underground passage made of stone walls called the "Kuragari Tunnel". This is one of the highlights that reveals the defense of Kumamoto Castle, as the formal entrance to the palace is actually located underground! This unique structure is not seen in other castles or palaces, and it's a place where you can feel how Kumamoto Castle has put a lot of effort into defense by anticipating battles. As it's underground, it's cool and seems like a great place to escape the summer heat.

Kumamoto Castle has many other attractions, and you can see different features in each zone. For example, in the "Sukiyaki Maru Zone," you can feel the place where it was once used as a place for Noh plays, tea ceremonies, and singing events, as well as a place for hospitality. In the "Iida Maru Zone," you can visit key points to defend the south side of Kumamoto Castle Honmaru, such as the gunpowder storehouse. There are also various other zones such as "Ninomaru Zone" and "Sannomaru Zone," so please pick and choose what you want to see according to your sightseeing schedule.

Kumamoto Castle is illuminated every day and is usually lit up from sunset until midnight (the entire castle tower is lit up until 11 pm). Its appearance rising up in the dark night is as beautiful as a picture. The illumination is generally a gradation from warm colors to white, but on Greenery Day, it is green, on Marine Day, it is blue, and sometimes the colors are adjusted to match the event. It's exciting to see what color it will be on the day of your visit!