Damage to and Restoration ofKumamoto Castle
Kumamoto City Tourism Exchange Division

Kumamoto Castle○ Built by Kiyomasa Kato in 1607
○ Consists of manyy important
pcultural propertiesp p(turrets and stonewalls) and reconstructions (thecastle keeps are reconstructions)○ Japan’s no. 1 castle for 3 consecutive years on
Tripadviser (2013‐2015)(2013 2015)○ 1.7 million annual visitors (as of 2015); thelargest tourist attraction of Kumamoto City[Details of the Damage]【被害の詳細】April
2016, 21:26, 'foreshock
M 6.5'
平成2814,年４月１４日
21JST時 26分「前震 Ｍ6.5」
種 類

被害数量

内 容

重要文化財建造物

10 棟

長塀 80ｍ崩壊、９棟は瓦・外壁落下など

復元建造物

７棟

天守閣瓦落下、壁ひび、塀崩壊など

石 垣

崩落６箇所

膨らみ・緩み多数

April
2016, 01:25
JST,shockM 7.3'
平成2816,年４月１6
日 1時
25'main
分「本震分
本震
Ｍ7.3」

*Including the damage※前震でcaused by
the foreshock※前震での被害を含む被害を含む

種 類

被害数量

内 容

重要文化財建造物

13 棟

倒壊 2 棟、一部倒壊 3 棟。他は屋根・壁破損など

復元建造物

20 棟倒壊５棟。他は下部石垣崩壊、屋根・壁破損など

石 垣

崩落・膨らみ・緩み 517 面 約 23,600 ㎡（全体の 29.9％）(うち崩落 50 箇所、229 面) (うち崩落約 8,200 ㎡（全体の 10.3％）

地 盤

陥没・地割れ 70 箇所

利便施設・管理施設 26 棟

約 12,345 ㎡
屋根・壁破損など

The Castle Keeps after the Main Shock (April 16)
No significant change is seen from the west, but notice the damage to the main
keep’s roofs and to the top left corner of the small keep’s stonewall.

Aerial view of the castle
keeps from the eastCollapsed Stonewalls of the Small Castle Keep
Before theearthquake

After themain shockImportant Cultural Properties– Uto Turret and Tsuzuki TurretThe morning of April 15

After the main shockImportant Cultural Property – Akazumon Gate

Important Cultural Property – Kita Juhachiken Turret
After the mainshock

Before theearthquake

Square Entrance to Nishi Otemon Gate
Before the earthquake

After the main shockSouth Eastern Corner of Iidamaru
Gokai Turret

The morning of April 15

After the main shockBackfill(cobbles)

Body
End
Body stabilisingstone

Stonewall structure
Tie stone
Face

Compactedsoil

Engraved marking

整地土Gap filling stone
Bodystabilisingstone
Pinningstone

Splitting hole

地山

Base stone

CompactedbaseJointTimberStonewall Damageg – Model 1
Verticalshock

CrackingandcollapsingHorizontalshock

SStonewallll damage
dbyb thehcollapsed backfill

The First Step to the Restoration of the Castle
・Prevention of cracks in the ground by using sheets
and protection of construction members
・Implementation of temporary workSheet curing forimportant culturalproperty members

Tsuzuki Turret of Uto Turret

The Long WallStone removal after
the collapse

Iidamaru Gokai Turret
The first stage of collapse
prevention completedl d

After themain shockHigashi Juhachiken Turret(Important Cultural Property)

Before the disaster
Sortingg and storingg of removed
construction membersAfter the main shockBasic Concept of Kumamoto Castle
Restoration

On the basis of Basic Policy for
Kumamoto Castle Restoration (Draft)

1 The earliest possible reconstruction of the castlekkeeps
as theth ttop priority
i it
2 Careful restoration without losing culturalproperty values
3 The earliest possible regeneration of the castle
as a tourist attraction while showing the stage‐by‐stage restoration process to the public
4 Consideration of restoration methods involving
cutting‐edge technologies in the light of safety

Point ① Preservation of Cultural PropertyValues
・ The ‘important cultural properties’, such asstonewalls and buildings, should be essentiallyrestored usingg traditional methods and thesame members as before.
・ Careful restoration by traditional methods istime consuming but helps to preserve culturalproperty values.

Point ② Part of Tourist Attraction
・ Castle restoration in p
progressg
is ‘a must see
now’ which has a high tourist value.
・ Plans are needed to show the restoration
progress to the public.

Point ③ Consideration for Safety
・ The earthquake occurred during closing time
( t night),(ati ht) hencehno casualties
lti or deathsd th – ablessing in disguise .
・ If the earthquake occurred during opening
time…
⇒ 5,000
5 000 visitors a day⇒ Several hundred people could have been
injured by collapsed stonewalls, etc.
⇒ ‘Cultural
Cultural properties
properties’ should not be exempt
from safety measures.

Points of Kumamoto Castle(y)Restoration (Summary)○ So far ・・・ A main focus on the balance between‘cultural property preservation’ and ‘tourist attraction’○ From now on ・・・ ‘Cultural property preservation’and ‘tourist attraction’, plus ‘safety improvements’・ Reinforcement of the stonewalls and buildings (bycombining traditional methods and cutting‐edgetechnologies)
・ Plans needed to ensure safety by providing visitor
routes, evacuation routes, disasterdprevention ffacilities,
letc.

Future Plans (Targets)
By the end of 2016
・・・ Finalisation
Fi li i off theh Basic
B i Policy
P li ffor
Kumamoto Castle Restoration
By the end of 2017
・・・ Formulation of basic restoration plans
・ Clarification of the restoration work schedule2019 ・・・ Restoration of the Castle Keepsp
Around 2036 ((approx.
ppin 20 yyears time))
・・・ Completion of the restoration