The Kumamoto Castle. Kumamoto Cityi

The main building of the Eto family home (Important Cultural Property), Ozu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture

A huge sloping the main hall and collapsed the worship hall, Hachiosha ShrineiiIntroduction
Two earthquakes of a seismic intensity of 7 on the Japanese seven-stage seismic scale occurred in
Kumamoto, the first at 9 p.m. on April 14th, 2016, and the second at midnight on the 16th, causing enormous
damage at various places in Kumamoto Prefecture. More than 180,000 people were forced to evacuate forseveral nights. With regard to cultural heritage, the damage was severe. For example, the Ro-mon (tower gate)
and Haiden (hall of worship) of the Aso shrine and two Yagura (turrets) of the Kumamoto Castle collapsed
en rely: both the shrine and castle have been designated as Important Cultural Proper es in Japan.
A year and a half since the Kumamoto Earthquakes, a major issue is how historic buildings can be preserved,
such as valuable tradi onal houses and small shrines in historic se lements that escaped collapse.
ICOMOS Japan publishes this report in the hope that, by sharing its informa on, which is concerned withearthquake disasters and the eﬀorts toward recovery, it will be a valuable guide for other countries that havethe possibility of similar earthquake damage in finding desirable ways to preserve their cultural heritage fromnatural disasters.
Yukio Nishimura,President of Japan ICOMOS Na onal Commi ee

Japan is a country where many earthquakes have occurred in the past. For instance, 1,036 earthquakes ofa magnitude of 6 or higher on the Richter scale were recorded between 2000 and 2009 globally. Of these,
212 occurred in or near Japanese territory. In 2016, two earthquakes that registered 7 on the Richter scale
hit Kumamoto Prefecture within three days. Many cultural heritage sites were damaged as a result and ares ll in a cri cal condi on. Local communi es and residents in Kumamoto immediately set to work to recover
the damaged sites. Full recovery will take time and will be a long and complex process. ICOMOS Japan isdetermined to work closely with local communi es and authori es to support their ac vi es in recovering thesites and will contribute to the discussions on reconstruc on.
This report is the first documenta on of the immediate post-trauma situa ons in Kumamoto. I hope that
more will be reported to present the recovery process to the interna onal community, and that people inother countries aﬀected by similar disasters will be encouraged to take recovery ac ons.
Toshiyuki Kono,
Vice President of ICOMOS Interna onaliii

KumamotoPrefecture×

Map of Japaniv

The Kumamoto Earthquake-Report on the Damage to the Cultural HeritageIntroduc on

1. Overview of the earthquakes

1

2. Overview of damages to cultural proper es

8

3. Damage to cultural proper es and subsequent restora on
3.1 Wooden structures
3.1.1 The Eto family home
3.1.2 The Yano family home
3.1.3 The Aso-jinja Shrine
3.1.4 Shrines as core for local communi es
3.1.5 The vernacular architectures in Mashiki town
3.1.6 The Janes’ Residence
3.1.7 Yoshida Shokado Residence and Store
3.1.8 Morimoto Store
3.1.9 The Suzuki family home (the former Nakamura Pediatrics Hospital)
3.1.10 The Kimura family home
3.2 Masonry structures
3.2.1 PS Orangerie
3.2.2 Historical Buildings in Kumamoto University
3.3 Reinforced concrete stuructures
3.3.1 Honmyo-ji temple Nio-mon gate
3.3.2 Aso Volcanological Laboratory, Kyoto University
3.4 Tradi onal Townscape and Cultural Landscape Districts
3.4.1 The Shinmachi Furumachi District
3.4.2 The Kawashiri District
3.4.3 Ogawa District
3.5 Missionary-related schools and others Western-style modern architectures
3.6 Stone construc ons
3.6.1 Stone arch bridges
3.6.2 The thirteen-storied pagoda
3.7 Historic Sites
3.7.1 Kumamoto Castle’s dry stone walls and structures
3.7.2 Kofun mound tombs
3.8 Movable Cultural Proper es

11
11
11
13
16
18
19
24
29
32
33
34
37
37
41
43
43
45
48
48
51
55
58
60
60
62
64
64
69
71

4. Emergency response and support system
4.1 The “Cultural Proper es Doctors’ Dispatch Project”
4.2 The Cultural Proper es Rescue System
4.3 Support ac vi es by private-sector intermediate support organiza ons
4.4 Rehabilita on Support System by the administra on and other en es
4.5 World Monuments Fund support

74
74
76
79
81
84

5. Past support ac vity and the future prospects

87

A flash report on the Kumamoto Earthquakes

94v

Contribu on:
Keiyo Fujihara: Chapter 3 (3.2)
Kazuhiro Fujikawa: Chapter 3 (4.1), Chapter 4 (3-4)
Tamotsu Furukawa: Chapter 3 (4.2)
Toshikazu Hanazato: Chapter 1, Chapter 3 (1.6), Chapter 3 (2.1)
Junichi Hasegawa: Chapter 3 (1.5)
Yuichi Hirano: Chapter 3 (5)Michio Hosokawa: Chapter 3 (6.2)
Tsuguharu Inaba: Chapter 3 (8)Mitsuhiko Inagaki: Chapter 4 (5)Setsuko Isoda: Chapter 3 (4.3)
Juko Ito: Chapter 3 (2.2)
Ryuichi Ito: Chapter 3 (1.10)
Yuga Kariya: Chapter 5
Taijiro Kimoto: Chapter 3 (1.1)
Toshiyuki Kono: Introduc on
Yuji Kurihara: Chapter 4 (2)Kanefusa Masuda: Chapter 3 (1.6)
Keisuke Miyano: Chapter 3 (1.7-1.9)
Yukio Nishimura: Introduc on
Takeshi Sasaki: Chapter 3 (4.1)
Koji Takeda: Chapter 3 (7.2)
Sadahiko Tanaka: Chapter 4 (1)Toshihiko Tsurushima: Chapter 3 (7.1)
Kentaro Yamaguchi: Chapter 3 (1.3), Chapter 3 (3.1)
Toshitaka Yamao: Chapter 3 (6.1)
Kazuyuki Yano: Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (1.2-1.4), Chapter 5
Cooperated by:
Toru Ajisaka
Yumi Isabelle Naito Akieda
Mariko Fujioka
Hisayuki Kinoshita
Shigenori Kita
Sachiko Kuwahara
Mihoko Muto
Kazuyuki Obata
Mineo Takayama
Mizuko Ugo
Koichi Wada
Hiroki Yamada
Namiko YamauchiviTomoko Yano
Yoko Yano
Designed by:
Chieko Igarashi
Edited by:
Takeshi Sasaki
Mizuko Ugo
The Secretariat of Japan ICOMOS Na onal Commi ee (Kazuyuki Yano, Maiko Tatezaki, Mai Tsuneki)
Published by:
Japan ICOMOS Na onal Commi ee
c/o Japan Cultural Heritage Consultancy,
Hitotsubashi 2-5-5-13F, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo,
101-0003, JAPAN.
Tel/FAX: +81 3-3261-5303
E-mail: jpicomos@japan-icomos.org
Web: h p://www.japan-icomos.org
Date of issue: 1 December 2017©2017 Japan ICOMOS Na onal Commi eevii

1. Overview of the earthquakes

is 1.0 for cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto).
The 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes occurred in such
earthquake environment.

The 2016 earthquakes, which caused major damage

The April 14 fore-shock earthquake is considered toto the Kumamoto Prefecture region, characterized

have occurred by rupture of the Hinagu fault, and theby a series of earthquakes, with the ground mo ons

April 16 main-shock earthquake due to the Futagawa

of intensity of 1 or higher in Japan Meteorologicalfault. Both are right lateral faults. The depths of their

Agency (JMA) Seismic Intensity Scale measured more

epicenters were approximately 11km and 12km,

than 1,000 times. They consisted of a fore-shock

respectively (See Figure 1.1). According to the newearthquake that occurred at around 21:45 on April

edition of Japan’s Active Faults, these are classified

14, a main-shock earthquake at around 01:25 onas having a certainty level of I (it is certain that they

April 16, and many after-shock earthquakes. Bothare an ac ve fault)3), and an ac vity level of class B (athe April 14 fore-shock earthquake and the April

displacement rate per 1,000 years of 0.1-1.0m). The

16 main-shock earthquake recorded JMA seismic

Hinagu fault’s displacement speed was estimatedintensity of 7. Since 1996 when Japan started toto be 0.7m/1,000 years. The Earthquake Research

operate a system in advance of the rest of the world

Commi ee has indicated that if the Hinagu fault andto measure instrumental seismic intensity, this was

Futagawa fault become ac ve, it is possible that they

only the third time an earthquake of JMA seismic

would cause earthquakes of magnitude M6.8 andintensity 7 has been recorded (the previous two

M7.0, respec vely.

mes were the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu Earthquake

Next, the earthquakes’ seismic intensity distribu on

and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake). The

and peak acceleration distribution are shown.

fault zone extending from the western end of the

Figure 1.2 shows the instrumental seismic intensity

Median Tectonic Line crosses the central part of

distribution of the fore-shock earthquake and the

Kyushu and runs, basically, in a northeast-southwest

main-shock earthquake, as measured by the Japan

direc on; these were the inland earthquakes caused

Meteorological Agency. Figure 1.3 shows the main-by this ac ve fault zone. In order to show the seismic

shock earthquake’s peak acceleration distribution,

activity in the Kumamoto Prefecture region, theas measured by the National Research Institute forhistorical earthquakes are shown in Table 1.1, a list of

Earth Science and Disaster Resilience.

the earthquakes that have affected the Kumamoto

Response spectra are generally used to evaluate theregion since the 17th century.

earthquake response of a building, as not only the

As shown in Table 1-1, in the 400 years since theearthquake ground motion characteristics but also

17th century, the current type of earthquake, an

the response characteris cs are taken into account.

inland underground earthquake with a magnitude

In this report, the earthquake-mo on characteris cs

of over 5 (defined by JMA), has occurred only fiverecorded at the Mashiki Public Office, where JMA

times, with the largest being 6.5. Consequently,

seismic intensity of 7 was measured, at KiK-net

the region has not been regarded as having a high

(KMMH16) Mashiki, and at the Nishihara Public

level of seismic activity, and its earthquake region

Office are shown. The earthquake ground motion

coefficient, as prescribed by the Enforcement

amplitudes recorded in the present earthquakes

Ordinance of the Japan Building Code, is 0.8, whichwere in more of the east-west (EW) direction thanis the lowest value other than that of Okinawa (itthe north-south (NS) direc on.The peak accelera on

1

Table 1.1 Earthquakes that have caused damage in the Kumamoto region since the 17th century1)

Date

Region and Name

M*

The main damage

1619.
May. 1

Higo andYatsushiro

6.0

Destruc on of Mugishima Castle and other public and privatebuildings.

1625.
Jul.21

Kumamoto

5-6

Explosion of the Kumamoto Castle explosives warehouse. Near
to the castle keep, the castle’s stone wall was damaged.
Approximately 50 fatali es.

1707.
Oct.28Houei Earthquake

8.4

1723.
Dec. 19

Higo, Bungo, andChikugo

6.5

In Higo, 2 fatali es, 25 injured, 980 collapsed houses.

1769.
Aug. 29

Hyuga, Bungo, and
Higo

7 3/4

Major damage to Nobeoka and Oita Castles. Within the
Kumamoto region, 1 fatality, 115 collapsed houses.

1792.
May. 21

Unzendake

6.4

The eastern part of the front of the mountain collapsed.
Approximately 5,000 fatali es and more than 2,000 houses
washed away by a tsunami.

1854.
Dec. 24

Ansei Nankai Earthquake

8.4

1889.
Jul.28

Kumamoto

6.3

Major damage near Kumamoto City, with 20 fatali es, 54
injured, and more than 200 houses completely destroyed.

1941.
Nov.19Hyuga-nada Sea

7.2

Two fatali es, 7 injured, and 19 houses completely destroyed.

1946.
Dec.21

Nankai Earthquake

8.0

Two fatali es, one injured, six houses completely destroyed.

1975.
Jan.23

Northern Edge of
Mt. Aso

6.1

Damage was concentrated in the Mino District of Ichinomiya
Town. Ten injured, 16 houses completely destroyed.

M*: magnitudes are from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

Kumamoto Plain
Shimabara PeninsulaMain-shock M=7.3
Fore-shock M=6.5

Yatsushiro Plain
Kyushu Mountain
Figure 1.1 Historic earthquakes and active faults in the
Kumamoto region1).

2

Es mated Intensity
Scale
7
Upper 6Lower 6Upper 5Lower 5
4

Figure 1.2 Seismic intensity distribu on of the fore-shock and main-shock earthquakes (Japan Meteorological Agency
website).

Figure 1.3 The main-shock earthquake’s peak acceleraon distribu on(from the website of the National ResearchInstitute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience).

is as described below. At the Mashiki Public Office

Regarding the records of these earthquakes, Figures

measurement sta on, the EW direc on amplitude of

1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 show the accelera on waveforms of

the peak accelera on was 0.83G and the NS direc on

EW and NS direc ons as well as the velocity response

was 0.53G; at the Mashiki KiK-net measurement

spectra (h=5%). The response spectra diagram also

station, the EW direction was 1.15G and the NSshows the spectrum provided by Enforcement

direction was 0.65G; and at the Nishihara Village

Ordinance of the Japan Building Code for Type 2

Komori measurement sta on, the EW was direc on

ground condi on.

0.77G and the NS direc on was 0.72G.

Table 1.2 shows the main-shock earthquake’s peak3

accelera on (three-component composi on ) for the1.7). In the Nishihara Public Office’s earthquake-region in which the cultural proper es described inmotion records, the power of the short-period

this report are located. It is not shown in the present

component was also large (See Figure 2.6). This shorttable, but the Mashiki Town KiK-net measurement

period area had a major impact on the masonry

station measured as high as 1.362G for the three-structures, which are short-natural period structures.

component composi on.

Kumamoto Castle’s stone walls suffered major

As we can understand from Figures 1.4, 1.5, anddamage, considered to have been caused by the

1.6, from the records of Mashiki Town’s earthquake,

result of the response of these stone wall structures

which had measured seismic intensity of 7 in JMA

induced by the predominance of the short-period

Scale, and from Nishihara Village’s records, there

component. This tendency was also seen in thewere major differences in the response spectra

damage resulting from the 2011 Great East Japan

characteris cs. In addi on, even within the records

Earthquake, in which masonry structures sufferedin the same town of Mashiki, the Public Officemajor damage. The cultural proper es described in

response spectra values were approximately twice

this survey report, at the PS Orangerie, the Honmyo-

those of the KiK-net records. The Nishihara Public

ji Shrine Deva gate, and Yasemegane Bridge, are also

Office’s response spectra can be seen to havecharacterized by short-period structures. A feature of

predominant peaks at short period of less thanthe present earthquakes was that at the hypocentral

one second, as well as broad peaks of rather longer

region and their vicinities, the earthquake-motion

period of two to three seconds. The spectra at rather

characteristics differed greatly with depending on

longer period of two to three seconds exceeded

the site, and in the areas with many historic buildings

300cm/s, which may express the movement of the(within Kumamoto City), it was observed that thefault. In the present earthquakes, the depths of theshort-period component that affects masonry

epicenters were shallow, and it is understood thatstructures was predominant, while in the vicinity ofthere were significant differences in the seismic

the fault, the long-period component was observed,

intensity characteris cs of the epicenters, depending

due to fault slippage.

on their locations. Furthermore, the amplitude of

At the end of this section, we note the damage

the EW direction was large relative to that of thestatistics compiled by the Cabinet Office. As of

NS direction. It is known from theory and fromMay 31, 2016, the human damage consisted ofmeasurement records that in the hypocentral region

49 deaths and 1,663 severe and minor injuries.

of a floating earthquake, the fault’s orthogonal-

As for damage to buildings, 6,090 houses suffereddirection component is predominant, and in thecomplete destruc on, 20,219 houses suﬀered par al

recent Kumamoto Earthquakes, it has been noted

destruction, 85,635 houses suffered fragmentarythat the parallel-direction component was larger

damage, 1,042 non-inhabited buildings sufferedthan the orthogonal-direction of the fault. Thisdamage, and there were 16 incidents of fires. Aside

phenomenon was a feature of the earthquake

from these, there were 57 incidents of debris flows,

ground motion characteristics from the Kumamoto

10 incidents of landslide, and 115 incidents of cliff

Earthquakes.

landslide.

According to the KNET earthquake-mo on records
within Kumamoto City, the 0.3-0.5 second shortperiod component was predominant (See Figure

4Mashiki Public Oﬃce (EW)

Mashiki Public Oﬃce (NS)SV (cm/s)

Miyazono NS
Miyazono EW
Composi on
EW+NS
EW
NS

Japanese building code
Period (s)Figure 1.4 The seismic waveform and the acceleration response spectrum
measured at the Mashiki Public Oﬃce (provided by Dr. Nakagawa).

Mashiki Kik-net NS
Mashiki Kik-net EW
Composi on

Japanese building code

Period (s)Figure 1.5 The seismic waveform and the acceleration response spectrum
measured at the Mashiki Town KiK-net (provided by Dr. Nakagawa).

5Komori NS
Komori EW
Composi on

Japanese building code

Period (s)Figure 1.6 The seismic waveform and the acceleration response spectrum
measured at the Nishihara Public Oﬃce (provided by Dr. Nakagawa).
Table 1.2

Instrumental seismic intensity and peak accelera on of the regions with a damaged cultural property indicated in this report (main shock, the Na onal Research Ins tute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience K-Net,
KiK-Net)Measurement sta on

Instrumental seismic
intensity (JMA Scale)

Peak accelera on(cm/s2)

Measurement sta on’s distance from epicenter (km)Nishihara Village Komori

6.6

904

15.8

Aso City Ichinomiya

5.5

403

35.5

Kumamoto City Chuo Ward

6.0

657

6.3

Kumamoto City Higashi Ward

6.0

843

4.2

Kumamoto City Nishi Ward

6.0

678

7.5

Kumamoto City Minami Ward

5.9

595

9.0

Kumamoto City Kita Ward

5.8

1027

9.0

Otsu Town Hikigi

5.7

669

17.1

Mifune Town

5.7

499

6.2

6

Figure 1.7 The accelera on response spectrum measurement records of Knet Kumamoto (KMM006) (from the Na onal Research Ins tutefor Earth Science and Disaster Resilience website).

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Takafumi Nakagawa of the National
Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for his coopera on with theearthquake-mo on characteris cs shown in Figures 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6.
References
1) The Prime Minister’s Oﬃce, the Headquarters for Earthquake Research
Promo on, the Earthquake Research Commi ee, ed.: Japan’s seismic
ac vity—Characteris cs by region as seen from earthquake damage,pp. 330-333, 1997
2) Usami Tatsuo, author: Overview of Japan’s Earthquakes, new edi on,

7

University of Tokyo Press, 1991
3) The Ac ve Fault Study Group, ed.: Japan’s Ac ve Faults, New edi on,
distribution diagrams and materials, University of Tokyo Press, pp.
358-363, 1991
4) The Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promo on, the Earthquake
Research Commi ee: Evalua on of the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes,
May 13, 2016 (the Japan Meteorological Agency homepage)5) The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster
Resilience: Strong tremors from the April 16, 2016, Kumamoto
Prefecture Kumamoto region6) The Cabinet Oﬃce disaster preven on website: The damage situa on
relating to the 2016 Kumamoto Prefecture Earthquakes whose
hypocenter was in the Kumamoto region (as of 10:00 May 31, 2016)

2. Overview of damages tocultural properties

and other properties under national protection
men oned in Figure 2.1 are sorted according to their
type and the prefecture in which they are located.
Cultural properties and other properties locatedThis sec on will provide an overview of the damage
that affected cultural properties as a result of theseries of earthquakes whose hypocenter was the
Kumamoto region, Kumamoto Prefecture. Figure 2.1
shows the number of proper es damaged as of May
30, 2016, including Important Cultural Properties
and Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (atotal of 150 properties) designated by the national
government, as well as details of composi on ra os.
The most hit were Registered Tangible Cultural
Properties, with a total of 57 properties damaged,
followed by na onally designated Important Cultural
Properties, with 39 properties affected; theseproperties accounted for around two thirds of thetotal of damaged properties. If one adds to thesedamaged Historic Sites and Places of Scenic Beauty,
the total accounts for more than 90% of all damaged
proper es.
In figure 2.2, the 150 damaged cultural proper es

in Kumamoto Prefecture account for around two
thirds of the total number of damaged properties,
followed by those in Oita Prefecture and Fukuoka
Prefecture, where many cultural properties andother proper es were also damaged. Together, thesethree prefectures account for 90% of the total.
Figure 2.3 summarizes the number of damaged
properties that had received a designation in
Kumamoto Prefecture, in the municipalities inKumamoto Prefecture, and in Oita Prefecture. The
number for damaged properties in Kumamoto
Prefecture was the number as of April 28, 2016,
while the number in Oita Prefecture was as of May
23, 2016. Damaged Buildings and Historic Sites werereported in similar numbers. While no information
was available on the types of cultural and otherproperties damaged in Fukuoka Prefecture, it wasreported that as of May 10, 2016, 11 cultural andrelated proper es designated by Fukuoka Prefecture

Figure 2.1 Number of damaged cultural proper es designated by the na onal government (by type)8

Figure 2.2 Number of damaged cultural proper es designated by the na onal government (by prefecture)

Figure 2.3 Number of damaged proper es: cultural proper es designated by prefectures and municipali es

9were damaged, as well as 11 municipality-designatedAmong these buildings, the restoration ofcultural and related properties located within the

Kumamoto Castle is likely to cost some tens ofPrefecture.

billions of yen. The cost for other buildings will be

In Kumamoto Prefecture, there were also great

on a scale of several billion yen in total. As for thedamages to historic buildings located in Nishihara

duration of works, it will probably take 20 years to

Village and Mashiki Town which recorded two

restore Kumamoto Castle and close to 10 years toearthquakes of seismic intensity 7, in Kumamoto

restore the other buildings.

City which recorded seismic intensity of more than

One year and a half after the earthquake: while

6, as well as in other places and especially thosesome of the repair works have begun, most of themhistoric buildings located along the fault. Althoughhave yet to be started.

damages to brick and stone masonry structures weresignificant, and while some of the shrine buildings,
modern-western style buildings and old residencescollapsed, most buildings survived with merely largescale partial collapse or small-scale partial collapse
with some deformations because the majorityof them were built with the wooden framework
construc on method.

References
1) MEXT: Report on the damage by the earthquakes whose hypocenterswere in the Kumamoto region, Kumamoto Prefecture (Report No. 32),
2016.5.30.
2) Kumamoto Prefecture: Summary of the situation of damages tocultural proper es from the earthquake of April 14, 2016, 2016.4.28.
3) Oita Prefecture, Educa on and Cultural Aﬀairs Sec on: The situa onof damages cultural properties in Oita Prefecture due to the 2016
Kumamoto Earthquakes, 2016.5.23.
4) Mainichi Shimbun, regional edi on: The total cost of the Kumamoto
Earthquakes will be 373 million yen; a summary of damages in the
Prefecture/Fukuoka, 2016.5.11.

10

earth walls of the central storehouse. Effects of

3. Damage to culturalproperties andsubsequent restoration

the main-shock earthquake extended to the mainbuilding: the building inclined up to more than 1/8
towards the west side, roof les and earth walls fell
down. As for the interior, parts of the ceiling above
the large room (hiroma) fell, the reception room

3.1 Wooden structures(zashiki) inclined towards the south, and the walls

3.1.1 The Eto family home (na onally designated Important Cultural Property)
The Eto family home is located in Jinnai, Otsu Town,
Kikuchi District of Kumamoto Prefecture. In 2005,
it was designated an Important Cultural Property(building) because it has maintained to this day thepremises layout of elite class homes of the Higo
region. At the center of a square site measuring
roughly 80 meters per side, the main building
faces the south; in the southwest corner there is a
Nagayamon gate (long house gate) and a stable.
The central storehouse stands to the southeast of
the main building, the rear gate is located centrally
in the western section of the site, and stone walls
border the site’s boundary on the north side and partof the west side. In addition to the main building,four buildings and one ancillary building (including
a hut, stone wall, waterways and residential land)
are designated properties. Among them, surveys
conducted until now allow one to consider that by
the 13th year of the Bunsei period (1830), the mainbuilding had probably reached a form that is close
to its current one. While it con nued to func on asa family home over time, the Eto family home has
arrived to its present configura on through repeatedadditional construction works carried out over the
Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods; to this day it haspreserved in good condition high-quality interior
designs from each of these periods.
Damage in the fore-shock earthquake was limited
to the collapse of the chimney on the north sideof the main building and the par al collapse of the11

attached to the alcove were damaged. In terms ofstructure, the main building is divided into threebuildings: one centered on the earth floor doma,
another on the south side centered on the zashiki
recep on room, and another compara vely new one
to the north side; it is the connec ons between thesebuildings that broke, with fractures up to some 50cm
where large. The stable’s west side outer wall fell
and the building inclined greatly towards the road on
the west side. At the central storehouse, the pillars
came oﬀ their founda on stones and the structural
frame inclined towards the west side. Also, most of
the earth walls fell. The rear gate collapsed onto theroad on the west side. Protrusions occurred at partsof the stone wall on the north side of the site. The
Eto family home is located to the northeast of the
Futagawa River fault, which was the epicenter ofthe main-shock earthquake. The main building andother buildings on the site inclined to the west sideor the west-southwest side due to the main-shock
earthquake; this inclina on shows a direc on similar
to the direction of displacement of the Futagawa
River fault, which extends from east-northeast to
west-southwest.
As emergency response measure to prevent
collapse, temporary reinforcements were installed tothe main building’s interior and exterior on the westside, which had acquired a significant incline. Also,
because there were concerns that during the rainyseason leakage from broken roofs into the interior of
the building would seriously damage the pictures on
the paron walls, these were removed as a priority

and stored separately. The stable had greatly inclined

Photo 3.1.1.1 The main building (before the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.2 The main building (a er the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.3 The central storehouse (before the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.4 The central storehouse (after the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.5 The stable (before the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.6 The stable (a er the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.7 Interior of the main building, the hiroma(before the earthquakes)

Photo 3.1.1.8 Interior of the main building, the hiroma(a er the earthquakes)

12towards the road side, up to as much as 1/8, andcommunity has grown even stronger.

the deteriora on of the bases of its pillars was alsosignificant; it was temporarily dismantled for safety
and preservation. At the central storehouse, the3.1.2 The Yano family home (nationallyRegistered Tangible Cultural Property)

remaining earth walls were dismantled and removed,

Hontakuand temporary reinforcements were installed inside

The Yano family home (Hontaku, or main home)the building to control the incline. As for the stone

was built in 1873, following the premises layout ofwall, only sec ons with protrusions were dismantled,a zaigokenin (vassal who lives in the countrysideand the stones were put in storage.

instead of living in the Lord’s castle town) home

From now on, measures will aim at making theof the Edo Period. In 1999, it became a Registeredstructural frame of the main building sound after

Tangible Cultural Property. It consists of sevencompletely dismantling the building’s west part thatstructures in total: the main building, the storehouse,

was significantly damaged. There are plans to build

the miso storehouse, the shed, the front gate, theback the buildings centered on the reception room

rear gate, and the middle gate. The three fissuresand that on the north side. Addi onally, diagnosis ofthat run on the premises (at the shed, the main

seismic resistance will be carried out and measures tobuilding, and the storehouse) along the east-west

strengthen the earthquake-resistance performance

direc on indicate that there were significant tremors

will be taken. The structural frame of the central

in the north-south direction, and that the groundstorehouse will be temporarily dismantled to carry

moved towards the south. Thus, while in manyout conserva on and repair works. Restora on works

places the structural frame has come oﬀ the stones

will be carried out for the stable, the nagayamon

and other parts of the building’s foundations, it isgate, and the rear gate. Works are scheduled to lastprobably more adequate to understand this as due toaround 4 years (un l fy2020) for the main building.

the ground’s movement, rather than the movement

Repair works of the central storehouse and the stableof the structural frame.

are expected to start in fy2019 and take 3 years, up

The tiled roof of the main building had been re-to fy2021. A er that, the plan is to con nue work on

done prior to the earthquake, and survived thethe other structures, including the nagayamon gate,quake practically sound. However, the building

the rear gate, the hut, and the outer structure, un lsustained major damage such as the collapse of parts

fy2022.

of the walls, and if one is to take into account those

Even after repairs, the Eto family home will

parts that have fissures, the majority of walls is notcontinue to serve its original function as a home

in sound condi on. As for the structural frame, pillars

and will continue its life as a living minka. For thatare inclined in some parts, and in many places, they

purpose, the plan is to carry out maintenance works

have come oﬀ the center of the founda on stones.

and disaster-preven on works in parallel to repairs.

Due to the fissure running under the main building,

One year before the earthquake, local volunteers

a dislocation appeared in the ground in the north-

had formed the “Society for the Protection of thesouth direction, which caused various problems,

Eto Family Home” (with currently 47 members).

such as the fall of the alcove lintel in the reception

Although in the recent earthquakes the Eto family

room and the disloca on of threshold members andhome suﬀered serious damages, the bond that hadhead jambs.

been nurtured between its owners and the local

13

Inside the storehouse, a fissure runs along thePhoto 3.1.2.1 The road in front of the shed of the Yanofamily home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.2 The fissure at the shed of the Yano family
home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.3 The shed pillars have come oﬀ their founda onstones at the Yano family home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.4 The middle gate collapsed at the Yano family home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.5 The wall of the formal room collapsed at themain building of the Yano family home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.6 The wall of the recep on room at the mainbuilding of the Yano family home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.7 The thresholds have become misaligned at themain building of the Yano family home (Hontaku)

Photo 3.1.2.8 The fissure in the earthen floor of the mainbuilding of the Yano family home (Hontaku)

14

Shintaku
The Shintaku or Annex, located on the east sideof the main home (Hontaku), is a partly two-story
building constructed in 1929. It was registered at thesame time as the Yano family’s Hontaku. The roofs
and the structural frame are basically sound. Some of
the walls collapsed, have cracks, or have parts of their
upper layer of plaster that have peeled oﬀ; the stairs
Photo 3.1.2.9 The storehouse of the Yano family home
(Hontaku)

moved towards the west, crea ng a misalignment.
With openings all around it instead of walls, thisbuilding has hardly any seismically resistant aspect
to it, as it is o en also the case for other tradi onal
residential buildings. However, one may assume
among other things that the building could maintaina mostly sound condition thanks to the fact thatthe large fissures of the Hontaku did not reach as
far as the Shintaku, thanks to the proficient use of
sashigamoi (heavy head jambs) which made the

Photo 3.1.2.10 The storehouse of the Yano family home
(Hontaku)

earthen floor, the groundsill and the structural frame
are significantly out of alignment, and the beams arepushing the pillars: there are concerns of collapse.
As the front gate is a Yakuimon-style gate (a gatewith a gable roof constructed with two main posts
and two light secondary posts), the structure inclined
heavily to the front side (west side). The rear gate’s

Photo 3.1.2.11 The Yano family home (Shintaku)

structural frame is basically sound, but some of theroof les have become misaligned. The middle gate,
which had been reinforced by angle braces anddiagonal braces prior to the earthquake, fell downeven though it retained its shape.
It is extremely interesting to note that thestructures built with the traditional construction
method where structural frames are not connected
to founda on stones and groundsills, are those who
escaped collapse.

Photo 3.1.2.12 A sashigamoi (heavy head jamb) of the
Yano family home (Shintaku)

15

Photo 3.1.2.14 The wall’s upper layer fell oﬀ at the Yanofamily home (Shintaku)

Photo 3.1.2.13 A fissure in the wall of the alcove of the
Yano family home (Shintaku)

Photo 3.1.2.15 The Yano family home (Shintaku)

frame suﬃciently strong, and because the structural

damaged in the recent main-shock earthquake.

balance of the building as a whole was good.

In addition, the Worship Hall within the precinct
collapsed completely, and also the stone lanterns on

3.1.3 The Aso-jinja Shrine (nationally designated Important Cultural Property)

the approach road collapsed.
The Romon Gate, which was one of the Three

The surviving shrine buildings of the Aso-jinja

Greatest Romon Gates of Japan, had an upper

Shrine were built as part of a restora on project thatstructure that was extremely impressive. The main-

took place in the late Edo Period, from Tempo 11 toshock earthquake that struck the Aso region on April

Kaei 3 (1840 to 1850). A total of six buildings within

16th registered a weak 6 on the Japanese seismic

the precinct—the Romon Gate (tower gate) at thescale and the Romon Gate is considered to havefront of the site; the Kangyomon Gates (the returncollapsed due to the inclination of the columns

gates) to the left and right; the Shinkomon Gatecaused by the tremors and the P-Δ eﬀects resul ng(gate for transferring deities in a portable shrine);from the heavy weight of its upper part.

and, to the rear, the Ichi-no-shinden Shrine, Ni-no-

It was reported that, at the Kangyomon Gate andshinden Shrine, and San-no-shinden Shrine (thethe Shinkomon Gate, some of the decora ve parts fell

first, second, and third sanctuaries)— are na onally

down and there were some overall distor ons. At thedesignated Important Cultural Properties. All six

three sanctuaries, the damage to the San-no-shindenof these Important Cultural Properties, including

Shrine was the most severe, consisting of a deep

the Romon Gate that collapsed completely, wereinclina on in the direc on of the west cliﬀ, and it has

16been reported that the shrine is in danger of collapsing.

Apart from that, however, hardly any damage could

The damage at the other two shrine buildings included

be seen.

the li ing up of some of the columns.

The policy for the repair works of these buildings,

In terms of the general damage to the buildings

which have been designated as Important Cultural

around the Aso-jinja Shrine, the columns of an

Properties, is repair through dismantling for theextremely old wooden garage appeared to be

Romon Gate and through par al dismantling for the

deeply inclined, while the exterior wall materials inother damaged buildings. The work began in Heisei

the vicinity of the ground-floor column bases of an

28 (2016) and is scheduled to continue until Heisei

old five-storied steel-framed building had fallen oﬀ.

35 (2023). (Photos 3.1.3.1-5 Taken by the author.)

Photo 3.1.3.1 The collapsed Romon Gate of the Aso-jinja
Shrine (the roadside approach).

Photo 3.1.3.2 The collapsed Romon Gate of the Aso-jinja
Shrine (inside the site).

Photo 3.1.3.3 The Worship Hall of the Aso-jinja Shrine wasdamaged.

Photo 3.1.3.4 The emergency support at the San-no-shinden Shrine building in the Aso-jinja Shrine.

Photo 3.1.3.5 The collapsed stone lantern of the Aso-jinja
Shrine.

173.1.4 Shrines as core for local communi es

hand, local citizens are willing to repair the shrines

Each of the se lements that have existed since thebecause the festivals held there are important

olden days, such as Otsu Town, Minamiaso Village,

mee ng opportuni es where local ci zens can comeNishihara Village, Mashiki Town, and Mifune Town,

together, but they fell vic ms to the earthquake too

has its own shrine, and these structures were badly

and therefore are unable to carry out the work todamaged. Many of these shrines were built in thepreserve the shrines. On the other hand, there arethth

no public funds for the shrines to be rescued because

centuries, and they represent the culture of their

they are not regionally designated nor registered ascommuni es func oning as the hearts of their local

Cultural Proper es.

late Edo Period or at its end, in the 18 and 19

communi es by, for example, providing the bases for

Kumamoto Prefecture decided to provide

holding fes vals and other events. In some cases, theassistance through its Restoration Funds for thosestone gate of the shrine collapsed almost completely,

shrines that could be cer fied as represen ng theirin others the main sanctuary and the worship halllocal communities, but this assistance was notboth collapsed, as in Kiyama Jingu Shrine, while insufficient, and it was decided that if the site willother cases the structures collapsed or are on thebe aiming at being officially designated as Culturalverge of collapsing, like at Nishihara Mura village’s

Property, the repair works will be subsidized throughShimokomori Shrine and Hachiosha Shrine.

the Cultural Proper es Restora on Fund.

Their repair and restoration are eagerly awaited,

In future, the preservation of such undesignatedbut even today, one year after the damage, it isand unregistered shrines and other structures will

still not sure whether these works will be carried

become a major issue.

out. The reason for this is twofold. On the one

Photo 3.1.4.1 The Kiyama Shrine

Photo 3.1.4.2 The Shimokomori Shrine

Photo 3.1.4.3 The Hachiosha Shrine

Photo 3.1.4.4 The Hachiosha Shrine

183.1.5 The vernacular architectures in
Mashiki town

perfect harmony. Demolishing damaged structuresby public expense causes disappearing incident ofthese scene, by destruc ng non-designated and nonregistered architectures and cultural heritages that

Overview
Mashiki town is located on the eastern edge of theshould be conserved or could be restored.

Kumamoto plain. It is a commuter town adjacent

One and half year has passed since theto Kumamoto city with a combination of several

earthquakes now, and public reports states that therural and agricultural communities. There are ademolition works by the public expense is almost

lot of vernacular traditional wooden housings andfinished (While totally 3,654 has been applied, 3,549

architectures, especially along Kiyamagawa Riverhas been finished).

and North and South part of hilly area. Mashiki
town is epicenter of two major earthquakes

Damage to tradi onal buildings and their restora-

with a seismic intensity of 7. Damages to theon Kiyama Jinguu, The Shinto Shrine

architectures were devastating and it seems that

Kiyama shrine is located in the center of Mashiki

there were li le prospect for their conserva on andtown. It is officially called the “Kiyama Kyuroku

restoration. However, it is revealed that there are

Kyuden Daimyoujin” Shrine. Six genera ons of godssome diﬀerences in damage degree not only by thesince Sun Goddess “Amaterasu no Oomikami” havedistance from the epicenter or by the oldness of the

been enshrined there. It has 19 subordinate shrines

architectures, but also by the characteristic of sitein Mashiki town and is worshipped as the central

ground, i.e.; geological feature and earth retaining

shrine “Souchinju” of the town. This shrine has beenwalls.

completely falling down by the earthquake, i.e.;

There are a lot of vernacular architectures, farming-

main shrines, halls of worship, tower gates, Shinto

landowner’s residences, farm houses, ware houses,

shrine archway “Torii” and the lanterns on thegate houses“Nagayamon”, clay plastered storage

shrine fence. None of these architectures have nothouses“Dozou,” Shrines and Buddhist temples inbeen designated or registered as cultural assets. In

earthquake damage area.

spite of the strong local public opinions, there is no

Most of these assets are non-designated or non-public fund aid so the prospect of preserva on andregistered, although some of them has been built

re-construction still remains challenging. (Photos

before Meiji era andconstitute a local scene in

3.1.5.1-3.1.5.2)

Photo 3.1.5.1 The remaining roof of worship hall of Kiyama Shrine a er the earthquake.

Photo 3.1.5.2 The decorated structural element which
joins columns and the beams of a roof.
(Sculpture of Horeki Era.)

19

The Saionji family home and their gate house “Nagayamon”
Saionji family (Current family head is the 13th ofSaionji clan) has the lord’s title (Sou-shouya) in thesouthern part of Mashiki town, Togawa district which
located at the foot of Mount Iida.
Saionji family is said to be a descendant of thechief priest “Guji” of the Togawa shrine (the Asojinja Shrine’s subordinate shrine), according to thehistorical record of Mashiki town. The site area is

Photo 3.1.5.3 The Saionji family homeabout 7,000m2 including the forest fields at the east
behind the residen al area. Two wells that have beenshared to the village people also remain in this area.
The residence measures 14.5meters by 19.4meters.
It originally had a thatched roof, and had replaced to
the large hip-and-gable roof when the residence wasrenovated in 1857(Ansei 4, End of Edo era).
Due to the Kumamoto earthquakes, some of thecolumns and beams have been damaged and it
appeared an incline of 1/5Rad. to west-northwest

Photo 3.1.5.4 The Saionji gate house “Nagayamon”

direction in maximum. It was barely avoid fromcollapse down.

(sponsor, charitable person) by the power of cultural

The gate house“Nagayamon,”, two-story tradi onal

property experts with the consent of the owner,

wooden building which measures 20.9 meters by

however, the status is unsure whether the transfer

3.6meters , were used as a two storied gate withand preserva on of these asset will be done or not.

barn for horse or cow(ground fl.), and material

In case of no purchaser is not going to be found,storage(2nd fl.). The roof truss, which is consisted byit will be demolished by public expense in the nearhybrid structure of the Japanese hut and gable beam

future. (Photos 3.1.5.3-3.1.5.4)

configured in turn, is one of characteristics of farmhouses in this area.
The Foo ng of column which has been put on the

The Kawabata family home, clay plastered storage
house “Dozou”, and gatehouse “Nagayamon”

tradi onal base stone was slipped on the stone base

The gate house “Nagayamon” on the boundary ofby the shock of the earthquake by about 40cm but

the residential site, where a stone wall, maximum

safely remained. In contrast, at south part of the gateheight of which is 3 meters on the south cliff sidehouse, some columns of which has been coupledarranged in L-shape, was partially distorted andwith reinforced concrete base foundation weredamaged.

cracked and about to falling down.
The owner wants conservation and utilization ofSaionji residence.
The residence continues to search for Purchaser

Clay plastered store house “Dozou”, whichmeasures 5.9meters by 9.7meters, a girder heightof 5.1meters, the center column of ridge beam has
been broken in the vicinity of the 2nd floor-beam.

20

Surprisingly, in spite of the fatal damage in center

And at the same me, inves ga on of layout plan,column, there is less deformation. In the result ofcross section view, construction technique andexamining in detail, it is found that vulnerability was

structure of these vernacular architectures has been

revealed by Kumamoto earthquake due to termites

carried out by our group members.

that originally existed in the column.

(Photos 3.1.5.5-3.1.5.6 and 3.1.5.9)

These two damaged architectures, Gate houseand clay plastered storage house“Dozou”, were

The new a empt to conserve, watch over, disasterdismantled in February 2017. Even though all

relief activities of cultural properties in Mashikiof these buildings can be technically restored, in

town.

considering repair costs and subsequent maintenanceIn the earthquake disaster areas, there is a highcosts, it is said that individuals cannot take a step ofpossibility of massive disposal of cultural asset,

preserva on and restora on.

including an que art goods and historical documents

Fortunately a lot of historical documents and oldthat had been neither designated nor registered asmaterials and tools, equivalent to cultural proper es

a cultural heritage. However, these historical ancientare rescued by the coopera on of the local cultural

goods have stories of the family and are considered

property experts in collaboration with Agency forto be very important. It was a matter of course

Cultural Aﬀairs before dismantling.

that the members of cultural property protection
committee distressed themselves in the situation
where items and architectures which telling a vast
amount of historic culture were abandoned without
being inves gated or evaluated. In face to the crisis
in Mashiki town, a cultural property conservationcommittee (local government cultural property
sec on and outsourcing specialist staﬀ of the boardof educa on) who gained lessons from disaster areasin the past made a call of paying attention to the
local resident.
This has started as volunteer activities after
half a year of earthquake while in an emergency
beyond the limits of the public administration's
correspondence.
The cultural property conservation committee,
as specialists in conducting activities rooted in thelocal community on a daily basis, can be expected
to generate synergies through cultural asset rescue
projects that provide disaster relief to individual
disaster ci zens, while sharing roles with each local

Photos 3.1.5.5-3.1.5.6
Measures to inves gate the layout plan, cross sec on view,
construc on technique and structure of these vernaculararchitectures has carried out at the Kawabata family house
before they were demolished.

21

community.
In result, more than 10 of the historic architecturesthat are rescued and whose numerous record

documents are conserved. They have value from therelief model for conserva on of historical and cultural

point of the conserva on and rescue of the historical

heritage in the disaster areas in future.

materials stored within them.

(Photos 3.1.5.7-3.1.5.9)

It seems to be a very useful reference as a disasterPhoto 3.1.5.7 Disaster citizens and experts who felt asense of crisis about the loss of the memories and historical and cultural assets in theirlocal communi es gathered and discussed.
And it triggered to form the civil society
organization. (November 8, 2016, Kiyama,
Mashiki town)

Photo 3.1.5.8 On the leaflet, they indicates the name of
the cultural properties conservation commi ee members allocated to each regions
and their contact details. And it was delivered throughout the disaster areas.

22

Photo 3.1.5.9 Field note recorded at the site of demoli on. (Cross sec on of Clay plastered storage house “Dozou” of
Kawabata family.)233.1.6 The Janes’ Residence (prefecture
designated Cultural Property)

relies on traditional Japanese techniques), such as
the spandrel decora ons between the pillars of theveranda on the second floor. The building has an area

History and structure of the Janes’ residenceof 17.7m x 12.8m and a roof height of 12.2m.

The Janes’ Residence, which was built adjacent to

Structurally, the mud-plastered walls were its

Suizenji Park, Kumamoto City, was first built nearearthquake resisting elements. The roof that was

Kumamoto Castle as the house of Leroy Lansing

renovated in 1991 has a wagoya structure and is

Janes and his family. Janes came to Japan as aled placing soil underneath. Since 1970, there haveteacher in the school of western learning establishedbeen no structural renovations, and insect damage

by Higo Domain in 1871. His house, the present

and other problems became apparent. Prior to theJanes’ Residence, is considered to have been

recent earthquakes, it also had earthquake-resistanceconstructed by carpenters invited from Nagasaki thatproblems, and its reloca on had also been considered,

was open to the foreign countries even during thealong with the introduc on of seismic isola on design.

time Japan was a closed country and had western
style residences. Its usage changed along with its

Earthquake damage

owners, and a er being relocated three mes, it was

In the fore-shock earthquake of April 14, as is

moved to the current loca on in 1970 and is owned

shown in Photos 3.1.6.1 to 3.1.6.4, the earthquake-

by Kumamoto City, which has opened it to theresis ng element of the mud-plastered walls suﬀeredpublic as a museum. Over its long history of more

major damage.

than 140 years, it has been used as government

It was then completely destroyed in the April 16

army headquarters during the Satsuma Rebellion in

main-shock earthquake, as shown in Photos 3.1.6.5

1877, as rooms for prefectural government oﬃcials

to 3.1.6.6. There were other wooden houses andand high school staﬀ, and as a deten on center forbuildings around this building, but, at least in terms

Russian soldiers during the Russo-Japanese War thatof their external appearance, they did not suﬀer any

occurred from 1904 to 1905. In 1932, it was acquired

damage, and only this historic property specificallyby the Japanese Red Cross Society and became awas damaged. In addition, many of the archival

memorial hall, and after World War II, it was used

documents that were stored inside as the museum

as a clinic and a blood donation center. In 1970, it

collection were damaged. Since the earthquakes,

was moved to its current loca on and became a city

rescue efforts for the documents have been

designated cultural property. In the following year,

continued by the Janes Promotion and Education

Kumamoto Prefectural government designated it asa prefectural tangible cultural property.
It is a two-story wooden building with a Westernstyle design, and the main building is a wooden
structure constructed using the traditional postand-beam method. The building has an external
appearance in the veranda colonial style. In
particular, one of its features is its use of Giyofu
architecture (a style of Japanese architecture that
outwardly resembles Western-style construc on but

Photo 3.1.6.1 The damage caused by the fore-shock
earthquake (front).

24

Photo 3.1.6.2 The damage caused by the fore-shock
earthquake (rear).

Photo 3.1.6.3 The damage caused by the fore-shock
earthquake (le front).

Photo 3.1.6.4 The damage caused by the fore-shock
earthquake (interior).

Photo 3.1.6.5 The building was completely destroyed in
the main-shock earthquake (1).

Photo 3.1.6.6 The building was completely destroyed in
the main-shock earthquake (2).

Society that was established in 2010 to promote andare few examples that citizen groups like the Janes

educate Janes’ eﬀorts to the public.

Promo on and Educa on Society dedicated itself to

Citizen activities for the reconstruction of the

rescue and conserva on works immediately a er theJanes’ Residence

disaster, building on their previous ac vi es.

There are many examples of efforts by citizen

In May 2016, when the inves ga on team on thegroups to rescue and restore earthquake damaged

earthquake damage of Japan ICOMOS National

historic buildings in Kumamoto. However, there

Committee visited the site of Janes’ Residence in25the inside the Suizenji Park, many volunteers ofaiming at keeping its values as a cultural property for

the Janes Promotion and Education Society also

the time being, concluded an agreement with thegathered, regardless of the rain. In front of the great

Japanese Associa on for Conserva on of Architectural

pile of wood that was rescued from the completely

Monuments (JACAM) for the materials survey anddestroyed Janes’ Residence which is a Kumamoto

the conservation work as a nationally subsidized

Prefecture designated tangible cultural property,

project. As a part of the project, it also constructed

and covered in blue vinyl sheets, the method of

three prefabricated buildings within the site of thereconstruction was discussed. Japan ICOMOS

Kumamoto City Waterworks Bureau; it is now at theteam informed the volunteers of the case of thestage of cleaning and transpor ng all of the materials

former Kobe Foreign Se lement 15th building. Thisand carrying out the drying and preservation

nationally designated important cultural property

measures, while checking their former positions.

was also completely destroyed in the 1995 Great

After the 1995 Great Hanshin-awaji Earthquake,

Hanshin-awaji Earthquake. At that me the original

JACAM was responsible for supervising the survey

posi ons of each recused material were checked forand design for the work to rescue and conserve

the restoration and 70% of the original timber was

the materials and to rebuild the important cultural

re-used in order to minimize the loss in its value.

property of the former Kobe Foreign Se lement 15th

Having heard that story, volunteers understood thebuilding, which had been completely destroyed. In

importance of first taking measures to prevent thethe same way, at Kumamoto, it surveyed the state ofwood materials from rotting in preparation for thethe damage of each of the materials and prepared forupcoming rainy season and typhoons.

the reconstruc on and restora on work.

The Janes Promotion and Education Society

In the August 2017 during the second field

considered various activities to raise funds for theinvestigation of ICOMOS Japan team, with thereconstruc on of the residence, including funds fromcooperation of the Culture Promotion Section,

overseas, but it turned out soon that the building was

Kumamoto City, the team inspected the materials

a component of the public urban park of Kumamoto

within these prefabricated structures. More thanCity and therefore two-thirds of its rebuilding

10 members of the Janes Promotion and Education

expense was eligible for subsidies from the MinistrySociety were in a endance, and seemed to be relievedof Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

on observing for the first time that the construction

Consequently, in the half-year un l the construc onmaterials had been kept safe and taken care of.

work by the government to rescue the building’s

Also within Kumamoto City, the Japan ICOMOS

materials began in full-scale, the volunteers, mainly

team visited the two sites where the city was carrying

members of the Janes Promotion and Educationout the cleaning and conserva on work of moveable

Society worked on extending the lifespans of thecultural proper es that were rescued from the insidebuilding parts. They erected temporary tents as aof the destroyed Janes’ Residence. Various materials

storage, and worked by turns to minimize ro ng by

had been rescued, including documents, such as

ensuring ventilation. In this way, they were able tolecture notes taken by students attending Janes’

keep the damage down to the absolute minimum.

class, some of the oldest examples of photographicplate photographs in Japan, travel bags, furniture

Kumamoto municipal government eﬀorts
As the owner of this building, Kumamoto City,and tools, and a number of archival documents
rela ng to the Japanese Red Cross Society. Some of26

these documents appeared to have already been

it was in this building that Tsunetami Sano, a Genroin-

cataloged, but the tearing and rotting of the paper

gikan (councilor of the Senate) from Saga prefecture,

was so serious that some documents could not be

and others received the approval of the Imperial

repaired, and there was no choice but to throw

Prince to carry out the activities of the Hakuaisha

them away. Many of the Society members are highlyorganization, treating equally the victims of theeducated people, and were deeply moved by thegovernment army and the Satsuma army, which had

sight of these precious materials. They appreciatedclashed at the Ba le of Tabaruzaka, it is considered

the eﬀorts of Kumamoto municipal government andto be the birthplace of the subsequent Japanese Red

placed their trust in its unchanged sincere attitude

Cross Society.

and works in the future.

In response to the activities of the British nurse

For the work to rebuild and restore the Janes’

Florence Nightingale, who treated the wounded

Residence, Kumamoto City is considering theregardless of their side in the Crimean War of theappropriate loca on it is to be rebuilt on. Given the

1850s, in 1864, Jean-Henri Dunant from Switzerlandbuilding’s history of having been relocated a couple

established the foundation that would lead toof times, citizens have proposed that it should betoday’s International Red Cross and Red Crescentrebuilt at a location that will be efficient for the

movements. Sano’s “Hakuaisha” activities took

regenerated Kumamoto in the future, not at its

place 13 years after this, and since the Japanesecurrent loca on since its accessibility for ci zens andgovernment had joined the Geneva Convention intourists is not so much well.

1886, in the following year he changed its nameto the Japanese Red Cross Society that became a

Significance of the comprehensive recovery of themember of the Interna onal Red Cross.

Janes’ ResidenceWith regard to the protec on of cultural proper es

As previously men oned, the Janes Promo on andin the event of emergencies, UNESCO established

Education Society is a volunteer group established

the Convention for the Protection of Culturalin 2010 in order to honor the accomplishments andProperty in the Event of Armed Conflict (the 1954

deepen the public’s understanding of and empathy

Hague Convention) in 1954 in order to prevent afor L. L. Janes, an American who was invited to teachrecurrence of the loo ng and destruc on of culturalat the school of western learning opened by the Higo

heritage severely happened in during World War

Domain in 1871. Janes, who was a veteran of the

II. Following the intentional destruction of cultural

US Army, stayed in Kumamoto for five years with six

heritage during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia

members of his family, and he contributed greatly toin the 1990s, the Conven on was supplemented tothe moderniza on of Kumamoto and Japan by, among

have its Second Protocol, and under the UNESCO

other things, educating many talented people andumbrella, international NGOs, including ICOMOS,

developing a protestant band called Kumamoto Band.

the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the

The Janes’ Residence, which is a stylish, colonial-

International Federation of Library Associations

design two-story wooden building, became

and Institutions (IFLA), and the International

the official residence of the Imperial Prince

Council on Archives (ICA), formed the International

Arisugawanomiya Takahito, the commander of theCommittee of Blue Shield, which was modeled

government forces in the Satsuma Rebellion, whichon the International Red Cross, to work for the

broke out in 1877, the year a er Janes le Japan. As

protecting cultural heritage threatened by natural27

Photo 3.1.6.7 Members of the Janes Promo on and Education Society inspect the sections of theJanes Residence that have been dismantled,
arranged, and stored.

Photo 3.1.6.8 The three warehouses to which the dismantled Janes House’s building materials had
been transported and are being preserved.

Photo 3.1.6.9 Members of the L. L. Janes Promo on and
Educa on Society looking at the books andimplements rescued from the collapsed
Janes House.

Photo 3.1.6.10 The documents, books, and implementsfrom within the collapsed Janes House
that had suﬀered water damage and wererotting have been preserved, including
being cleaned and freeze dried, in preparaon for the day of the restora on exhibion.

and human-made disasters. It is encouraged thatboth moveable and immoveable cultural heritage

each country has a na onal Blue Shield commi ee,with the aim of handing over to the next genera on

and professionals and practitioners in Japan havethe memory of one of the important person

also started preparations to establish a Japanfor modernizing Kumamoto is worth attracting

Blue Shield committee on the spirit of the 1954

interna onal a en on.

Hague Convention to which Japan is the party. The
challenge of the Blue Shield activities is to preventthe destruc on of and rescue and give a first aid tocultural heritage against the disastrous situation in

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Koichi Nishijima and other members of theL. L. Janes Promotion and Education Society for providing the valuable
photographs of the damage from the fore-shock earthquake and themain-shock earthquake

a comprehensive manner beyond the diﬀerences of
the heritage categories.
In that sense, the rescue efforts of the Janes
Promotion and Education Society, which covers

References
1) Kumamoto Industrial Heritage Study Group, Kumamoto Machinami
Trust eds., Isoda Keishi: Kumamoto Western School Teacher JanesHouse, Kumamoto’s Moderniza on Heritage (part 1), Genshobo, pp.
79-81, 201428

3.1.7 Yoshida Shokado Residence and Store

the public. In addi on, because the family tradi ons
for the main business have been firmly maintained,
while being located in the center of Kumamoto City,

The history of Yoshida Shokado
Junseki Yoshida (first generation) was forced towith high land prices, the appearance of the building

fleeto Nagasaki following the so-called Siebold

at the me it was constructed over 140 years ago has

Incident (1828), and despite the good standing of

been maintained in privacy.

coming from the family of the doctor to the feudal
lord, he was unable to return to his hometown and

The Structure of Yoshida Shokado

began business in Kumamoto. He established a base

The site’s south side consists of a circuit-stylein Kumamoto Castle town Shinsaikumachi (Shinmachi)

garden with a miniature artificial mountain, while

and manufactured and sold “Shodokukeshigan,” a

the group of buildings consists of the two-story main

medicine for diges ve and heart problems, achievingbuilding on the north side of the site (width, 8 span

great success. During the Meiji and Taisho Periods,

and a half, length, 8 span), and a connec ng space inhe distributed the medicine na onwide and became

which a corridor connects the one-story si ng room,

extremely wealthy, and the Yoshida family became

the tea room and other rooms on the east side. On

one of the most preeminent well-known families in

the west side are the pharmaceu cal manufacturing

Kumamoto. His residence was a typical mansion inbuilding and the warehouse, and there is a fence

Kumamoto Castle town, and it has been extendedof a height of 3 meters surrounding this group of

and altered repeatedly, each me it was designatedbuildings. The appearance of the buildings andas the accommodation for a member of the royal

the site before the Seinan War (1877), or Satsuma

family or a government oﬃcial visits, and today, 13

Rebellion, is not clear, but since the majority of thebuildings and the garden s ll stand within a land area

city was burned down in the battles at that time,2of 900 tsubo, approximately 0.3 km .

it is highly likely that they, too, were burned down.

The pharmaceutical methods at the time the

The existing main building was constructed in thebusiness was established have been passed

following year (Meiji 11), and then, in Meiji 39,

down to the present, and because the method ofwhen it served as the accommodation for Prince

manufacture has been a secret, the interior of theFushimi, the connec ng part on the eastern side was

Yoshida Shokado has not been ac vely made open to

constructed, which is basically its appearance today.

Photo 3.1.7.1 Yoshida Shokado: front (September 2017).

Photo 3.1.7.2 Yoshida Shokado: front (date of photo unknown, but probably in the Taisho Period).

29

The damage situation following the Kumamoto

the government, a movement toward its restora on

Earthquakes

has begun. That said, as the site has been closed to

All of the buildings, including the main building,the public for a long me, there is li le data on thewere damaged, but none of them collapsed, andbuildings, and the work started from preparing actual

except for the “exterior bench” that was partiallymeasurement diagrams, with the coopera on of thedestroyed by mistake when a neighboring house

university research team. In addition, researchers

was dismantled a er the earthquakes, the site as aand culture-related government oﬃcials, who camewhole basically retains its former appearance. The

from all over the country for the disaster area survey,

main forms of damages include the destruction ofhave provided proposals and gathered information

the entire roof surface due to falling tiles, the fallon the restoration and preservation methods. Theof plaster walls, the inclina on in the building fromlarge items, such as the folding screens and thethe deformation of the frame, the deformationlacquerware that were stored within the damagedof fixtures and fittings, and the collapse of parts

warehouse, were taken away immediately a er thepreviously damaged by ants. Subsequently, raindisaster by a team from the prefectural art museum

leaked in and mold appeared over a wide area;and elsewhere (cultural properties rescue team)damage occurred to the household goods as well as

for their preservation and to facilitate a smoothto the house. At the me, looking at each building,start to the repairs of the building. At the end of

the damages appears to be within a restorable range,

the earthquake year, a start was made on the work

but it is es mated that, when considering the group

to correct the inclination to the main building, andof 13 buildings as a whole, an enormous amountrestoration was being undertaken while paying

of money and energy will be required, and thea en on not to lose the buildings’ value as historicowners was considering dismantling some parts andproper es. In addi on, to reinforce the earthquake

conserving others parts of the site.

resistance of the floor spaces with few load bearing
walls, seismic walls were added using thick cedar

The response immediately a er the disasterboards. This was a result of reflection on the

However, due to the strong wishes of the current

localized destruc on, including to the beams runningowner for the site’s survival, the voices of the local

between the columns, in the places where the homeresidents, who are familiar with the site, which has

was reinforced using structural plywood before thea symbolic presence in the area, and the support ofearthquakes.

Photo 3.1.7.3 The damage to the warehouse (south side).

Photo 3.1.7.4 Additional earthquake-resistant walls (leftside of the wooden door).

30

cultural properties, reference is being made to the

The Yoshida Shokado repair policy
Since no major modifications have been madespecifications of the tiles and walls from the initial

to the group of buildings and the garden, it isconstruction that have survived within the site. In

considered to have value as a cultural property.

addi on, private records and photos from the Meiji

However, because it has not been open to the public,

Period to the pre-war periods were referred to.

it has not received designa ons; in par cular, it has

Moreover, samples were kept of the les and earthen

not been designated as a cultural property. However,walls that had to be removed, and photos and otherbecause the en re site was damaged, the situa onrecords of them were taken. These are being kept as

was such that the owner alone could not pay for thereferences for when the full repairs take place.

repairs, thus some form of public support was also
begun to be expected.

Yoshida Shokado will continue to produce
pharmaceuticals as it has done in the past, but

Therefore, the fundamental repair policy is tofollowing the recent disaster, an investigation has

restore the property on the basis of the historicalbegun into making one part of the site open tofacts but without excessive focus on the restora on

the public, with a view to the property’s survival.

to avoid expensive repairs, carrying out the repairs

At the same time, it is expected that there willwith the aim of maintaining the site until it can be

be consideration given to passing it down tofully repaired (expected in the future). In the course

future generations in the form of a nationally andof repairs, besides supervision by experts in restoringotherwise-designated cultural property.

Photo 3.1.7.5 Records of the original condition before
removing the roof (main building south annex).

Photo 3.1.7.6 Restoration of the large building using theoriginal les (main building).

Photo 3.1.7.7 The 15-tatami room awaiting restoration(si ng room).

Photo 3.1.7.8 The tea room and the garden.

31

3.1.8 Morimoto Store (Sliding-door picture
framing materials store)

by researchers from the University of Tokyo andA large amount of components with aesthetic

movement to support the owner’s efforts towardsenses; such as beautiful tapestry weaves fortheir survival. Despite these efforts, however,mounting, high quality paper for fusuma sliding

the buildings were dismantled in June 2017. The

doors, finely engraved door handles for fusuma

main reason given by the owner for the decisionsliding doors and nail head covers, to create

on dismantling was that the family business wastraditional Japanese formal sitting room spaces

a declining industry and there was little hope forhad miraculously survived in a form of business at

its survival, so it was not expected to be able tothis building. The building had a symbolic external

find a successor. This situation is considered toappearance, with a baƩari shogi (the folding bench

be common to the management environment forat the front of traditional townhouses) that gave it

many of historical house owners across Japan, anda strong individual identity, in conjunction with its

the problem becomes par cularly and immediately

business, and it was widely known and loved as aapparent a er an earthquake or other such disasters

typical mber building represen ng the Kumamoto(even if it is technically possible to keep their houses),

castle town. The front entrance was around 14m

and the buildings are tend to disappear immediately

wide and consisted of a row of three buildings

after the events according to their managerial

that had been built around 1886 (Meiji 19); while

judgements. This is a problem that cannot be avoided

sandwiching the inner courtyard, they had afor preserva ons of historical buildings; neverthelessconfiguration of being separate buildings lined up

it is difficult to find a right answer. However, if theover a depth of around 50m.

buildings are located within a historic town or city, itelsewhere was conducted. There was also a

In the store section, which included the battari

would seem necessary to gather knowledge, humanshogi, was designed to create an open spaceresources, and information—from both the publicby having few columns, which caused localized

and private sectors—on the assumption that many

deformation during the main shock of theprivately owned buildings will suﬀer simultaneously

earthquake. In addition, each of the buildings

and mul ply on the occasions of disastrous events.

densely constructed within the site had oscillated

There have been many voices lamenting the loss

during the earthquakes, and consequently damagesof Morimoto’s sliding-door picture framing materials

were concentrated at the joints between them. In

store, and it was even reported in newspapers andaddition, the falling roof tiles and collapsed earthon television. A empts are being made to restore atwalls completely changed its appearance, whichleast its façade, including the symbolic baƩari shogi;

canceled out all the expense and efforts that the

however, these attempts have not been successfulowner had spent to ensure the con nuous of theseyet. To this end, private art galleries and museums

buildings, the damages that were so overwhelming.

that for a long time have exhibited antique art ofHowever, at that point in me, there were only few

Kumamoto should provide spaces. Some designers,

concerns of collapse, and it was judged that they

carpenters, stonemasons, and volunteers fromcould be restored, technically speaking.

the general public who shares the sense of crisis

In order to save these buildings, their importantwhich has been caused by the chain of unfortunate

inventory and household goods were removed,

events, they have been playing their respective

mainly through the efforts of a group of local

roles nonetheless they have tried to preserve theyoung volunteers, and a survey of actual condi ons

disappearing image of former castle town.

32

Photo 3.1.8.1 The facade immediately a er the disaster.

Photo 3.1.8.2 Dismantling work by volunteers for its reloca on.

3.1.9 The Suzuki family home (the former
Nakamura Pediatrics Hospital)a psychological burden. Because of the high story

In the past, this hospital’s red mansard roof stoodsection that constituted the wall had a height ofout from the rows of homes with tradi onally led

close to 3 meters, even when excluding the retaining

roofs and could even be seen from a long distancewall sec on. At the me of the tremors, this sec onaway. It was visited by many patients and theirfell down like a falling iceberg, with the undercoa ng

families, and many street stalls appeared in front

section sliding down and then crashing onto theof its gates, creating a scene of thriving enterprise

floor. Since the remaining section also suddenlyin the olden days. This wooden, two-story hospitalcollapsed through some sort of momentum, it is notbuilding constructed in Taisho 3 was integrated withhard to imagine the owner’s fear that shook owner’s

the residence of the owner. The former building

decision (inten on) to preserve it .

height and vertically long windows, the plastered

was of a Western style and the latter building of a

As a result, because all of the structural material

traditional Japanese style of architecture, and each

was a large-wall structure hidden behind a painted

was constructed with materials that were gatheredwall, unless all of the surfaces of the walls wereover the course of several years. The architect,dismantled, the framework would not be exposed

Masami Sato, worked as a teacher, naval oﬃcer, and(if they were dismantled, the original atmosphereengineer for Kumamoto City after graduating fromwould be lost), so it was anticipated that it would

the Kumamoto Prefectural College of Engineering.

be difficult to make a start on such drastic repairs.

Although the buildings escaped collapse in theThis is considered to be a common potential

main-shock earthquake, there were localized

problem of all so-called Western-style architecture,

damages, such as the loss of pillars in the entrance

and it is different to makabe (true-wall) structures

hall. From a visual inspection, it is estimated that,in which the pillars are exposed; it is necessary toon the basis of the partially collapsed outer walls,

use technical devices to overcome the difficulty

there was widespread rotting and ant damage toof preserving these types of buildings. In fact,

the wall bases and structural materials. In addi on,some firms did want to open businesses, such as

the falling of plaster from the interior walls wasrestaurants, in this Western-style building, and to

extremely severe, and the owners had to spend a

buy it, but this issue became an obstacle and new

huge amount of me to clean it up that also created

investment did not materialize. The high price of33

the land had also accelerated the demolition ofNakamura Pediatrics Hospital) was dismantled using

the building, which many local residents had felt apublic funds, the people who would miss the building

pride in and an aﬀec on for since the Taisho Period,

removed parts of it, such as the teak doors and their

including the garden that contained important stone

frames. With the coopera on of a local winery, theartworks.

plan is to use them for a part of the interior of aOn the day before the Suzuki home (the former

Photo 3.1.9.1 Before the disaster.

winery that will open in the near future.

Photo 3.1.9.2 The interior after the Photo 3.1.9.3 During the dismantling.
disaster.

3.1.10 The Kimura family homeof timber between the columns). From the traces,

The Kimuras were a family of retainers during

it is clear that the si ng room was an addi on. On

the era of Kato and subsequently became gokenin

the north side, the eight-tatami sitting room has(low-ranking retainers) during the era of Shigekata

an anteroom and the same hammered nageshi.

Hosokawa. The main building is located in the center

From the traces on the northern wall, it is apparentof the site, slightly on the north, and there arethat there were formerly a floor and an alcove, andwarehouses adjacent to the east of the building andit seems that it was initially a sitting room. To thebehind it.

east of the anteroom are two six-tatami rooms.

The main building is a wooden one-story home of

On further east side, the rooms continue,including

construc on, with a thatched roof. The flat planes of

six-tatami sitting rooms, and from here a large

the east-west buildings protrude toward the northearth floor protrudes to the north side. The above-on the east side and to the south on the west side,described rooms are accommodated in a temporary

crea ng a Z-shaped structure. On the west side, thestructure, attached to which is a small annex.

protruding sec on consists of an eight-tatami si ng

Continuing on from this, at the anteroom, there isroom, with an alcove, shelves, a tsukeshoin (a built-

a small annex at the six-tatami two-span north-side

in table), and hammered nageshi (horizontal pieces

room, at the west-side earth floor that protrudes

34

to the north (the kitchen), and at the north side.

the use of square nails has been confirmed, it is clear

There is a toilet behind the anteroom connected by athat they were constructed before the early Meiji

corridor. The roof was originally a wheat-straw thatch

Period. There are records showing that, initially,

but was subsequently changed to thatch mixed

the plan was for it be a tea room but that this waswith rice straw, and in the repairs to the typhoon

considered an unnecessary luxury and so it became adamage in 1991, principal rafters were utilized andtoilet instead.

the roof became a thatched-style galvanized-ironconstruc on.

The buildings suffered various kinds of damage
in the recent earthquakes, including the collapse

In the records passed down by the family, it is saidof earth walls and the displacement of roof tiles.

that when raising the framework of the house theOverall, the damage was kept down to partial

family members were supposed to be going on a

destruction, but it was comparatively large in theboat trip but could not, because one of them was

small annexes and the toilet. T, The small annex (es)suffering from stomach ache, that consequently

north to the earth floor collapsed, and the wall at

avoided the Shimabara Taihen tsunami of Kansei

the edge of the earth floor collapsed. In addition,

year 4 (1792). Thus, the construction period(year)

the floor of the small annex on the north of theof the home is considered to be Kansei year 4. The

anteroom collapsed. The wall of the toilet and theeight-tatami sitting room is an additional structure,

floor of the corridor also collapsed. After theseand because square nails were used, it is considered

places, the damage was next greatest in the sitting

to be from the late Edo Period. The author of theroom. The alcove’s otoshikake (a bar placed acrossdrawing on the sliding doors of the sitting room’s

the upper part of the alcove) fell down, the wallstorage space is wri en as “Unto,” thus the drawing

collapsed, and the alcove’s transom bar fell down.

is possibly by Ryokei (who died in Ansei year 5), theIn the si ng room, the columns acquired an incline

sixth genera on of the Yano family, the clan painter,(in a southwest direction) of 1/30. In addition, theand this would not contradict the es mated me offloor of the six-tatami room on the east side of theconstruc on above. If so, the main part of the main

entrance collapsed.

building may have been constructed previously,

There were other damages—for example, thepossibly in Kansei year 4. The toilet and the hallway

roof frame and other sections show age-related

leading to it are clearly addi ons. However, because

deteriora on, and the joints and fi ngs were slightly

Photo 3.1.10.1 The Kimura family home: Overall appearance (from the southeast side).

Photo 3.1.10.2 The Kimura family home: Overall appearance (from the southwest side).

35

Photo 3.1.10.3 The protruding earth floor sec on.

Photo 3.1.10.4 The collapsed small annex on the earth
floor north side.

Photo 3.1.10.5 The si ng room: Collapsed interior earth
wall.

Photo 3.1.10.6 The toilet: Collapsed earth wall.

Earth floor

Anteroom
Si ng room

Entrance

Figure 3.1.10.7 Planar schema c diagram.

Figure 3.1.10.8 Cross-sectional schematic diagram (earth
floor sec on).

loosened by the earthquake—but the damage wasunlikely to cost much to protect the building throughkept down to certain sections only. Therefore, if

repairs that will not damage its value as a cultural

there are no repairs for the structure as a na onallyproperty. A major issue will be how to preserve it

designated important cultural property, it seems

over the long term so that it can be u lized.

36

Kumamoto Branch was completed as a new building

3.2 Masonry structures

in 1919. It was designed by Yoshitoki Nishimura, who

3.2.1 PS Orangerie (The former Daiichi
Bank, Kumamoto Branch)

designed many banks along with other buildings, andBuilt beside the Meiju Bridge on the Tsuboigawa

the Shimizu Corporation). The architecture critic

River in Furumachi, PS Orangerie is a historic building

Takashi Hasegawa referred to those buildings thatthat was built as the Daiichi Bank, Kumamoto

radiate the feel of freedom from their continuous

Branch, in 1919 (Taisho 8) (See Photo 3.2.1.1). It islight arches as “liberal Taisho architecture,” anda nationally registered tangible cultural property

this building is considered to be one of them. It is(registered in 1998). As an example of liberala landmark in the area for having given people an

Taisho architecture that became a landmark in theimpression of modernization, in the townscape offormer castle town, it is an important building, bothlines of tradi onal wooden houses. The interior also

historically and in terms of architectural design.

has an open-ceiling space that is suitable for a bankMoreover, it is a structurally unique building, having asales floor.

it was constructed by the Shimizu-gumi (currently,

combined structure of brick masonry and reinforced

This building, which was built during the period

concrete (RC). It suffered damage in the 2016

in the early days of RC structures in Japan, wasKumamoto Earthquakes, including the appearance ofconstructed by combining a unreinforced brickcracks in the brick walls. An overview of the building

structure with an RC structure. The internal RC

and its damage situa on is described below.

ramen (rigid frame) structure and the external brick1)

According to Fujigawa, the Daiichi Bank

wall structure cons tute an integrated structure. The
thickness of the lower brick wall is 47cm. The roof
slab is made of RC, which endures the horizontal inplane rigidity at the roof level.=In addi on, there are
RC bands above and below the windows. As it has an
open-ceiling space, on the second-floor level, =which
has openings rather than a complete floor, there isa catwalk made of RC, and this is considered to havea certain eﬀect on keeping rigidity of the horizontal
in-plane at this level. The foundation of the outerbrick wall is brickwork, except for the brick wall on

Photo 3.2.1.1 PS Orangerie

the north side facing the Tsuboigawa River has afounda on of wooden piles, and the RC frame has a
foo ng founda on. Even in the recent earthquakes,
no damage was seen to the foundation and thesurrounding ground, such as the appearance of
irregular se lement.
For 52 years up un l 1971, the building was used
as a branch of the Daichi Bank, and then, up until
1996, it was used as the building of the Kumamoto
Chuo Shinkin Bank. After that, its owners changed,

Photo 3.2.1.2 The interior space37and although at one point it was on the brinkstrength conducted by Professor Mitsui’s researchof being dismantled, a citizen group called thegroup, they took a φ290mm brick core test specimen

Kumamoto Machinami Trust was established, andfrom the underground wall (partition wall) andthe movement for its conservation was successful.

conducted tests in the laboratory on the shearing

In 1998, the building was acquired by PS Company,of the masonry joints and the compression of brickLtd., which brings its history up to the present day.

unit. As a result, although the variation was large,

When the company acquired the building, PS spent

they reported that the shear strength (average)around three years on renova on work; it uses thewas 2.48kgf/cm 2 (0.248N/mm 2) and the brickbuilding as a sales office and a research facility. In

compression strength (average) was 91 kgf/cm2

this renova on work, internally, it introduced a steel(9.1N/mm2). Furthermore, they reported that theframework that is independent of the building’s

specific weight of a single brick was, on average, 1.70.

main structure made of RC and brick. Photo 3.2.1.2

These strength values are lower than the strengths

shows the interior space. In 2002, it received theof common bricks and masonry joints used from the

BELCA Award, which is awarded to buildings whose

end of the Meiji Period to the middle of the Taisho

lifespans have been lengthened through the use of

Period. It is not known whether the same kind of

excellent regenera on technologies.

bricks was used for the outer wall. In 2017, a er the

A structural material survey of this building wasearthquakes, a survey project on the structure and3)

conducted in 1997 by Professor Hisaaki Murhashi

materials was carried out for the preservation andof Kumamoto Institute of Technology (currently,

restoration work. For this survey project, a survey

Sojo University), who conducted a building strengthof the cracks, a probe of the reinforcing bars, and adiagnosis. Then, in 1999, the Mitsui and Murakami

survey of the brick masonry and of the concrete’s

research group from Kumamoto University surveyedmechanical properties (using core sampling) were

the strength of the bricks in the underground

conducted.

4)

inner wall . For the strength diagnosis, Professor

Separate from this research survey, in mid-

Murahashi examined the seismic shear strength ofNovember 2016, the authors conducted thethe brick walls and the structural safety under normal

microtremor measurements of the building.

loads of the RC cylindrical columns and the brick wall.

The natural frequencies obtained from theseIn the examina on of the brick wall’s shear strength,

microtremor measurements were found to be 4.2

he conducted structural calculations based on the

Hz and 3.4 Hz for the translational primary natural

Architectural Institute of Japan’s masonry design

frequencies in an east-west direction and south-

standard (1992). At that me, the values indicated innorth direction, respectively. In the microtremor

this standard were used for the strength of the bricks.

measurements, it was found that the wall volume

As a result of this examination, he concluded thatof the east-side brick wall was smaller because it

the brick walls’ shear strength was being suﬃciently

had many openings compared to the west side, andsecured. With regard to the deforma on in the out-

the effects of eccentricity were recognized even inof-plane direc on, he noted that this was a confining

the microtremor records. It was also found in theeffect by the use of RC bands, and as previously

microtremor records that the brick structure andmentioned, the roof slab is an RC structure, so thethe RC structure moved dynamically in an integrated

roof’s lateral s ﬀness was suﬃcient.

manner.

By contrast, in the investigation of the brick

Below, the damage to the main building is38

described. There found no damage to the RC framedue to this out-of-plane bending deformation werestructure or to the internal steel frame. The damage

observed at the corners. Moreover, cracks due toto the brick wall was as described below. According

bending of the walls were seen. Shear cracks also

to EMS 98 (levels 0 to 5, 6 stages), which is used forappeared on the surfaces of the plaster-finish walls

judging the damage level of masonry structures,(although the width of these cracks were small) (Seethe damage level was judged to be 1 (no damage

Photo 3.2.1.4). A more detailed inves ga on wouldor minor damage to the structure) as an emergency

be needed in order to ascertain whether these cracks

judgment, but a detailed inves ga on of the cracks is

only occurred in the finished plaster, whether theyrequired for a more accurate judgment.

reach as far as the interior of the brick masonry, orFirst, cracks appeared in the brick wall (inner side),with cracks appearing around and in the corners

whether they penetrate all the way through thewalls.

of the openings (See Photo 3.2.1.3). One of theWith the cracks appearing in the brick wall incharacteristic movements of masonry structures

this way, in order to confirm whether the walls

during an earthquake has been found to beremained structurally stable, monitoring of thedeformation in the form of expansion toward thecrack displacement (width) had been carried out.

outsides of the corners. In this building, too, cracks

As crack displacement is affected by temperature,clarifying their rela onship with temperature change
was essen al for the evalua on. On the basis of theabove, in order to ascertain the movements of thecrack displacements and to evaluate the soundnessof the building, a crack displacement monitoring
survey had been conducted to confirm the effectsof the temperature fluctuations on the crack
displacements (See Photo 3.2.1.5)
Figure 3.2.1.6 shows the records of the monitoringof the crack displacements and temperature(changes over me). The measurement point was on
the inner surface of the brick wall at the southeast
corner of the first floor. A displacement meter was
installed in the inner wall in a horizontal direction

Photo 3.2.1.3 Cracks appeared around the openings.

across the masonry joint. Figure 3.2.1.6 is from therecords of the meter installed at the “damaged
parts” that had the cracks and at the “non-damaged
parts” where no cracks were seen. Thermocouples
were installed inside and outside.
From Figure 3.2.1.6, the structure was judged to
be stable, because no significant changes were seen
over the day, even though the crack displacement(width) repeatedly fluctuated over a one-day period
due to temperature changes. It is useful to have

Photo 3.2.1.4 Shear cracks appeared in the walls.

39

long-term monitoring records of damaged masonry
structures; furthermore, it is preferable to conduct
long-term measurements.
In terms of the damage to the non-structural
materials, as shown in Photo 3.2.1.7, one part of theplaster on the wood-lath ceiling in a second-floor
office fell down. Falling wood-lath plaster becomesa danger to human life when it has a thickness ofaround 40mm, so urgent countermeasures were
Photo 3.2.1.5 Monitoring the crack displacements in the
brick walls.
Displacement (μm)

Time (hours)

needed against the aftershocks that occurredintermi ently a er the earthquakes. In addi on, thefinish to the outer wall was cement and le from the
Taisho Period. From the survey of the damage, it wasdiagnosed that a considerable area of the cement
and tile board had peeled off. As this is a cultural

Crack

No-damageproperty, the method of repairing the cement andtiles that have become detached from the wall

Temperature(°C)

surface should also be an issue for the preserva on
and restora on work.

Time (hours)
OutsideInsideFigure 3.2.1.6 Monitoring the crack displacements andtemperatures (upper: crack displacements
μpp, lower: temperature in and outside theroom).

PS Orangerie, which is a nationally registeredtangible cultural property, is important historicallyand culturally as a part of Kumamoto’s moderniza on
heritage. It is also a structurally unique building,because it has a combined structure with the main

Photo 3.2.1.7 The plaster on the wood-lath ceiling of a second-floor oﬃce fell down.

40

structure being non-reinforced bricks with RC,

The Fi h High School Main Building (The Fi h High

while an independent steel structure frame has

School Museum of Kumamoto Univ.)

been added inside. We hope that preservation and

The Main Building of the School, built of brick in

restora on work is carried out on the basis of a plan

1889 and ca.80 m long (E-W) with projec ng wings

that is founded on a scien fic approach to reinforce

and used for classrooms, was severely damaged.

the structure.

Some of its chimneys fell down from the roof by the
first earthquake on 14th evening, the some others by

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank PS Company, Ltd., Representa ve Directors Mr.
Takehisa Hirayama, Mr. Sadahisa Hirayama, and Ms. Yoshiko Nakajima, fortheir coopera on in carrying out the field survey.
References
1) Kumamoto Industrial Heritage Study Group, Kumamoto Machinami
Trust, eds.: Kumamoto’s modernization heritage (part 1) Kazuhiro
Fujikawa, pp. 31-33, Genshobo.
2) Former Daiichi Bank Kumamoto Branch Design Book.
3) Hisaaki Murahashi: former Daiichi Bank Kumamoto Branch structure
strength diagnosis manual, 1997.
4) Kumamoto University Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Mitsui and Murakami Laboratory: former Daichi Bank
Kumamoto branch building underground inner wall–an inves ga onof brick strength, 1999.

3.2.2 Historical Buildings in Kumamoto
University
OutlineKumamoto Earthquake brought serious damages
to historical monuments in Kurokami campus ofKumamoto University. There are four historicalbuildings from the end of 19th century which were
designated important national cultural properties.
They were seriously damaged as described below,
except the Fi h High School Main Gate (nicknamed‘Red Gate’), built of brick in 1889, which remained
intact. Another small building, built of brick in1908 and used as archive of Kumamoto TechnicalHigh School, was also intact except roof tiles. Tworeinforced concrete buildings, Kumamoto TechnicalHigh School Main Building (now the Headquarter
Building of Kumamoto Univ.) and its Library, built
in 1925, were also intact due to its earthquake
resistance wall structure.

the second stronger quake before dawn on 16th. The
roofs are broken on the central part and on the west
wing, and it caused rain leaking, which wetted theexhibits on the 2nd floor.
The cracks on the walls were observed in all overthe place. The cracks on the classroom dividing walls
at the corner of north long walls on the 2nd floor
were very severe. Especially those of the central tworooms were serious with the width of ca. 10 cm andthe length of ca. 2.5 m. Stripping of surface plasteron the walls and ceiling cornice was conspicuous.
Other severe damages were observed at thecenter of the arches in the corridor on the second
floor, which connect the classroom dividing wallswith the long walls on the south front. These arches
support the front wall and prevent it from fallingwith its exterior buttresses. At the center of thearches, the surface plaster was fallen down and thebricks to form arches were exposed. Some of theirbricks are fallen down as the me passed by and it iscausing dangerous situation. The damage from theearthquake was more severe on the 2nd floor due tothe height from the ground level.
Chemical Lab Building
The Lab Building, built of brick in 1889 and 42.5
m long from north to south, was used for chemical
experiments and lectures. It was not damaged
much because it is single storied low building
with transversal walls. The fall and shift of several
chimneys was conspicuous. Some minor cracks on
the interior wall were observed.

41

Photo 3.2.2.1 A chimney which fell down on the roof.

Photo 3.2.2.2 A crack on the classroom wall.

Photo 3.2.2.3 Cracks and fall down of the surface plasteron the corridor arch. (The Fi h High School
Main Building)

Photo 3.2.2.4 Fragments of a chimney on the ground. (TheFi h High School Chemical Lab.)

Photo 3.2.2.5 Crack on the top of corner walls.

Photo 3.2.2.6 Horizontal crack at the lower level of thewall. (Kumamoto Technical High School Machine Lab.)

Machine Laboratory of Kumamoto Technical High-experiments, student practice and other exhibits

er School (now Kumamoto University Engineeringfrom the me of Technical High School.

School Museum)

It has high arched windows and entrances on its

The rectangular building of the Machine Laboratory,

north, south and east sides. The central part of its

34.6 m long (E-W) and 14.6 m wide (N-S), wasinterior is high void space with flanking mezzanines.

built of brick in 1831. It is now used as Engineering

Two rows of wooden pillars support the trussed

School Museum, housing old machines for machineroof. Its brick structure is weak against earthquakes

42compared to the one with other brick buildings in the2011.

university, due to the structure with single exterior

Following the recent earthquakes, various kinds ofwalls with more openings and its height of the walls.

damages to the Deva gate were confirmed, including

Many cracks on the brick walls are observed from

[1] flexural cracks around the joints between columns

place to place; the top on the four corners of theand middle beams, [2] detached bracket arms, [3]walls, around the round window on the upperdamages around column bases, and [4] shear cracks

part of the east gable, etc. The top of most of theon the walls below gables. The 12 columns thatarched windows were also cracked. In addi on, theconstitute the gate are connected at their upperhorizontal con nuous cracks on the walls were also

and middle sections by beams, and because theobserved at the level of lower window frames at theweight and rigidity of upper sections above middle

height of 1m above ground level. It suggests thatbeams are extremely large, it was observed thatstrong horizontal shear force concentrated here.

flexural deformations of the lower sections were

The interior wall plaster was peeled and fell down

more prominent than at the upper sections. The

from place to place. The wooden structure itself

flexural damages were also more pronounced in thewas not damaged, but the beam ends, which were

gate’s longitudinal direction than in the transversal

inserted into or put on the exterior walls, damaged

direction, and in its transversal direction, thethe surrounding parts.

damages were greater at its two central column rows
than at the side end column rows that were infilled

3.3 Reinforced concrete stuructureswith walls. Although the widths of wall cracks were
narrow, there were concerns that the rigidity of thewalls had been reduced.

3.3.1 Honmyo-ji temple Nio-mon gate
Honmyo-ji was a temple built in 1585 bySome damages are also found on the concrete

Kiyomasa Kato as the family temple of his father.

ground slab around column bases. The slab at theIt was relocated to within Kumamoto Castle after

back of Photo 3.3.1.3 would seem to have been

Kiyomasa had taken over Higo domain. After thepar ally removed to create enough space for vehicles

death of Kiyomasa in 1611, it was moved to theto pass, because the extent of concrete ground slab iscurrent location at the northwest of Kumamoto

smaller than that of other columns, thus it is possible

Castle. The Nio-mon (Deva gate) is a large reinforcedthat this fact increased damages and subsidence

concrete(RC) gate built at the entrance to thearound the column base.

Honmyo-ji grounds which has been constructed in

In June 2017, Heritage Structure Engineering

1920 (Taisho9). It is a rigid frame structure with a

Design, Inc., conducted a condition surveys of thefront width of 13.21m (3 spans), a depth of 6.36m

gate by using a 3D scanner and a drone that included;(2 spans), and a height of approximately 14.8m.

surveys of unevenness and inclina on of the building

The roof is gabled RC structure in the hirairi style (astructure; evaluations of cracks on its structural

tradi onal Japanese architectural structure in whichframes; concrete core sampling; rebar locating andthe building has its main entrance on the side thatsampling; surveys on cracked column-beam joints

runs parallel to the roof's ridge), and the side ends

by chipping concrete; investigations by exposing

frameworks below gables have infill walls with noexis ng founda ons; and a subsurface inves ga on.

openings (Photo 3.3.1.1). This Deva gate was listed

It reported some of the results of these various

as a Na onal Registered Tangible Cultural Property insurveys to the 1st Conservation Review Committee

43

Photo 3.3.1.1 Honmyo-ji Nio-mon: front.

Photo 3.3.1.2 Honmyo-ji Nio-mon: front.

Photo 3.3.1.3 Honmyo-ji Nio-mon: column bases and thesurrounding area.

Photo 3.3.1.4 Honmyo-ji Nio-mon: damage to a column
base.

Photo 3.3.1.5 Honmyo-ji Nio-mon: the state of the groundaround the column base.

Photo 3.3.1.6 Honmyo-ji Nio-mon: shear cracks in thewalls.

in July 2017. The noteworthy items in this report

more than those on the north side, which is theare that [1] the diﬀeren al se lement of building is

main reason for the gate’s incline (it is also one of theextensive, and the south side’s column bases (leftcauses of the damage to the column-beam joints);side of Photo 3.3.1.1) have sunk by around 120mm[2] the columns and RC piles are directly connected,

44

and the damages that can be seen in Photo 3.3.1.4

shown below.

are almost completely limited to the strips of stone
foo ngs and their adjacent areas; and [4] there areSurvey overview

no ground beams or foo ngs (Photo 3.3.1.5) as wellAround two weeks after the Kumamotoas the extremely weak soil condi on from 3m to 11m

Earthquakes of April 14 and 16, 2016, Professor

underground, so it is highly possible that this is the

Tsuneomi Kagiyama, the head of Aso Volcanologicalcause of the defects to piles penetra ng this ground.

Laboratory, the institute for Geothermal Sciences,

Going forward, the results of other surveys are going

Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University,

to be reported, the seismic capacity of the building

reported that “During the second major earthquake,

will also be evaluated, and seismic retrofitting

a landslide has occurred on the mountain where

will be assessed on the basis of these surveys andthe Aso Volcanological Laboratory is located (…)

evaluations as scheduled. (Photos 3.3.1.1-3.3.1.4,

and fissures have appeared on its site. In addition,

3.3.1.6 taken by the author, Photo 3.3.1.5 taken bycracks have been found the building, and severe

Mariko Nishijima.)

damages were also found in various places, including
undula ons of the floor on the ground floor (…) the

References
1) Kumamoto Industrial Heritage Study Group and Kumamoto Machinami
Trust, eds.: Kumamoto’s moderniza on heritage (part 1), Genshobo,
pp. 70-71, 2013.
2) Nishijima, Mariko: Study on Nioumon in Honmyouji Temple, theArchitectural Ins tute of Japan Kyushu Chapter Architectural Research
Mee ng, No. 50, pp. 589-592, 2011.

situa on indicates that there are no future prospects
to the Aso Volcanological Laboratory main building
as a cultural property.” Previously, Fujihara hadcooperated in registering the building as a Na onallyRegistered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011 and3.3.2 Aso Volcanological Laboratory, Kyoto
University (nationally Registered
Tangible Cultural Property)

had evaluated it as follows (extract from the Kyoto
University homepage): “The main building of theLaboratory was constructed in 1929 (Showa 4) asa building of the former Kyoto Imperial University
Aso Volcanological Research Institute. The central

Introduc on
This building was damaged in the main-shockwing has a six-storey tower-like external composi on

earthquake of the Kumamoto Earthquakes duringwith tilted external walls. It also has balconies on

the early morning of Friday, April 16, 2016. On theirthree floors, while in the internal space; there are

homepage on April 18, it was announced that,

haunched beams, stairs decorated with trigonal“Entering into our buildings and site is diﬃcult due topyramids and disc-shapes, chunky circular columns,

severe cracks and fissures (…) observa ons and otherand a fireplace with geometrical designs. In this way,

duties have been temporarily suspended, with theits exterior and interior clearly shows the trends

aim of quick recovery, including securing a temporary

in architectural design of the early Showa Period,

work space.” By May 8, the majority of its func ons

and it has become a landmark in the surrounding

had been recovered. On April 29, 2016, somearea.” Identifying its designer had relied on thefunctions had temporarily been transferred to Ozu

seal of Kyozo Nagese, who was the head of Kyoto

Town, from April 12, 2017, onward, it was transferred

Imperial University Maintenance Department,

to the former Sakanashi Elementary School inthat have been left on the drawings which the

1)

Ichinomiya Town, Aso City , and the homepage ofLaboratory have stored, however, it was possible to

the Laboratory released photos and explana ons as

determine that Saburo Okura, who worked under45

architect of the first class, Head of the Kentaro Morita
Design Oﬃce, accredited as a Postearthquake Quick
Inspector of Damaged Buildings; Koshin Matsuda,architect, qualified architect of the first class, Headof the Koshin Matsuda Design Office, accredited
as a Postearthquake Quick Inspector of Damaged
Buildings, and as a heritage manager certified by
Photo 3.3.2.1 This is an aerial photograph taken of the
Aso Volcanological Laboratory and its surrounding area on October 24, 2016. In thefar distance can be seen Mount Unzen on
the Shimabara Peninsula. Below are the explana ons of (1) to (6) in the photograph.
(1) From July to August 2016, one part of the access roadto the Aso Volcanological Laboratory and the roadwithin its site were temporarily repaired. This made it
possible to access the Laboratory’s buildings using an
ordinary car.
(2) August 2016: Emergency measures were implemented
to prevent water leaking into the buildings from thecracks.
(3) September to October 2016: A damage survey of thefounda on was conducted.
(4) October 2016: To monitor for landslides, GPS reference
points were set up at three locations, and measurements of ground displacement were ini ated.
(5) The na onal government and the Kumamoto prefectural government planned construc on works at places
where landslides occurred on inclines at Takanodai.
(6) Repair work is in progress at the sites of collapse on
Na onal Highway 57, the JR Houhi Line, and the Aso
Ohashi Bridge. However, it has not been determinedwhen the repair work will be completed.

the Society of Architects and Engineering; Takashi
Katsuki, architect, qualified architect of the first class,
Chairman of Katsuki Construction; and Yoshinobu
Arishima, qualified architect of the second class,
Itsukushima Shinto shrine senior priest.
(2) Overview of the building
Location: Kumamoto Prefecture, Aso District,Minamiaso Village, Kawayo. Outlines of building:a reinforced-concrete structure, six-storeys (seven
when including the penthouse) with a basement
floor. Completed in 1928(Showa 3). Available foruse from 1929 (Showa 4). Registered as a Na onallyRegistered Tangible Cultural Property in 2011.
(3) Methods of surveying damage conditions:[1]visual inspec ons on damage s; [2] surveys of internal
damages of seismic elements and load-bearing
elements of concrete, and decora ve walls througha sounding test; [3] level surveys by measuring theunevenness of floors by se ng a referral horizontal

Nagase, was actually responsible for the designlevel on site by using a laser level.

through investigations on the current situation of
the damages2). After confirming the road condition

Overview of the damage condi ons

to Minamiaso Village, where the aftershocks were

(1) It was felt that the damages on the four-storey

continuing, surveys were conducted on Tuesday,part of the main wing, which was seven-storey

June 7, 2017.

high when including the penthouse, were generally(1) The survey team (its local field team was led

small. In par cular, it was found that the higher theby Professor Tsuneomi Kagiyama and Assistantfloor levels, the less major damages were iden fied.

Professor Akihiko Yokoo) comprised Keiyo Fujihara,

Conversely, the most noteworthy damage at theGraduate School of Design, Kyushu University,

main wing was that it had subsided straight down

Professor, Doctor of Engineering; Kentaro Yamaguchi,

in rela on to the rest of site. A laser level was used

Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies,to prepare a virtual horizontal referral line on the

Kyushu University, Associate Professor, Doctor of

surfaces of several room walls on the first floor

Engineering; Kentaro Morita, architect, qualified

and upper floors to check the levels of floors by46

measuring the vertical distance from the referral

the building to the ground floor of east wing withhorizontal line. By repea ng this measuring method,some damages, it was found that there were cracks

no unevenness was identified at the main wing.

in the reinforced-concrete walls and exposed internal

Therefore, it was considered that the subsidence

spaces that caught a glimpse from outside throughhad occurred as a result of it sinking directly straight

cracks. In addition, the reinforcing bars within thedown into the ground. Some parts of the groundwalls had been fractured. The main wing which had

floor had appeared to be if they were embedded into

ver cally subsided straight down into the ground had

the ground from the visual inspections conducteddrag the two lower wings (both were two storeys)

on its exterior, thus subsidence in a ver cal direc on

connected in L-shape down, because the amounts of

was clearly apparent. In general, the amount ofsubsidence at the two wings were rela vely smaller

subsidence is speculated to be around 200mm

compared to the one of main wing, thus the force

to 260mm; however the actual measurement is

was considered as the main factor which triggered

unknown. The measurements have not yet been

the inclines as well as the diﬀeren al se lement of

taken because the benchmarks are unconfirmed,

two wings. The visual inspec ons also confirmed theand it is necessary to wait for more detailed

concentra on of flexural frac ons around the joints.

measurements.

The locations of the flexural fractions that have(2) Moreover, visual inspections were conductedbeen confirmed in (3) and (5) would have hadfrom the four-storey part of the main wing to the

expansion joints, if speaking in current practices,

two lower wings extended to north and east (bothhowever, such method had not been establishedwere two-storeys) that are arranged in L-shaped

when the building was completed in 1928 (Showa 3).

plan by centering the main wing. It resulted toThus, the main wing and two wings were constructeddiscover several cracks on the concrete walls aroundstructurally rigid internally and externally with

openings.

reinforced concrete, this could be the main factor of(3) Surveys were conducted in the several rooms
at the lower two wings (both were two-storeys)

the severe damages around the joints between themain wing and two other wings.

to check possibilities of differential settlement,(6) A er the surveys, level drawings were prepared

as a result, there were slight signs of differential

and then submitted to Kyoto University. Whensettlement to the both east and north wings. It

describing the details of actual surveys on drawings,

was observed that each of the wings had relatively

the highest point of each zone was set as ±0 andsubsided on site through the visual inspections oneach measurement was plo ed as how much below

their exteriors. However, the amounts of subsidence

from the ±0 point.

were likely to be smaller compared to the main wing.
Inclines had internally appeared on floors around thejoining parts where the main wing and two wings
were connected.

Cosidera on
Due to the recent Kumamoto Earthquakes, a largescale destructive landslip had occurred adjacent to(4) There were major damages in the form of

the site of the building. The building was constructed

flexural fractures to the joints between the main wingon the tephra (pyroclasts), such as volcanic ash andand the two lower wings (both were two- storeys).

pumice stone, that covers this area, and at the meContinuing the visual inspections on their exteriors

when it was constructed in 1927-1928 (Showa 2 andfrom the entrance porch projecting at the front of3); its founda on was constructed as spread foo ng,

47although the detail of its construc on procedure has
been unknown. However, having different weights

3.4 Traditional Townscape andLandscape Districts

between seven-storey main wing with a penthouseand the two lower wings in L-shaped plan had

3.4.1 The Shinmachi Furumachi District

caused the diﬀerences in the amounts of subsidence.

The machiwari (town layout) of the castle town

It could be concluded that this caused the major

built by Kiyomasa Kato continues to exist today as

flexural fractures around the joints of wings, at thea living space for contemporary life, despite having

same me; it also caused the diﬀeren al se lement

experienced many disasters and war damage.

of two lower wings. Although many of the cracks

Kumamoto Castle and the castle town have theappeared around the joints, the structure of wings

Tsuboigawa River as the inner moat and thethemselves have not seriously been damaged with

Shirakawa River as the outer moat, changing the flow

cracks or deforma ons, therefore, future restora on

passage of the meandered Shirakawa River, which

is not diﬃcult in this respect.

had experienced repeated floods. Over the passageof time, in the fires of the war of the Meiji 10

Notes1) On April 4, 2017, one year after the earthquakes, information was
opened to media publica ons and Professor Takahiro Okura (volcano
physics) reported the situation at the time of earthquakes. The
majority of the main building of the Laboratory have been le in thesame state, as if me had stopped a er the main-shock earthquake,while in the surrounding area, the cherry blossom that was washedaway by a landslip has bloomed again in this year. Ac vi es aiming ata full recovery are finally beginning. Minamiaso Village was severely
hit by the main-shock earthquake, with a seismic intensity of upper 6,
and subsided by a maximum of 20cm. Even today, there are mul ple
fissures s ll remain in the garden, internal walls are par ally collapsed,
and the floor has been undulated. In the ground floor exhibi on room,
two large seismographs weighing more than 1 ton were damaged.
(After the disaster) the observation work had temporarily beensuspended; which is currently being prac ced at temporary oﬃces in
the nearby Aso City and Ozu Town. Fortunately, a boring survey has
confirmed the stability of subgrade, thus restoring the building is now
under considera on.
2) A er gradua ng from the University of Tokyo in 1906, Kyozo Nagase
worked at the office of Kikutaro Shimoda and the Tatsuno Kataoka
Architectural Design Oﬃce. From1909, he joined the Kyoto University
Architectural Department under Jihei Yamamoto, and in 1919, hebecame the head of the Architectural Department. He retired in
January 1929 (Showa 4). The Aso Volcanological Research Ins tute waspossibly Nagase’s last work from 1927 to1928 (Showa 2 and 3). Saburo
Okura was influenced by Goichi Takeda as one of the first students at
Kyoto University Architectural Department, and after he graduated,
he was employed by the private-sector Hyozo So Architectural Design
Office. He moved to the Kyoto University Architectural Department
in 1928 (Showa 3) and designed the Aso Volcanological Research
Ins tute. The styles of art deco and cubism that have been influenced
by So are reflected not only in its external appearance but also in
the internal spaces, and it is fulfilled with design techniques that arecompatible with the existing Kyoto University Faculty of Economics
main building, the Nada High School main building, and the Ikoma
Watch Store.

(1877) Satsuma Rebellion, almost all of ShinmachiFurumachi was turned to ash. A er the subsequent
restora on from the war damage and alongside theconversion of land use from the Edo Period town ofsamurai and townspeople, it began to go down thepath of “modernization,” and the merchant houses
were rebuilt using the same construction methodof the modern style of machiya (townhouses).
Moreover, facilities in response to the demandsof society for modernization, including prefecturaloﬃces and other government facili es, courts, banks,
schools, and hospitals, were constructed among thetownhouses, accoun ng for most of the urban area.
While preserving the machiwari of the urban areathat had become scorched earth in the Satsuma
Rebellion, buildings with new functions were built
on the land with the former subdivisions. Because
the moats of the Tsuboigawa and Shirakawa Rivers
were natural rivers, rather than being filled in andconverted to roads, both rivers became the edges of
the urban area, and a modern city was formed within
the area of the former castle town (Figure 3.4.1.1).
One feature of the Kumamoto castle town is that it
is formed of multiple layers within a contemporary
living space, having the cultural ar facts of the earlymodern Edo Period, the modern Meiji Period, and48

Edo period

Modern age

Figure 3.4.1.1 The machiwari of Shinmachi-Furumachi.

subsequent years. The first layer is the historical

Bridgeremains that form the founda on of the castle town

⑤The series of townhouses

built by Kiyomasa (including the rivers, stone walls,⑥The modern architecture facadeand machiwari). The second layer is the historic⑨The rebuilt, human-scale, small- and medium-

heritage that was cultivated during the Edo Period

sized commercial buildings (including hospitals andor the Hosokawa clan period (samurai residences,clinics)

townhouses, the associated crafts, and intangible
cultural heritage such as fes vals, entertainment, andfood). The third layer is the moderniza on heritage
from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Periods, including
historic sites relating to the Satsuma Rebellion andsites related to the renowned literally figures Ogai
and Soseki.
Figure 3.4.1.2 to the right describes the features of
the townscape of Tojin Town:①Aligning streets to Mt. Kinpozan in the west
②In the vicinity of Tsuboigawa River (town ward

north), the Mei-hachi Bridge and Mei-ju Bridge,
stone bridges built in Meiji 8 and Meiji 10
respectably.
③A chessboard-type sequence of consecu

ve town

wards, of one town ward, one shrine (Furumachi)
Alleys that form the entrances to the temple.
④The view to Kumamoto Castle

The greenery of Fujisakidai from the Mei-hachi

49

Figure 3.4.1.2 The townscape and appearance of Tojin
Town.

⑩ Medium- to high-rise apartment buildings

townhouses, 91 had a red judgment (45%), 85⑪ Open air parking lots

had a yellow judgment (42%), and 27 had a green
judgment (13%), meaning that nearly 90% had a red

Most common features are shared also with otheror yellow judgment, and many of the townhouses

roads in the Shinmachi-Furumachi district, but thewere damaged. Kumamoto City had establishedshapes of the Shinmachi’s town wards are diﬀerent,

a subsidy system for the repairs and maintenanceand the site is divided in half by a configuration ofof the surviving townhouses with the objective of

long, south-north town wards.

creating a historic townscape that gives a sense of

Currently, out of Kumamoto City’s total of 19

the atmosphere of a castle town in 2012. ,By 2014,

townscape-constituting properties and important

22 buildings had been completed their repairs. In

landscape element buildings, 11 buildings are locatedcontrast, we found that the conditions of thesein the Shinmachi-Furumachi district. Including the

19 townhouses (out of 22) during the emergency-

three buildings that are within this group, it has four

risk judgments, 2 had a red judgment (10%), 11

buildings that are registered na onal tangible cultural

had a yellow judgment (58%), and 6 had a green

proper es (Figure 3.4.1.3).

judgment (32%), so around 70% had either a red or

From the research results of the emergency-

yellow judgment; it was noted that their damage

risk judgments conducted three months after therate tended to be smaller. In has also noted that,earthquakes to confirm the conditions of the 203

the townhouses repaired independently without
using the subsidies, such as to repair their structural
frameworks, walls, foundations, and roofs,
escaped major earthquake damage. In the recent
earthquakes, the importance of maintaining thesound conditions of historic buildings on a regularbasis through repairs was once again confirmed.

Figure 3.4.1.3 The Shinmachi-Furumachi historic buildings.

Photo 3.4.1.4 A townscape-forma on building being dismantled (July 2017).

50

Despite the arduous “life-saving” efforts madeconcentrated only above the epicenter even though

in the year after the earthquakes, two townscape-it was an epicentral earthquake. Especially, the fault

constituting properties had to be dismantled onelines are linearly con nuous.

a er the other in June and July 2017 (Photo 3.4.1.4).

Even at some distance from the epicenter,

Going forward, in order to maintain the historic

earthquake damage will be great if the groundlandscape over the long term, it is hoped that:frequency matches the building frequency. The

1) the maintenance and management of individual

Kawashiri District is located 8km west from thebuilding shall not be neglected during non-epicenter in Kashima, and it is a delta into which

emergency periods;

five rivers flow. The bedrock is located 30m below2) there is the systemiza on of emergency measuresground, and the surface amplification factor is 2.2,

(from the dismantling) that can be ini ated during

which means that when an earthquake occurs, themes of emergency, such as a disaster; andvibra ons are easily amplified to the ground.

3) a townscape infrastructure is established,

The Kawashiri District prospered during the Edo

including the utilization of open spaces madePeriod as a port to accumulate the annual rice tax.

after dismantling by turning them into disaster-

It has many pre-war buildings, most of which werepreven on plazas.

damaged in the earthquakes, but it is too simple tojump to the conclusion that the damage was great
because they were old buildings. The damage was

3.4.2 The Kawashiri District
The damage to the surrounding area of Mashiki

considerable because the seismic wave frequency ofTown was great; it was announced that the epicenter

the killer pulse and the frequency of the old buildingsof the earthquake was to the west of Mashiki Town

matched. This can only be put down to “bad luck.”

Hall and Mashiki Town Park. The tremors occurred

Ironically, buildings with a short natural period suchwith the frequency of the so-called 1.2-second killer

as of (concrete) blocks remained sound. In many

pulse, which is particularly damaging to wooden

cases, people often rebuild their buildings thinking

structures constructed using traditional methods.

they became “old” once they become more than

The instrumental seismic intensity was 6.7, which

50 years old, when most of the tradi onal, wooden

is 20% to 30% greater than the Takatori wave

buildings are roughly 100 years or older since theirrecorded in the Great Hanshin Earthquake. It was an

construc on. Even if a building is damaged, it is far

extraordinarily large earthquake. The collapse rate ofcheaper to repair that building than to construct thethe wooden buildings in the vicinity of Mashiki Town

same quality building anew.

Hall exceeded 50%.

• In the damage survey, the representative historic

Several months have passed since the truebuildings were surveyed by cultural asset doctors.

epicenter was changed to Kashima, 5km west

Among these buildings, there were 19 shrinesof Mashiki Town, but because the fault lines are

and temples, all of which had been damaged. If

linearly continuous, although it was an epicentral

we count these buildings separately into priests’

earthquake, it was not the case that the damage wasquarters and main temples, we can say that there

great only directly above the epicenter.

were 30 damaged buildings, of which three have

Several months later, the oﬃcials announced thatbeen dismantled. A subsidy system for historic

the true epicenter was Kashima, 5km west of Mashiki

structures has been newly set up, but it seems

Town, but that does not mean that the damage wasthat religious facilities are not eligible for these51

subsidies even if they are registered as an element

synchronize with the seismic frequency. As far as

for landscape or cultural property, so it would

we can say, it did not suffer earthquake damage.

appear that there is nothing that can be done for(Photo: the Imamura family home)them.

• All five of the Kumamoto city–designated• The group subsidy system has proven to be alandscape-formation buildings and important

blessing for the commercial facilities. In thebuildings were damaged. Four of them were

Kawashiri District, the various businesses,

judged to be completely destroyed, but theysuch as local shops, a brewing company, and aare scheduled to be fully restored. It seems that

confectionary manufacturer, formed a group andthis will take more than three years, however,are applying for subsidies. Within them, the Zuiyo

due to a shortage of workers. (Photos: the Zuiyo

sake brewery, which was founded at the end ofhead office, the Zuiyo Masudai Warehouse, thethe Edo Period, has a group of 40 buildings of

Zuiyo Resource Center, an office, the Yoshimura

reinforced concrete , steel, and wooden structure,family home, the Zuiyo Memorial Warehouse [noas well as earthen wall warehouses, all of which

designa on]).

were damaged. Among them, six buildings had to• The Kawashiri Public Assembly Hall, which was

be dismantled due to a shortage of construction

constructed in the early Showa Period, wasworkers and for the sake of managing the factory.

scheduled to become a city-registered cultural

Another seven buildings suffered severe damage

property, and the seismic reinforcement had been

and were either half or completely destroyed, but

completed, but the earthquakes occurred justthey are scheduled to be repaired. The earthen

before construction was to start. In contrast to

wall warehouse with large wall surfaces appears

the Imamura family home, it is long in the south-

to have suffered major damage looking from the

to-north direction, but short from east to west.

outside, but from the inside, the structure can

It has very few walls and an extremely flexible

be confirmed and can be repaired. In old days, it

structure, but it is believed that its frequency wasseems that the people used to have sacrifice the

too long and therefore did not synchronize withearthen walls at the time of major earthquakes

the earthquakes and was able to withstand them.

to secure the structure itself. They must have

Although there was damage to the shoji (paper

foreseen what to be restored. As they were built

sliding doors) and the earth walls, there was li leby hand, it seems natural that they can also bedamage to the structure itself, and the plan is

repaired by hand. There are many buildings thatto repair it at the additional construction cost ofwere dismantled as a result of a judgment that

only a small amount. (Photo: the Kawashiri Public

they were completely destroyed. If a new category

Assembly Hall)of “ but repairable” is added to the “completely• The nationally designated Hosokawa clan ricedestroyed” category, then this may have saved

granary is undergoing construction work, and as

nearly 40,000 buildings.

the earthquakes occurred before the roof and walls• The Imamura family home, which was constructed

were installed, the building was light and suﬀered

at the end of the Edo Period, is registered as ahardly any damage. The restoration work will benational cultural property. The second floor iscompleted in November, as planned. (Photo: thesmall and long, running from east to west, which

Hosokawa rice granary)

appears to be why its building frequency did not• The damage to the old buildings within the town

52

Photo 3.4.2.1 The Imamura family home (na onally designated undamaged)

Photo 3.4.2.2 The Zuiyo oﬃce building (city designated)

Photo 3.4.2.3 The Zuiyo Masudai Warehouse (city designated)

Photo 3.4.2.4 Warehouse in the town

Photo 3.4.2.5 The Zuiyo Resource Center (city designated)

Photo 3.4.2.6 An oﬃce (city designated)

was great. In one square kilometer, there arethis unless it faces the road. Repairs are possible

over 60 dismantled buildings, old and new. Thereat a very small cost, but a flexible response isremained a privately owned warehouse. There isrequired. (Photos: a warehouse in the town, a map

no relief system. There is the “Town Developmentof the dismantled structures)

Subsidies Project,” but a structure is not eligible for53

Photo 3.4.2.7 The Yoshimura family home (city designated)

Photo 3.4.2.8 The Zuiyo Memorial Warehouse

Photo 3.4.2.9 The Kawashiri Public Assembly Hall

Photo 3.4.2.10 The Hosokawa Domain rice granary (naonally designated)

Photo 3.4.2.11 Dismantling in the Kawashiri District (60buildings)

54

year 2, 1861) and the warehouse (from Genji year

3.4.3 Ogawa District
Ogawa Town, Uki City, is located in the center of

1, 1864), the courtyard fence collapsed, and the

Kumamoto Prefecture. It prospered as a post town

plaster wall that formed the building’s outer wallon the Satsuma road during the Hosokawa era. It

had collapsed in numerous places. These splendid

was once a port town close to the coast, but today

townhouses, built during the Edo and Meiji Periods,

it is far away due to the land reclamation. It waswere found to have broken and collapsed groundthe center of the regional economy for trade withles and plaster walls, but, surprisingly, the structures

Nagasaki, including as a trading center for Amakusaof the columns and the beams suffered hardly any

seafoods and tea, but today it lacks the bustle ofdamage. This once again gives us a sense of theformer mes. Most of the townhouses altered theirstrength of tradi onal construc on methods.

first-floor facades due to the removal of the eaves
following the widening of the road in the Showa 40s

Support(around the 60s and 70s), but the several Igura style

Some of the residents who lived in the townhouses

townhouses have survived and were s ll telling theended up living in their cars because of their strong

story of the town in its former days.

fears about the safety of these old wooden buildings,
and some had decided to dismantle their splendid

The damage situa on of the tradi onal townhouses

townhouses even though they had suffered hardly

The Ogawa Town commercial district is locatedany damage. Therefore, around a month after the

on top of the Hinagu fault, and it experienced aearthquakes, a consultation meeting was held, andseries of earthquakes, including two of seismic

the residents were informed about the strength ofintensity of more than 6: on April 14, the fore-shock

the traditional construction methods and told thatearthquake of a seismic intensity of lower 6; on

their properties could be restored. Around two

April 15, aftershocks of seismic intensity of uppermonths after the earthquakes, a meeting was held

6; and on April 16, the main-shock earthquake of ato explain the group subsidies that are provided

seismic intensity of upper 6. Students and former

by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, andstudents entered Ogawa Town immediately after

the residents started to submit applications for thethe earthquakes to carry out a survey of the Shintownhouses with a ached stores that were eligible

Koujiya registered tangible cultural property. Manyfor the restora on subsidies.

townhouses from the end of the Edo Period to the
Meiji Period remain in the Kanmachi and Nakamachi

Architects also participated. With regard to theparts of the town, where this building is located. At

restoration method, starting from measuring, aShin Koujiya, the tiles of the annex building (T11,substantial amount of time was required up to the

1922) had fallen and rain had leaked in, the building

stage of preparing the estimates, and this work is

had acquired an incline, and the plaster wall had

currently ongoing. In February 2017, the Kumamotocollapsed. The ceiling of the connecting building

Prefecture Cultural Affairs Section announced

collapsed, but the Meiji 16 main building sufferedrestora on subsidies for a maximum of two thirds ofhardly any damage. Tiles also fell from the Shioya

the properties, even for the undesignated cultural(M39, 1906) salt merchant room, and rain leaked

properties so that the homes and other buildings

in all the way to the first floor. At the Wakasaki

that were not eligible for the group subsidies also

hardware store in the main building (from Manen

became possible.

55

Photo 3.4.3.1 The loca on of Ogawa Town.

Photo 3.4.3.2 The Ogawa Town commercial district

Photo 3.4.3.3 Architects inspected each townhouse andprovided advice on repairs.

Photo 3.4.3.4 Advice from the University’s structural expert.

Photo 3.4.3.5 Introducing a restora on case study in Kuroshima, Wajima City.

Dismantling using public funds

was not realized. If the announcement about the

Up to the present time, approximately 25

subsidies for undesignated cultural properties had

townhouses and other buildings have been

been made sooner, maybe these townhouses would

dismantled in the Ogawa Town commercial

have survived. In addition, all of the empty houses

district. Among them there were two townhouses

will be dismantled.

considered to be from the Edo Period for which
we asked for restoring their houses, but this wish

56

The town was blessed with numerous visits andA shortage of skilled workers
A year and a half has passed since the earthquakes,

advices received from many people, including

but it has not been possible to find the plasterers,

Mr. Hasegawa from Niigata, cultural properties

tile craftsmen, and carpenters who are able toconservators, university teachers and architects fromrestore the structures using tradi onal construc onmany regions, and Mr. Koyanagi, who was involved

methods, and the restora on of the majority of thein the restoration of the traditional townhouses intownhouses will take place sometime from now. In

Kuroshima, Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, after

addition, there are few architects working on thethe Noto Peninsula Ocean Earthquake. One year

restoration, which requires a lot of time and effort

after the earthquake, the townhouses were in acompared to dismantling and constructing a new

terrible condi on, and it was not a situa on in whichbuilding.

it was possible to think about the town as whole. In
June of this year, however, civic minded volunteers

Thanks to the visits of many people andfrom the town’s commercial district launched theestablishment of the Karukaya-no-kai organizaton

Karukaya no Kai organiza on, and discussions on thethat foresees the future of the town

future of the town have begun.

ᩱீ㧗ᒸ

டࡢ⏫

ṇၿᑎᮏᇽ㸦៞ᛂ㸱㸧ฟ᮶⏫

ࢫ࢖ࢫ᫬ィᗑ㸦Ụᡞᮎ㸧㙻⤮ࡢ࠶ࡿ⏫ᒇ᪂⏫
ᐑᓮᗋᒇ㸦᫂἞㡭㸧᱓ཎ㑰㸦኱ṇ㸧෇❧ᑎᮏᇽ㸦Ụᡞ㸧 ෇❧ᑎᴥ㛛㸦Ụᡞ㸧㣤⏣㑰⛳᪉㑰ⶶ㸦Ụᡞᮎ㑣㡲ၟᗑ㸦᫂἞㡭㸧᪂㯜ᒇ㸦0

୰⏫

ᑠᕝ㜿⸽⚄♫ᣏẊ㸦Ụᡞ㸧㛗㇂ᕝ㑰㸦0ୖ⏫

ጁ㡢ᑎ෇❧ᑎᮏᇽ
ᗜ⿬㸦Ụᡞ㸧

ࡩࡳ⨾ᐜᐊ㸦᫂἞㡭㸧ⓑ⋢ᒇ᪂୕㑻㸦Ụᡞ㸧,QSRUWDQWEXLOGLQJVᩥ໬㈈ࢻࢡࢱ
VXHYH\HGE\DUFKLWHFWXUDOㄪᰝᘓ⠏≀SURSHUW\H[SHUWVᑠ㔝⣬ᒇ㸦᫂἞㡭㸧 ㌺ࡢᗑ⯒ࡀධࡿᪧ࠶ࡃࡓᒇ

&RPSOHWH&ROODVSHDWWKH
.XPDPRWRHDUWKTXDNHᆅ㟈᫬඲ቯ

すᒣṑ⛉㸦᫂἞㡭%XLOGLQJVZKLFKZHUH

ZHUH ⌧ᅾᆅ㟈ᚋゎయ
GLVPDQWOHGDIWHUWKH⥥ᒇ㸦0 㡭㸧.XPDPRWRHDUWKTXDNH

බ㈝ゎయணᐃ࡜ࡉࢀࡿ
6DWVXPD.DLGR⸃ᦶ⾤㐨
PDLQVWUHHWLQ(GRSLULRG

ⱝᇛᒇ㸦୓ᘏ㸰ᖺ㸧ࡼࢁࡎࡸ㸦Ụᡞᮎ㸧ሷᒇ㸦0㸧㹫Ṕྐⓗᘓ㐀≀+LVWULFDO%XLOGLQJV

Photo 3.4.3.6 The damage situa ons at the tradi onal townhouses in Ogawa Town’s commercial district (August 2017).

57

3.5 Missionary-related schools andothers Western-style modern
architectures

works will be conducted to the building.
The Riddell-Wright Memorial Hall (NationallyRegistered Tangible Cultural Property)
Completed in 1919. The first floor was added

Maude House (Nationally Registered Tangible
Cultural Property)
Completed in 1927, a mber, two-storey building at
1 Chome 14-1, Kuwamizu, Chuo Ward.

in 1935. A timber two-storey building at 5-23-1
Kurokami, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City.
A research facility for Hansen’s disease (leprosy)
established by two female, Ms Riddell and MsWright.

The home of the missionary Maude Powlas, who

It is two-storey building with a long, east-west

established the “Jiai-en” Social Service Community.

rectangular shape. The building suﬀered from various

There were no major problems with the main

kinds of damages caused by the earthquakes, as the

structure, its external walls and roof were notground at the south elevation was shifted forward

damaged, however, few cracks were identified on

by around 10cm. Along with this ground shift,

its internal walls, while the chimney duct in the a ccracks had appeared onto its foundation, columns

had broken and fallen oﬀ through the ceiling into thebecame misaligned, and some parts of internal walls

room below. In addition, planters attached underwere peeled oﬀ. A large-scale construc on works isexternal windows had fallen oﬀ at several places. As

required, including jacking up the building to replace

Jiai-en is an iconic building and the design oﬃce thatit to its original position. It had been used as an

was involved in previous preserva on and renova on

exhibi on hall, however it is currently closed.

works is nearby, it is believed that careful restora on

Photos 3.5.1 Maude House

Photos 3.5.2 The Riddell-Wright Memorial Hall58

Kyushu Gakuin Lutheran High School Chapel(Na onally Registered Tangible Cultural Property)
Completed in 1924. Made of reinforced concrete.
At 5 Chome 2−1, Oe, Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City.
A Romanesque chapel built in memory of Mr.
Brown, the founder of the school. The architect was
William Vories, an American missionary responsible
for numerous architectural works in Japan. Although
there was no damage to its exterior, there werecracks running horizontally along its internal walls
at some parts where the side aisles connect to thenave. In addition, one part of the internal wall had
fell oﬀ.
Kyushu Jogakuin High School main building(na onally registered tangible cultural proper es)
Completed in 1926. A three-storey, reinforced
concrete building at 3 Chome 12-16 Kurokami, Chuo
Ward, Kumamoto City.
The main building of a missionary school designed

Photos 3.5.4 Kyushu Jogakuin High School main building

by Vogel, an American architect. There were cracks

Photos 3.5.3 Kyushu Gakuin Lutheran High School Chapel

59

Photos 3.5.5 A mee ng hall for Bible study

in some parts of its exterior. Some of its roofing slate

Yasemeganebashi Bridge (Mifune Town), Yasumi-

les had also fallen oﬀ and been sca ered. Inside of

shimoduru Bridge (Uki City), and Zenigame Bridge

the building, plaster ceiling had partially come off.

(Minamiaso Village).

A lot of damages could be seen on its decorative

After the fore-shock earthquake (5 upper), thearched beams in the main hall of the chapel. Repair

Tsujun Bridge, which is a nationally designatedworks have been completed and the building is now

important cultural property, suffered numerous

used as when it was before.

leaks, and several cracks appeared in the earth

Completed in 1931. A reinforced concrete, three-covering the upper part of the bridge. This damage

storey building at 2 Chome 27−23 Kurokami, Chuo

was then exacerbated by the main-shock earthquake

Ward, Kumamoto City.

(6 lower), and protrusions of curbstones in the

A meeting hall for Bible study that was built

upper part of the stone bridge were confirmed inwith donations, from the North American YMCA,

three places. In addition, it was confirmed that thevolunteers from the former No.5 Senior High School

plasterwork on the upper surface of the bridge had

and such. Cracks were observed in the internal wall

been pushed up and that cracks had appeared in theof its penthouse, other than that, no other major

junc ons of the water pipes; it is also possible thatdamages were found.

the plasterwork was damaged at many points on thewater pipes and that there were leakages from the

3.6 Stone constructions

arch stones (Photo 3.6.1.1).
The Futamata Bridge, which has been designated

3.6.1 Stone arch bridges

a town cultural property, consists of two stone

There are more than 300 stone bridges in various

bridges (Futamata Fukura-watashi and Futamata-places in the prefecture. As a result of the field

watashi) that form a characteristic L-shape. Due tosurveys conducted a er the Kumamoto Earthquake,the earthquake, with a seismic intensity of 6 lower,

it was possible to identify 19 bridges that had

and the aftershocks, the stone wall, road surface,suﬀered damage, based on the protrusions from andand balustrades in the upstream and downstream

collapses of the stone walls, the gaps between theparts of the right bank collapsed at one part of thearch stones and the cracks in the stone materials,

bridge. In addi on, due to the ver cal and horizontal

the cracks in and collapses of road surfaces, theshaking of the structure during the earthquakes,

balustrades that had fallen or become cracked, andthe conditions of the filling materials. To identify
the damage caused by the earthquakes, it proved
useful to use the existing chart of stone bridges,
which summarizes in the form of a list of figures andphotographs. Comparing with the basic informa on
about the stone bridges, the conditions before theearthquakes, the extent of the damage was assumed
due to the earthquakes. The main stone bridges
that had suffered major damage were the Tsujun
Bridge (Yamato Town), Futamata Fukura-watashi
Bridge (Misato Town), Senbabashi Bridge (Uto City),

Photo 3.6.1.1 At the Tsujun Bridge, water leaked from thearch stones (Photo by Yamato town)

60

Photo 3.6.1.2 The collapsed stone wall at Futamata Fukura-watashi

Photo 3.6.1.3 The bridge post collapsed at the Senba
Bridgeother damage occurred, including sec onal damage

Kumamoto Prefecture cultural property. In the recent

to the arch stones; continuous fissures, cracks,

earthquakes, the stone wall on the front side of theand deformation in the shapes of the arches; andarch base on the upstream side collapsed. As shown

protrusions from the stone walls in the upstreamin Photo 3.6.1.4., the minor collapse of the stone

and downstream areas on the right bank (Photowall that occurred in the fore-shock earthquake

3.6.1.2). Due to the resultant entry of rainwater fromwas widened by the main-shock earthquake, andthe surface of the bridge, the filling material seeped

the railings collapsed in some places. With regard

out of the collapsed parts of the stone walls on theto the possible cause of the collapse of the stone

upstream side, and in conjunction with this, there

wall, it was found that the collapsed section had

were major protrusions from the stone walls or, inpreviously been repaired when it collapsed 28 years

other words, deformation of the original shape of

ago in 1988, and the filling material that could be

the outer surface, which is thought to have triggered

seen following the recent collapse was material thatthe collapse.

was used in the repair work. As the original internal

A single-arch bridge built in 1863 on the Senbagawa River, Uto City, the Senba Bridge is a citydesignated cultural property. As shown in Photofilling material was red clay, it was understood to besignificantly related to the repair method.
A Uki City–designated cultural property, the3.6.1.3, the damage to this bridge due to theearthquake occurred more on the upstream sidethan on the downstream side. The damage included
cross-sectional deficit and continuous cracks inthe arch stones. In addition, on the road surface,
the balustrades and the bundling pillars collapsed,
the wheel guard and road surface stone materials
suffered deformation, and some of the balustrades
fell into the river.
The Yasemegane Bridge is a stone bridge built
on the Yase-gawa River in 1855. It is part of theformer Hyuga Highway and has been designated a

61

Photo 3.6.1.4 The stone wall on the upstream side collapsed at the Yasemegane Bridge (Photo by
Mifune town)Yasumi-shimoduru Bridge is a single-arch stonebridge, constructed on the Hamado-gawa River in
1848. It was found that in the recent earthquakes,
the stone wall in the vicinity of the arch founda onon the right bank had collapsed extensively (Photo3.6.1.5). In addition, in the balustrades section on
the surface of the bridge, all of the balustrades hadcollapsed and fallen down, and when looking frombelow at the central part of the arch stones and thevicinity of the founda on, large gaps have appeared
as a result of the earthquakes, not only in a direc on

Photo 3.6.1.6 The stone wall on the upstream and downstream sides collapsed at the Zenigame
Bridgeperpendicular to the bridge axis but also in the same
direction as the bridge axis. This stone bridge wassections, although integrated cracks were visible atcompletely flooded in the heavy rain and flooding of

the joint parts of the mortar, which in turn caused

June.

major cracks in the arch stones themselves.

The Zenigame Bridge is a stone bridge built in 1918
on the Kawayokuro-kawa River, Minamiaso Village,that were used for the arch stones and the stone

3.6.2 T h e t h i r t e e n - s t o r i e d p a g o d a(nationally designated Important
Cultural Property)

walls. As shown in Photo 3.6.1.6, the four stone

The thirteen-storied pagoda, which is designatedwalls collapsed due to the fore-shock earthquake

as an Important Cultural Property, is a stone pagoda

of a seismic intensity of 5 lower, the main-shock

built in 1230 (the second year of the Kanki Period). It

earthquake of a seismic intensity of 6 upper, and thewas located in Myodo-ji Temple in Yunomae Town,

and mortar was affixed to the stone materials

many aftershocks. This was the only stone bridge
where the four stone walls collapsed; this sort ofdamage was not seen at the other stone bridges,
where the stone walls were not aﬃxed using mortar.
However, no large gaps appeared in the arch stone

Photo 3.6.1.5 The stone wall collapsed at the Yasumishimoduru Bridge (Photo by Uki city)

Photo 3.6.2.1 The thirteen-storied pagoda a er the disaster62

Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, together withof these earthquakes, the top four stories and thea seven-storied and a nine-storied stone pagoda.

roof of the pagoda rotated and some of the stone

Myodo-ji Temple was founded in the Meiji Period, butmaterials were damaged. Afterwards, the stonethese three pagodas were built earlier, at the me ofmaterials that suffered heavy damage at the fifth

the previous Joshin-ji Temple and were damaged andstory and above were quickly dismantled and stored,looted when the Meiji Period temple fall into decay.

and that made it possible to avoid collapse or otherIn 1911 (Meiji 44), Tomonori Yone gathered the

major damage during the after-shocks. There were

remnants of the thirteen-storied pagoda and rebuilt

center holes in the stone materials used for the

it at his own residence in Yatsushiro City. Currently,

pagodas and in the roof, so it is highly possible thatit has been rebuilt as an eleven-storied pagoda andthere was something like a center pillar at the me

has the feature of Oni or goblin faces at the end ofof the original construction, but this pillar was not

the corner ra ers, which is a feature not seen in the

installed when it was relocated in the present site.

seven-storied or nine-storied stone pagodas that

Moreover, lead boards have been used at the upper

were built in the same period.

end of the pagoda to adjust the unevenness in the

In Yatsushiro City, there was a fore-shock
earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5-minus onthApril 14 , followed by the main-shock earthquakethstone materials.
The stone materials that suﬀered severe damage
were on the fifth story, which split into two large

on April 16 with an intensity of 6-minus. As a result

sections (Photo 3.6.2.4), and on the seventh story,

Photo 3.6.2.2 The upper part of the twisted thirteenstoried pagoda

Photo 3.6.2.3 The dismantling of the upper part (April
19th, 2016)

Photo 3.6.2.4 The damaged fi h story of the pagoda

Photo 3.6.2.5. The ninth story roof with fragmented eaveends

63which roof was fragmented at the eave-ends. They
are being reinforced using stainless steel dowel pins
and epoxy resin combined together and, in order toimprove earthquake-resistance, stainless steel core
post is to be installed during reassembly.

3.7 Historic Sites
3.7.1 Kumamoto Castle’s dry stone walls
and structures
The Kumamoto Castle site is a “flatland-mountaincastle” erected on the tip and around a hillock
extending towards the South. In Tensho 16 (1588),
Kiyomasa Kato became the daimyo of the Northern

Figure 3.7.1.1 A map of the places where the Kumamoto
Castle’s dry stone wall was damaged in the2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes

half of Higo Province (from Keicho 6, feudal lordof the whole country, except for the Kuma andAmakusa Coun es). From Keicho 4 (1599), he carried

protrusions of the stone wall, collapses of the upper

out the construc on works to build a high dry stone

parts of the stone wall, and cracks in the ground.

wall, mainly around the high ground known as Mt.

Moreover, ten structures designated as ImportantChausuyama, and by around Keichō 12 (1607) he

Cultural Proper es and seven reconstructed buildings

completed the Honmaru, principle compound in awere damaged, including the loss of roof tiles andcastle complex. Subsequently, the Hosokawa clan

plaster on the exterior walls that had fallen oﬀ. Then,

was transferred to this castle, and it conducted

28 hours later, during the main-shock earthquake

partial refurbishments and repairs up to the end

in the night of April 16th, the stone wall collapsedof the Tokugawa Shogunate. The castle became an

in 517 sections, the damage area accounting forarmy garrison at the beginning of the Meiji Period,

30% of the total stone wall area (973 sections);

and during the Satsuma Rebellion, which waswithin the damage-affected sections, the wall had

Japan’s last civil war, many parts of it were burned

collapsed in 229 sec ons (in 50 places). In addi on,down, including the castle keep, turrets, and palace.

all the 13 buildings designated as Important Cultural

However, other structures, such as the castle gate

Properties were damaged; of these, two buildings

and turrets, including the Udo Turret, survived,

had completely collapsed and three had partiallyand in particular the dry stone walls and the moat

collapsed. Moreover, all the 20 reconstructedhave retained so well their original features thatbuildings were damaged, while the fences of fivethe site has been designated a Special Historic Site,of them had collapsed. Below is an overview of therecognizing its extremely high value as a model

main damage and the current situa on.

example of an early-modern castle.
During the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes, inthe fore-shock earthquake of the night of Aprilth

The castle main keep (Tenshu)
The castle main keep is composed of two main

14 , the dry stone wall collapsed in six places andkeeps, a large one and a small one, and was rebuilt

extensive ground damage was ascertained, includingin Showa 35 (1960) using reinforced concrete.

64

Heizaemonmaru and Sukiyamaru castle compounds
was used as the usual passageway during the feudal
government period.
In the fore-shock earthquake, the stone wall facing
the passageway collapsed, while in the main-shock
earthquake the extent of this collapsed section
widened, and stones fell into and blocked almost
filling in the passageway. An inspec on of the uppersurfaces of the stone rampart on the West side
revealed that there was a crack in the earth at its

Photo 3.7.1.2 The damaged castle main keep

center, starting from which the East-section stone
wall had collapsed. On the West side, gaps had

Supported by a deep caisson pile founda on, whichappeared immediately behind the masonry and theextends for 47m underground, the castle main keepbo om stone materials of the top surface had sunkescaped collapse, but the dry stone wall underneath

into these gaps causing protrusions in the upper partwas damaged. In particular, the cellar’s inner stoneof the stone wall.

wall, which was par ally burned in the fire of Meiji

Equivalent damage occurred to both sides of this10 and then damaged again and repaired in thepassageway in the earthquake of Meiji 22, after

earthquake of Meiji 22, fell down and collapsed

which they had been restored using the technologies

completely. The outer dry stone wall, whichof that period, such as reworking the stones assurrounds the large castle keep with its impressive

kenchi-ishi narrowing them at one end, or omitting

curves and is well known as a “Kiyomasa-style dry

the filling material aizume-ishi to occlude the voids

stone wall,” did not suffer major damage, but thein between the main stones of the stone wall, andsmall castle keep’s stone wall on the Northern andthe easier and faster construction method of piling

Eastern sides was badly damaged.

stones otoshizumi, which consists of inser ng them

The castle main keep building was not seriously

into the uneven face of the wall, a er having roughly

damaged apart from the sixth floor, which is thebeaten and broken them. During these restoration

top floor, and it is being restored with the seismic

works, mixing earth and sand in the back-filling was

reinforcement measures that were already underconsideration before the earthquakes. As far as
the interior is considered, a new exhibi on is being
planned. As for the dry stone wall foundation, atthe large castle keep the restora on work is mainly
needed only for the cellar inner wall, but given thatthe small castle main keep suﬀered major damage,both the outer stone wall and cellar inner wall are
expected to require large-scale reassembling works.
The Sukiyamaru Gate site
This hook-shaped entrance with two bends between

65

Photo 3.7.1.3 The damaged Sukiyamaru Gate site (fromthe South)Photo 3.7.1.4 Emergency measures taken at the Sukiyamaru Gate site (from the West)

Photo 3.7.1.5 The damaged Iidamaru Five-storied turretpar cularly conspicuous and at the stone rampart on
the Heizaemonmaru side, the works were completed
leaving the upper part lower of around 1.5m.
Through the collecting work of the collapsed stonematerials, it was possible to confirm that the lower
stones had fallen into the base of the stone wall,and on top of them, the “chestnut stones”, small
cobblestones used as backfill or to fill small gaps, aswell as the upper stones had fallen from above andPhoto 3.7.1.6 The damaged the West Turret Gate sitecovered them.
sec on was further widened, while the Eastern side
The base of the Iidamaru Five-storied Turretalso largely collapsed. Consequently, six cornerstones

The current corner turret, added at the end ofof the South-east corner remained in a column-likethe Keichō Period to the castle compound corners

shape and were in a dangerous condi on. However,ini ally built, but dismantled just before the Satsuma

following emergency works to prevent the collapse,

Rebellion, was reconstructed in 2005. The standard

a steel supporting platform has now been installedsangizumi method, an ashlar construc on consis ng

while the damaged sec ons are being restored.

in piling up roughly worked, rectangle shaped stones
to create even horizontal rows, was used, but inthe earthquake of Meiji 22, the upper part largely
collapsed and was restored by the army.

The West Turret Gate site
This entrance was located at one corner of the“100 bays ken turret” on the line with the WestDuring the recent earthquakes, at the sections

side of the Iidamaru castle compound’s stone wall.

in the Southern, Eastern, and Western sides that

During the recent earthquakes, both stone ramparts,

were restored by the army, during the fore-shock

which form the foundation of this turret gate,

earthquake a 6m x 6m sec on of the upper part ofcollapsed from their bases. Both stone ramparts

the Southern side collapsed, and then during theformed the entrance, and were 3m in height andmain-shock earthquake, the extent of this collapsed

5m wide, with a steep around 77 degrees slope in66

both the passageway side and the stone wall side.
The corners were constructed using the jubakozumi
multiple-layered box method and the construction
stones were roughly broken and piled up using thenunokuzushizumi method, ashlar construction atleast for one line of joints. Within the collapsed stone
ramparts, no mixture of earth and sand was visible
and the backfill “chestnut stones” were composedof round gravel, cobblestones uniform in size, moreor less as large as softballs. Due to the subsidenceof the ground during the earthquakes tremors, thePhoto 3.7.1.7 The Higashi Juhachiken Turret before thedamagecobblestones of the upper surfaces of the stone
ramparts had descended by around 10cm.
The Higashi Juhachiken TurretThis turret serves as the entrance of the East
turrets of Tochikunomaru castle compound in the
Eastern part of the Honmaru, main castle compound.
Constructed on top of a stone wall of a heightof 19m, it is a long (a width of 4 bays ken in the
direc on in which transverse beams run and a lengthof 18 bays ken in the direc on of the purlins), it is a
one-storied turret designated as Important Cultural

Photo 3.7.1.8 The Higashi Juhachiken Turret after thedamageProperty. Both the dry stone wall and the turret itself
were built around Keicho 12, and the gradient at thescale of the collapse was greater than anywhere else.

base of the stone wall is around 53 degrees, with the

The cracks on the curved surfaces were increased

en re stone wall forming a beau ful curve.

in number and made wider by the main-shock

It has been ascertained that during the fore-shock

earthquake.

earthquake, fine cracks occurred to the surface of

The turret’s wooden materials and roof tiles that

the West side of the turret, while in the main-shock

fell oﬀ in the collapse were extensively damaged, but

earthquake, the East side stone wall, which formed

all were collected and after the cleaning work andpart of the turret’s founda on, largely collapsed, andthe work to remove the nails

as a result of this, the upper parts of the stone wall

have been completed, are now being stored in theon the West and South sides also collapsed. In thewarehouse that was constructed within the castle

Southern half of the turret base, the stone ramparts

grounds in preparation for the rebuilding of theare entirely filled with cobblestones, circular gravel

turret.

ranging in size from that of a fist to that of a head;
they had been tightly packed in, so that any soil or

The Miyauchi stone wallother substances was hardly added. More than 1,800

In this dry stone wall with a height of 9m andconstruction stones were collected, and here thelength of 16m, located at the Western end of the67

Ninomaru castle compound, the protrusion of theSummary

lower part had become so conspicuous that in 2003

The damage to the Kumamoto Castle Site in the

repair works were carried out, assigning numbers to2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes constitutes some ofthe stones while temporarily dismantling them, to re-

the worst damage inflicted by a natural disaster on apile them up again. In these recent earthquakes, thedesignated Cultural Property in modern mes.

damaged parts corresponded almost exactly to those

It was inevitable that the essential features ofpreviously repaired, and it was possible to determine

the Kumamoto Castle site as Special Historic Site,the original posi ons of the collapsed stones.

which are described as “a Honmaru main castle

The stones in the lowermost four levels of thecompound encircled by a high dry stone wall built

collapsed area fell to lay face down directly beneathusing tradi onal construc on methods,” would suﬀer

the stone wall, and were covered by the backfill

damage due to the tremors of strong earthquakes

cobblestones. Then, on top of these, the upper

registering a maximum seismic intensity of 7.

construc on stones fell and spread in a semi-circularMoreover, it has attracted the public attention as

shape, but retaining the ver cal rela onship between

a major example of earthquake-related damage

them. In other words, this situation suggests that

where, designated Important Cultural Properties

the collapse occurred in an instant, with the lowest

such as turrets and fences that were built on thepart of the collapsed sec on collapsing first, followed

stone, as well as castle buildings previously restoredby the backfill cobblestones, which flow out, while

to maintain the castle as a Historic Site, collapsed or

the upper part of the stone wall slid oﬀ retaining the

provoked the damage.

ver cal rela onship that existed prior to the collapse,
thus fell at once.

Clarifying the effects of the earthquakes on
the castle’s dry stone walls and the mechanisms
causing them to collapse is an urgent issue for the
restoration and for taking measures to protect
against earthquakes, and this work is progressing
with the support of civil engineering–relatedsocieties. However, this work is complicated by thefact that each dry stone wall has its own individual
characteristics, such as the characteristics of the

Figure 3.7.1.9 An elevation diagram of the Miyauchi dry
stone wall

ground it was built on, its masonry technologies,
its history of disaster-related damage and of repair
works. Therefore, clarifying the mechanisms will
not be easy. Restoration methods adopted will not
impair the value of the site as a Cultural Property,
but also securing the safety of the site is another big
issue to be solved. In addi on, there is also the issueof passing down the intangible, tradi onal masonrytechniques that are indispensable to maintain theessen al value of the castle’s dry stone walls in the
future, and also the issue of training the engineers to

Figure 3.7.1.10 The collapsed Miyauchi dry stone wall

use these techniques. The damage to the Kumamoto

68

Castle site has also cast a light on and revealed theexistence of a variety of present-day issues relating

and measures against mold are diﬃcult to handle.
The Idera Kofun in Kashima Town was one of thefirst nationally designated Historic Sites in 1921.

to Cultural-Property dry stone walls.

The main section is a “higo-type”, a lateral-holestone chamber made of volcanic-tuff rock. It is a

3.7.2 Kofun mound tombs
In the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes, damage

decorative kofun with chokkomon (lines and arcs)

occurred to many kofun (mound tombs), including

pa erns painted on the sekisho, the flat side of thethose in Fukuoka and Oita, but mainly in thestones facing the interior of the pit. It is located inmunicipalities in Kumamoto Prefecture near thethe Futagawa River fault zone, close to the epicenter

epicenter and the fault zone. This damage includedof the main-shock earthquake in which seismic

fissures in the mounds, destruction of the stone

intensity of upper 6 was recorded. As a result, manychambers, as well as damage to the protection

fissures appeared on the mound, and the stone

facili es. In the data of Kumamoto Prefecture, therechamber too suffered major damage, such as theare 41 kofun, but this figure includes only thosestone materials cracking and falling, including thedesignated as Cultural Proper es, and in fact it wouldback wall’s sekisho. However, since the metal door

increase significantly when including those that havethat had been installed at the entrance of the stone

not been designated or those that are designatedchamber could not be opened due to deforma on,

but whose state of conservation has not yet been

it was not possible to enter inside, so instead a holefully ascertained.

was opened and photos were taken by attaching

A distinctive feature of the damage in the recent

a camera to a pole and inserting it through theearthquakes was the damage to the “decorative

hole. Both the mound and the stone chamber are

kofun”, which are those kofun with interiors

in danger of collapse and restoration works aredecorated with line pa erns, reliefs, and pain ng in

expected to be very diﬃcult (photo).

the stone coffins and stone chambers. Nationwide,

The Eianji Higashi Kofun in Tamana City is aaround 660 decora ve kofun have been ascertained,

decorative kofun with multiple, lateral-hole stone

and 30% of these are concentrated in Kumamotochambers where triangular and circular patterns

Prefecture. For those painted with pigments, manyin red pigment, as well as boats and horses are

aspects such as temperature and humidity control,

depicted. It became a na onally designated Historic

Photos 3.7.2.1 The Idera Kofun: Fissure in the mound and damaged stone chamber (courtesy of Kashima Town Board of
Educa on).

69

Photos 3.7.2.2 The Eianji Higashi Kofun: The damaged mound and stone chamber (courtesy of Tamana City Board of Educa on).

Site in 1992, and maintenance works were carried

The Tsukahara Kofun Group in Kumamoto City isout from 1999 to 2005, re-piling up the collapsed

a memorable site because it was scheduled to be

sections of all the stone chambers and installing in

destroyed for the construction of the Cross Kyushu

front of it a protec ve visitors room. Even though it

Expressway, but as the result of a movement for its

was comparatively far from the epicenter, seismic

conserva on, the construc on method was changed

intensity of upper 5 was s ll measured in its vicinity.

and the site was saved. It became a nationally

Regarding its condition, it suffered various kinds ofdesignated Historic Site in 1976, and it is maintained

damage, including cracking in the stones in the front

as a kofun park that includes also the adjacent land.

chamber sec on that had been re-piled up and theWithin this kofun group, the main section of thecollapse of surfaces with decorations; moreover,Ishinomuro Kofun suﬀered major damage, including

other stone materials had also cracked and fallen,

the collapse of the side wall of the lateral-opening

and there had been an inflow of earth and sand.

type stone coffin made of volcanic-tuff rock, andIt will be necessary to proceed carefully with thethe fall down of the stone ceiling. As the kofun isrestoration work so as to not damage the painted

inside a preserva on facility, it seems that to restore

decora ons (photo).

it the dismantling of this facility will be necessary(photo). Moreover, other kofun in the group, such as

Photos 3.7.2.3 The damage in the Ishinomuro Kofun stone chamber and an aerial photo of the Tsukahara Kofun Group(courtesy of Kumamoto City).

70

Sandanzuka Kofun, Kunugizuka Kofun, and Biwazuka

created in Japan’s early-modern history (the Edo

Kofun, suffered damage, including cracks in andPeriod) and the way they were created reflects thecollapses of the mounds.

stratified hierarchy of the social structure of that

Other than the above, even looking only at thosetime. In the case of Kumamoto, which was once

kofun that are nationally designated Historic Sites,

the territory of a daimyo feudal lord, this hierarchy

the damage included the collapse of the restored

would be roughly understood as follows: ① daimyo

mound at the Kamao Kofun in Kumamoto City; atfamily documents (historical materials produced by

Oonoiwaya Kofun in Hikawa Town, the cracking andthe domain administra ve headquarters), ② daimyo

falling of stone materials into the stone chamber,ministerial documents, ③ retainer family documents

which is in the largest class, with a ceiling height④ soshoya (local administration) documents,of 6.5m; and the falling of stone materials at the④ sonshoya (village administra

Obusan Kofun in Yamaga City.

⑤ farmer and townspeople (local residents) familyon) documents, anddocuments.
References
The 20th Kyushu Large Keyhole-shaped Kofun Study Group Executive
Commi ee, The current state of and issues with the kofun damaged in the2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, June 17th, 2016.

These early-modern history documents were
continuously created and accumulated in thefamilies pertaining to each one of the classes
forming the early-modern times’ social structure,

3.8 Movable Cultural Properties

or at the key sites of the government organiza ons,
which functioned in a multilayered manner. Each

It is common knowledge that there are Culturalgroup of documents was stored by the organiza on

Proper es designated as having high value throughthat created it. In the case of Kumamoto, there

the Cultural Properties Protection Law, as well as

are approximately 58,000 of type ① documents,

undesignated Cultural Properties. For national andthe “Eisei Bunko Hosokawa Family Documents

local government designated Cultural Properties,

Collection”, owned by the Eisei-Bunko Public

the Administration verifies the damage, and inInterest Incorporated Founda on and Museum ,andthe case of national and prefectural designations,entrusted to the Kumamoto University Library. In

public subsidies are available for the properties’

terms of type ② documents, Kumamoto University

preservation and restoration. This is not the caseLibrary and Yatsushiro Municipal Museum arefor the undesignated properties, however. If a

responsible for the management of several tens

homeowner’s residence is damaged, it may sufferof thousands of documents related to the Matsui

water damage and be stained, lose its storage

Family, the former Kumamoto clan chief daimyo

space, and ultimately have to be disposed of. In

minister. Like the Kumamoto documents, otherfact, most movable cultural properties owned bygroups of documents related to daimyo families inprivate individuals, such as old documents, areearly-modern history are in most cases managed byundesignated, and rescuing them has become an

public ins tu ons. The documents of the Hosokawa

urgent task. Why is rescuing these undesignatedfamily and the Matsui family were managed as rarecultural proper es an important issue? Let’s consider

documents within earthquake-resistant structures,

as an example the old documents owned by private

so they escaped damage. However, the majority of

individuals.

the type③ to ⑤ documents are, even today, owned

An extremely large amount of documents was

71

by private individuals, usually the descendants of thepersons who created them, and they are being kept

taken into considera on, it is not possible to correctlyin the homes of these people or in warehouses.

understand the type ① daimyo clan’s policy historical

There is a tendency to think that undesignatedmaterials and type ② daimyo ministerial documents.

documents owned by private individuals have little

By paying attention to the relationship between“value,” but this is a great mistake. For example, thethese groups of documents at each level, it becomesgroup of sonshoya (village administra on) documents

possible for the first me to understand the overall

from the Kamimashiki District that were rescued atsitua on in the Edo Period society.

the end of April, immediately after the Kumamoto

Thus, the documents owned by private individuals

Earthquakes, was found to contain specific andnot only provide testimonies on local histories, but

detailed plans on the development of the wasteland

are also related to a major issue for the study ofin the village, as well as documents requesting

history, namely, that of understanding Japan’s early-

money from the soshoya for wages for the workmen

modern society from its very basis. This is why the

who were required for this work. In the Kumamoto

ac vi es to rescue cultural proper es following theclan’s territory, a total of more than 50 people were

Kumamoto earthquakes targeted also the groups of

appointed in each region as the soshoya, who was

documents held by private individuals, as well as thethe person responsible for the local administrationfine arts and crafts, tools, weapons and any other(also called daishoya oﬃcial), and these jurisdic onal

item that were kept together with them.

districts were called tenaga. At the tenaga

Next is a detailed description of the deployment

and soshoya level, policy drafts for agriculturalof the activities to rescue the undesignatedinfrastructure, infrastructure maintenance, andmovable cultural properties immediately after thedisaster rehabilitation were formulated uponearthquakes.

receiving a request from a village, and therefore

Organized activities are essential for rescuing

there were frequent submission of documents fromdisaster-affected cultural properties. This is

the soshoya to the upper relevant department ofunderstood from the experience of the Greatthe Kumamoto domain administra ve headquarters.

Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, and there wasThen, these drafts were examined by the domain

an awareness that should a major disaster also occur

administra ve headquarters and eventually becomein Kumamoto, it would be necessary to establish aclan policies to be were implemented at the tenaga

system to rescue the cultural properties. However,level.

the plans for this existed only within the minds of the

The main local policies of the Kumamotoclan, which included agricultural infrastructure

respective researchers and curators, and there had
been absolutely no specific prepara ons for it.

improvements, the construc on of roads and stone

Despite that, on April 23rd, the Kumamoto Disaster

bridges, and disaster rehabilitation, were shaped

Historical Materials Rescue Network (Representa ve:

and realized, surprisingly, through a bottom-up

Tsuguharu Inaba) was formed by staﬀ of Kumamoto’s

type of policy creation system that was premised

universities and curators of Kumamoto’s museums,on the local administrations. The type ③ soshoya

and began ac vi es to rescue undesignated cultural

documents and type ④ sonshoya documents include

properties. Afterwards, on July 13th, calling on thedetailed records of an autonomous policy drafting

support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and theprocess. In other words, if the contents of the group

Na onal Ins tutes for Cultural Heritage, the Culturalof documents owned by private individuals is not

Properties Rescue Project was initiated and its

72rescue-measures facility headquarters were locatedpublic framework could begin. The volunteer rescue

within Kyushu National Museum. Since the launch

ac vi es that were carried out by local people duringof the project, the Kumamoto Disaster Historicalthis period are worthy of praise.

Materials Rescue Network has been conducting

As of the end of August 2017, the results ofactivities within it. From fy2017, Kumamotothese activities can be summarized as follows: 43

Prefecture took over the project and is con nuing todisaster-affected movable cultural properties havecarry out the rescue ac vi es.

been targeted by the rescue activities, of which 38

Because one feature of the Kumamoto Earthquakes

have already been rescued. The exact number of

was that the large after-shocks continued for a

rescued materials is s ll unknown, but it is thought

long time, it was not easy to ascertain the damage

to exceed 15,000 items in total, including items suchat the cultural properties, and so, unavoidably, it

as old documents, fine arts and cra s, weapons andtook around three months from the time of the

Buddha statues.

earthquakes until the rescue activities based on a73

4. Emergency response andsupport systemarchitectural history as well as experts on historic

4.1 The “Cultural Properties Doctors’
Dispatch Project”

historic buildings. In concrete terms, a public andObjec ves of the Project
The Agency for Cultural Affairs is carrying out
the “Project to Support the Rehabilitation ofCultural Properties (Architectures) Damaged in
the Kumamoto Earthquakes”, known as “Cultural
Properties Doctors’ Dispatch Project”. This Project,through a collaboration between the public andprivate sectors, is meant to provide support to survey
the disaster-affected historic buildings, including

buildings from the private sector to conduct surveysof the damages and actual conditions of theprivate sectors cooperation was effectively carriedout through the request of cooperation madeby the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the relevantarchitectural organiza ons, such as the Architectural
Institute of Japan, the Japan Institute of Architects,
and the Japan Federation of Architects & Building
Engineers Associations, so that the members fromthese organiza ons could collaborate in conduc ng
systematic surveys to ascertain the damage at an
early stage and providing technical support for theproper es’ rehabilita on.

those undesignated as Cultural Properties, and toprovide technical advice for their rehabilitation.
The targets of the surveys are historic buildings
other than state-designated National Treasuresor Important Cultural Properties, while the areas
to be surveyed are those in Kumamoto and Oita
Prefectures where the damage was particularly
heavy and seismic intensity above a certain level wasmeasured.
The “Cultural Proper es Doctors’ Dispatch Project”
was launched following the Great East Japan
Earthquake of March 2011. Previously, damage
to the cultural properties caused by disasters wasreported by the municipality in which the property
was located to the Agency for Cultural Aﬀairs via therelated prefectural Boards of Education, focusing
mainly on na onally designated Cultural Proper es.
However, the damage caused by the Great East
Japan Earthquake was spread over such a wide
area and so severe, that it was estimated to bedifficult to rapidly ascertain at the administrative
level the overall damage to the cultural properties.
Therefore, a new scheme was launched to dispatch
to the aﬄicted areas both university researchers of

The set-up of the Project and its framework
Like the Great East Japan Earthquake, theKumamoto Earthquakes too caused major damage,and therefore the support from the private-sector
experts to conduct damage surveys and to provide
technical support was estimated to be absolutely
necessary . On April 20th, which was the sixth day
after the first earthquake, the Agency for CulturalAﬀairs arranged a mee ng with the relevant par es
from the above-mentioned groups and requested
their coopera on. A Restora on Support Commi ee
was established, composed of members from eachof these groups, and the “Kumamoto Earthquakes
Cultural Properties Doctors’ Dispatch Project ” waslaunched with the Japan Federation of Architects& Building Engineers Associations functioning
as the Secretariat (Figure 1). On May 19 th, theAgency for Cultural Affairs formulated the project’s
implementa on guidelines and on June 1st, made aconsignment agreement with the Japan Federationof Architects & Building Engineers Associa ons andthe project started.
Within the context of this “Cultural Properties
Doctors’ Dispatch Project”, special men on deserves

74the active role played by the experts (called

registered, prefecture and municipality designated“heritage managers” by the Associations) provided

and to Structures of Landscape Importance, while

and trained by the Architectural Associations infor undesignated buildings, the surveys have beeneach prefecture in historic buildings survey and in

conducted prioritizing those located in a historic

restoration techniques. Particularly in this region,

district. In the Secondary Surveys, the targets were,

the Kyushu region, the Heritage Managers fromamong the properties for which a Primary Survey

the Architectural Associations in each prefecture

was conducted, those for which the owners andhad a coopera on system to conduct trainings that

other relevant par es have requested more detailed

simulated the rescue of historic buildings at the me

survey, which were conducted including the drawing

of a large-scale disaster. Therefore, the measuresof plans necessary to provide technical support.

already prac ced in these simula on trainings could

The surveys began in Kumamoto Prefecture on Junebe directly implemented in the aftermath of these

25th, and then in Oita Prefecture on September

Kumamoto earthquakes.

12th. The surveys in fy2016 con nued intermi ently

In addition, the targets of the surveys were

un l March 2017. As a result, Primary Surveys werebuildings with historic value, regardless of whether

conducted at 1,350 sites in Kumamoto Prefecture

they were oﬃcially designated as Cultural Proper es

and 350 sites in Oita Prefecture. When combinedor not. In fact, the Architectural Institute of Japan

with the Secondary Surveys, damage surveys ofis compiling a database (called the “Historic

historic buildings during fy2016 were conductedArchitectures General Catalog Database”) of thefor around 2,300 sites in total; the report on these

historic buildings in each area, based on the various

surveys has been published.

survey reports, and had also already concluded

During the implementation of this project, inwith the Japan Federation of Architects & Building

February 2017, Kumamoto Prefecture decided toEngineers Associations and the Japan Institute ofprovide restoration support for historic buildings,

Architects an agreement for the joint use of thisincluding undesignated ones, by utilizing thedatabase, envisaging its effective utilization in the“Disaster-affected Cultural Properties and related

event of a disaster. So, a er these recent Kumamoto

Properties Rehabilitation and Restoration Fund”.

earthquakes this database has been u lized for theThis decision, i.e. making eligible for support fromfirst me.

this “Rehabilitation and Restoration Fund” therehabilita on costs of Registered Cultural Proper es
as well as of undesignated historic buildings that

Overview of the surveys
The surveys are divided into a Primary Survey

previously were not eligible for national subsidies,to acquire an overview of the damage from thewas an epochal one. The support was targeted atproperty’s external appearance, and a Secondary

the properties for which a Secondary Survey was

Survey that examines the site in more detail,conducted within the framework of the “Cultural

including the interiors.

Properties Doctors’ Dispatch Project”. Moreover,First, the “Historic Architectures General Catalog

this process has built up the sequence of steps toDatabase” was used to decide the buildings to be

be followed when the need to restore damaged

surveyed and the survey teams were then allocatedbuildings occurs: striking of the earthquake →to them. In the Primary Surveys, priority was given todamage survey and technical support from theproper es with an oﬃcial status, such as na onallydispatched experts → restoration through the75Figure 4.1.1 The project scheme.

“Restoration Fund”. From now on, it is expectedthat this sequence will be widely used as a project

4.2 The Cultural Properties Rescue
Systemscheme to support historic buildings damaged in adisaster.
In fy2017, the “Cultural Properties Doctors’

The Project to Promote the Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk Mi ga on Network

Dispatch Project” continues to be implemented as

The Cultural Proper es Rescue Project is intended

a consignment project of the Agency for Cultural

to conserve with urgency disaster-aﬀected movable

Affairs. At its center is the provision of technicalcultural properties and related properties, and toadvice to the owners, including the rehabilitation

prevent them from being disposed of, lost, or stolen.

methods and calcula on of the rehabilita on costs.

It is a rescue project that was initiated after the

It is hoped that the “Cultural Properties Doctors’

Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 1995,

Dispatch Project” will result in the rescue of as manyand it is led by the na onal government (the Agency

as possible damaged historic buildings.

for Cultural Affairs), which cooperates with various
institutions, such as museums and art galleries,

76relevant groups, experts, and other related parties,

to Promote the Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk

on a wide range of cultural proper es.

Mi ga on Network” was established with the aim of

In the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

constructing a network with the goal of preventing

aftermath too, the Agency for Cultural Affairs

damage to cultural proper es and related proper es

initiated the “Project to Rescue Cultural Properties

during mes of emergency. At the same me, withand related Properties damaged by the Greatthe support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, theEast Japan Earthquake” (known as the “Cultural“Project to Promote the Cultural Heritage Disaster

Properties Rescue Project”), and with the National

Risk Mitigation Network” was launched, composed

Institutes for Cultural Heritage serving as theof related organizations and groups, and today it

Secretariat, in the two years up to the end of fy2012,

con nues to conduct its ac vi es.

it has conducted temporary rescue and emergency
measures for many cultural properties regardlessEﬀorts following the Kumamoto Earthquakesof whether or not they are officially designated or

The rescue activities immediately after theregistered, and not only for artistic artifacts but

Kumamoto Earthquakes, which were a series ofalso for a wide range of other properties, including

earthquakes in April 2016 centered on Kumamoto

artworks, natural history–related materials, official

Prefecture and Oita Prefecture, were conducted

documents and archives, and books.

independently by the “Kumamoto Disaster HistoricalBecause of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power

Materials Rescue Network,” which was established

Plant accident, there were areas into which entry wasby staﬀ from the universi es and curators from theprohibited, including the at that me Warning Zones

museums within Kumamoto Prefecture, as wellwithin Fukushima Prefecture, and therefore manyas by organizations that included the Kumamoto

cultural properties were left as they were without

Prefectural Museum of Art, the Kumamoto

the necessary preserva on measures. Consequently,

City Museum, and the Kumamoto Prefecturewith the Na onal Ins tutes for Cultural Heritage as

Museums Network Center (a facility that supports

the main agency, “The Project to Rescue the Disaster-

museums and fine arts museums within Kumamotoaﬀected Cultural Proper es in Fukushima Prefecture”

Prefecture). For example, in the case of the(the “Fukushima Cultural Proper es Rescue Project”)

Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, on April 18th,

was implemented, and support provided within

immediately after the main-shock earthquake, theFukushima Prefecture.

staff removed from the temples within the city the

At the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage,

Buddha statues nationally designated as Importanton the basis of this experience of rescuing cultural

Cultural Proper es, and then, on April 27th, removed

properties and other such activities, it was

the works of the artist Fujita Tsuguharu that wererecognized that, henceforth, one urgent task was tobeing kept at the Elementary School A ached to thebuild a system to carry out damage prevention for

Faculty of Educa on, Kumamoto University.

cultural properties in the event of a major disaster,

Following a call from the Agency for Cultural Aﬀairs,such as the Nankai megathrust earthquakes andthe “Cultural Proper es Rescue Project” began fromearthquakes centered directly under the capital that

July of the same year, and the groups that wereare expected to occur in the future, and for rescue

already conducting activities joined this project. As

activities for cultural properties damaged in suchwith previous cultural proper es rescue projects, thedisasters. Therefore, in July 2014 the “Headquarters

sequence of steps to be followed started with the77request from an owner whose property has been

have been conducting work based on information

damaged, followed by a judgment to decide whether

from the owners of the cultural properties withrescue is necessary, and if so, the cultural property

whom they have been interacting through daily

was transported to a safe place and emergency

research and exhibi on ac vi es. Moreover, in mid-measures were conducted, such as removing moldMay, the Kumamoto Prefecture Board of Educationand dust, drying, and fumigation, and the property

asked local historians to investigate the locations

was temporarily stored un l it could be returned toof and the damage to the 3,000 cultural proper es

the owner.

that were on the list. However, it took two weeks

As far as the experts required for this work are

un l the results of this inves ga on were known andconcerned, requests were made to the museums,

the Kumamoto Prefecture reflected that, “there is a

research facili es, and other such facili es in Kyushu

sense that the administra on lagged behind.”and Yamaguchi Prefectures. In fy2016, rescues

Another reason it took so long for the “Cultural

through the “Cultural Properties Rescue Project”

Proper es Rescue Project” to start was the diﬃculty

were carried out on 28 occasions; around 14,400

in securing the facili es where to provide emergency

materials were rescued, and a total of 996 personnel

measures for the cultural properties, as well as

were dispatched. This project will continue in 2017

places to store them. Because priority was given to

and beyond.

the evacua on sites for local residents, it was diﬃcult

In prepara on for an earthquake that would striketo find storage places, which is the same problem

Kumamoto, by 1998 the Kumamoto Prefecture Board

that occurred a er the Great East Japan Earthquake.

of Education had already surveyed and compiled(Currently, the emergency measures are beinga list of municipality designated and undesignatedconducted at the Museum Network Center [in Uki

cultural proper es, with the aim of ascertaining theCity], and the properties are being stored in school

candidates to future Cultural Proper es designa on.

buildings and other buildings with spare space in

However, in addition to the extensive damage, theMashiki Town and Yatsushiro City. There is also anaftershocks occurred over a long period, so it was

exhibit of disaster-aﬀected cultural proper es at thehard to conduct activities for these properties, andMuseum Network Center.) Furthermore, because

the fact that it took three months from the me thethe dismantling of collapsed buildings throughearthquakes occurred until the rescue project got

Public Funds had not progressed, there were many

implemented is a point to reflect on. In addition,cases of newly found movable cultural properties

even though 20 years have elapsed from whenthat needed to be rescued as the dismantling work

above-men oned survey was conducted, the list was

progressed, and it has been noted that the rescue

not been updated, and there were cases where theproject has been prolonged as a result of this.

ownership of the cultural proper es was not known

Currently, a cultural properties rescue system has

due to a change of owners, as well as cases wherebeen established on the initiative of Kumamoto

cultural properties that were not on the list werePrefecture, and the proper es are being stored andrescued.

treated with a view to designate them as Cultural

Meanwhile, organizations like the “Kumamoto

Proper es or to return them to the owners.

Disaster Historical Materials Rescue Network” andThere are many decora ve kofun (mound tombs) in

the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, which

Kumamoto Prefecture, which feature stone chambers

began ac vi es immediately a er the earthquakes,

and endo passages that have been decorated

78

with colored pigment, line patterns, and otheron the historic buildings focusing on Shinmachi-

decorations. In the Kumamoto Earthquakes, many

Furumachi, they were overcome by vague thoughtsof them suﬀered damage, including falling, cracking,about the need for special activities, which would

or collapse of their stone materials. In response

diﬀer from that implemented during normal mes.

to this, the Agency for Cultural Affairs establishedAs early as the end of April, up to during thean Investigation Committee and has conducted aconsecutive holidays in May, the Japan ICOMOS

survey of site condi ons jointly with the Kumamoto

National Committee survey team conducted

Prefecture and with the coopera on of the relevant

surveys of the damaged cultural assets withinmunicipali es. Currently, a detailed academic survey

each region of Kumamoto Prefecture, releasing

is being conducted, mainly by the Nara Nationalan emergency appeal statement on May 12th. The

Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and the

KMT, in addition to taking part to the survey of

repair of these decora ve kofun is being planned.

the Shinmachi-Furumachi District, also conducted
coordinated ac vi es sharing the concept of “Saving
undesignated buildings,” which was included within

4.3 Support activities by privatesector intermediate support
organizations

the emergency appeal statement. On the basisof a resolution taken at its General Assembly inJune, the KMT rented for three months from Julyto the end of September, a townhouse café, which

The Kumamoto Machinami Trust’s ac vi es
The Kumamoto Machinami Trust (herea er, KMT)

wasn’t in use anymore because damaged, andwas founded in 1997 following the successful eﬀorts

opened a field office where core members wereto preserve the former Dai-ichi Bank building (built

permanently stationed, shifting on a daily basis. In

in 1919), which was about to be demolished. Since

this way, the KMT acquired a good reputa on among

then, the KMT has conducted activities for making

local residents not just for the specific tasks it has

known to the general public and preserve Modern

been carrying out, including the restoration of theArchitecture. Moreover, since around 10 years ago,

townhouses and consultations on group subsidies,it has conducted surveys of the machiya (tradi onal

university surveys, and the introduc on of volunteer

townhouses) in the Shinmachi-Furumachi District

groups, but also for the sense of security it provided

and has engaged in many ac vi es for the reuse andto the residents through this permanent stationing

regenera on of the townhouses.

of its members within the community. However, atththe same me the relevant par es gradually started

and 16 , 2016, the Shinmachi-Furumachi District’s

to become frustrated because the condi ons of thetownhouses and modern architectures suffereddamaged buildings had deteriorated even further

severe damage. The KMT had to face the situation

due to the impact of the typhoons six monthsof having to conduct several projects at once close

after the earthquake disaster and yet there wasthtogether with the district inhabitants. On April 20 ,still no prospect of the establishment of a specificfour days after the earthquakes, the six members

restora on fund.

Due to the two strong earthquakes of April 14thmet, with pale, anxious faces at the regular April

It was in these challenging circumstances that

mee ng, which had already been scheduled prior to

the “Liaison Committee for Owners and Others

the earthquakes. Writing down on the whiteboard

related to Disaster-affected Cultural Heritage Sites”

the damage, as far as each of them was aware of,was established. Following preparatory meetings,

79

The KMT decided it was necessary to be converted
into a corporation in order to be able to handle
private-sector funds that would enable it to respondto the emergency situation of a major earthquake
and to implement projects to regenerate thetownhouses. Therefore, preparation started at
the end of 2016 and, following a founding general
meeting in March 2017, it acquired certification on
May 23rd and became an NPO corpora on. Currently
Photo 4.3.1 A consultation meeting on the damagedbuildings and structures, May 2016(as of September 2017), with the support of theWorld Monuments Fund (WMF), it is examining how
to par cipate in the projects to regenerate individual
townhouses.
“Kumamoto Shinmachi-Furumachi Restoration
Project” ac vi es
The “Kumamoto Shinmachi-Furumachi Restora on
Project” founding core members are volunteers who
distributed boiled rice in a local elementary school

Photo 4.3.2 The KMT founding general meeting, March2017

that became an evacuation shelter following thefore-shock earthquake on April 14th. Its fundamental
approach is that “the motto of the machizukuri,

it held a founding general meeting on Novemberththe community-based town development, which is

12 and resolved to appeal to the Administration‘having pride in the castle-town’, is also essen al forfor a “Support System for Undesignated Cultural

the town restoration process,” and is continuously

Assets.” The KMT was responsible for establishingconduc ng ac vi es focused on the local community,

the above-men oned “Liaison Commi ee” and has

including independently collecting donations,

been responsible also as its administrative officeremoving debris, and distributing vinyl sheets. The

since it was established up to the present day.

members are mainly around 40 years of age, and the

One of the successes of this “Liaison Committee”

organiza on is characterized by its youthful ac vi es,

is the establishment of “Disaster-affected Cultural

including holding a Reconstruction Aid Concert by

Proper es and related Proper es Rehabilita on andLisa Ono in February 2017 at the townhouses in

Restora on Fund” as a Kumamoto Prefecture system

Furumachi. A second live performance in support

to provide financing from the Cultural Propertiesof the restora on ac vi es is planned in November

Fund. Its implementation started in March 2017,2017. But it is also working on a project to revitalize

one year after the earthquake. Nevertheless, two

the area by reusing the damaged townhouses asimportant cultural heritage sites that were badly

guesthouses.

damaged could not bear the excessive burden of
uncovered expenses and had to be dismantled,
successively, in June and July.

Other groups
The Townhouses Study Group, Kumamoto

80University, and the Prefectural University ofevidence that the rehabilitation of that group will

Kumamoto are also working on the community-

contribute to the creation of a virtuous circle in its

based urban restora on.

local economy. If the group receives certification,

The Shinmachi-Furumachi Townhouses Study Groupit moves to the second stage of the application

was established in 2007 as a group that conducts

procedure, for subsidies for individual businesses.

research on townhouses and holds events, such as

In the Kumamoto Earthquakes, the first public

tours of townhouses and flea markets. As its members

tender for applications took place from June 20th

are often also members of the above-mentioned

to August 26th, 2016. In the Shinmachi-Furumachi

Kumamoto Machinami Trust and Shinmachi-

District, three groups applied in the “commercial

Furumachi Restoration Project, its activities tend to

district” category. The process followed by one of

be shared with those of these groups.

these groups, the “Jokamachi Tachiyoridokoro”

Kumamoto University is working on town
management activities, centered on the activities(Castle-Town Drop-in Place) group, is described
below.

of the Kumamoto City Center Revitalization

Local merchants took the initiative to apply

Committee for the Sakuramachi-Tori cho District

for support to the Kumamoto Machinami Trust(downtown), which is a role it shares with the(hereafter KMT), and following the call of a KMTShinmachi-Furumachi District’s KMT. The Prefecturalmember consultant, the kick-off meeting was

University of Kumamoto is conducting fieldwork

held on July 5th at the KMT Restoration Office. The

in the Shinmachi-Furumachi District, including theapplica on documents were finalized at the seventh

publica on of an informa on magazine by students

mee ng on August 17th, and then, on August 24th aand advice from experts on architectural structures.

group of 10 companies submi ed the applica on forcer fica on. Following the review of the applica on,
on September 29th the group representa ve received

4.4 Rehabilitation Support Systemby the administration and otherentities

the certification document from the Governor of
Kumamoto Prefecture. However, this certification
recognized the group’s Restoration Project Plan
only, and included the proviso that the details ofGroup Subsidies“Group Subsidies” is a system to subsidize by

the rehabilitation and maintenance of the facilities

the state or prefectural government a maximum

and equipment of each of the businesses, as wellof three quarters of the rehabilitation costs of theas the subsidy amounts, had not been approved

facili es and equipment of small and medium-sizedyet. Therefore, subsequently the 10 businessenterprises aﬀected by earthquakes. It was createdowners each carried out the application procedure

following the Great East Japan Earthquake and has

individually, and their subsidy amounts have been

also been used for the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes.

determined, sequen ally. As of September 2017, five

It is an extremely rare example in Japan of a systemof the businesses have been no fied of the decisionof state subsidies for private properties. To avail ofthat their subsidy application has been approved.

these subsidies, it is first necessary to form some sort

One application was withdrawn, so the remainingof group, based on, for example, the same industry,

four are currently within the application procedurethe same area, or the same supply chain, and thenor the prepara on process.

grounds for the subsidies are required, such as

81

In the “Jokamachi Tachiyoridokoro” group,Figure 4.4.1 The “Group Subsidies” applica on process (from the Kumamoto Prefecture homepage).

no business establishment has completed its

There are also businesses that are applying for Grouprehabilitation works yet and therefore no businessSubsidies and conduc ng rehabilita on works while

has progressed to the subsidies stage so far. However,remaining open for business.

among the businesses within the Shinmachi-

The fourth tender for applica ons for Group Subsidies

Furumachi District, there is one that has appliedbegan on September 1st, 2017. Subsidy decisions foras part of another group (not in the “commercial

Kumamoto Prefecture as a whole have been made for

district” category) and which rehabilitation works

2,685 business establishments, and in total, subsidies

have progressed to a certain extent to be able toof 67.09 billion yen have been determined (from areopen its business in August 2017 (Photo 4.4.2).

newspaper report on September 1st).

82

Photos 4.4.2 The rehabilita on works progress (June 2017) and the reopened store (August 2017).

Subsidies for the Rehabilita on and Restora on of

the management of it is passive at the current

Cultural Proper es and related Proper es

stage. One approach that is being considered for

As explained in Sec on 4.3, the financial resources

future universal application is a scheme to rescue

for the “Subsidies for the Rehabilitation andundesignated cultural properties that will become

Reconstruction of Cultural Properties and related

Registered Cultural Proper es upon being recognized

Properties” is the Cultural Properties Fund, which

as special cases at the time of a disaster. In orderis funded by donations collected from the private

to aim for a more active management, however,sector with the aim of rehabilitating and restoring

it would be preferable to systematize this process,

Kumamoto Castle and Aso-jinja Shrine. Given

putting it within the district designation systemthat this system was designed to assign partial

for the conservation and utilization of the historic

allocations for “undesignated cultural properties,”

environment.

Donations

Sorting by donor intent

As of Feb. 15th, 2017
4.2 billion yen are
expected by the end of
2018

For Kumamoto Castle
As of January 2017

As of January 2017
“Rehabilitation and Restoration of Damaged Cultural
Properties and related Properties Prefectural Fund”

2.6 billion 50
million yen

1.7 billion 50
million yen
Otherwise
As of January 2017

900 million yen
Undesignated buildings of Aso-jinja
Shrine and others(equal etc. to the damage amount)

Figure 4.4.3 Ac vi es implemented through the “Subsidies for the Rehabilitaon and Restora on of Cultural Proper es and related Proper es”
which damaged in the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake (Kumamoto
Prefecture Cultural Aﬀairs Sec on).

83

4.5 World Monuments Fund support

importance of this initial process to save as many
disaster-affected cultural heritage structures as

World Monuments Fund support to restoration

possible is a lesson that was learned in the Great East

efforts in the aftermath of the Kumamoto Earth-

Japan Earthquake. Historic structures that sufferedquake

damage include buildings that may hold high cultural

After the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, surveys

significance but may not be designated as officialof disaster-affected cultural heritage sites were

cultural heritage sites. Understanding the feelings ofundertaken during the May holidays following the

local stakeholders and property owners is essential

seismic incident. It was found that damage to thefor determining how best to support community

structures of numerous cultural heritage sites was asrebuilding efforts and minimize imprudent

great as the damage caused by the tsunami of thedemoli on. The ques on of how to respond quickly

Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Moreover, thisand determine what is needed is still being asked

damage occurred over a wide area that necessitatedtoday, more than a year and half a er the disaster.

cooperation between public and private sectors, aswell as interna onal support. Integrated approaches

Disaster Recovery is a Core Component of WMF’sand collaboration would be essential for successful

Work

recovery and restora on eﬀorts.

A galvanizing moment in WMF’s history is its

The damage-aﬀected buildings ranged from famous

engagement in 1966 in recovery eﬀorts in response

heritage sites to lesser-known sites. For example, theto the devastating floods in Venice. The lessons ofdamage to the Kumamoto Castle and Aso-jinja Shrine

collaboration, investment in documentation andwas widely reported. The damaged main hall of theresearch, and preventive conservation measures

shrine in the mountains, however, is considered tohave informed WMF’s work. Since 1966, WMF

have been constructed in the late Edo Period and is

has supported communities all over the world in

hardly recognized by people outside of the region.

response to natural disasters from devasta on a er

Most importantly, many damaged but less known

Hurricane Katrina in the United States to flooding

monuments, which have been preserved and passedin Ayutthaya, Thailand, the earthquake in Haiti

down by local people as a familiar and unchanging

in 2010, and sadly on numerous other occasions

presence, formed the foundation of their local

including the Great East Japan Earthquake andcommunity.

the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Just as this article

Disaster recovery for cultural heritage sites ranges

is being written, forceful hurricanes have caused

from emergency rapid response measures to fullsevere damage in the Caribbean and Gulf Coast ofrestoration. Decisions about what is restored andthe United States and two earthquakes damaged

the extent of reconstruc on are driven by the levelsignificant areas in Mexico.

of protection afforded to certain sites, national
legislation about post-disaster needs, and locally-

WMF’s Restora on Support in Kumamoto

driven interests that can range from economic factors

Following the on-site field study in May, WMF

to religious concerns and issues of cultural iden ty.

visited aﬄicted sites in Kumamoto in early November

In the Kumamoto Earthquake disaster areas, these2016 with The Freeman Foundation, WMF’s

emergency rapid-response measures were required

philanthropic partner. Visits included Kumamoto

to prevent unnecessary demolitions and loss. The

Castle Town, or Shinmachi-Furumachi, to understand84

Photo 4.5.1 Mee ng at the castle town

Photo 4.5.2 Aug. 3, 2017 announcement

the priori es and conserva on needs. (Photo 4.5.1)

in March 2019. A couple of thoughts behind the

On August 3, 2017, WMF announced its partnershipprogram are:with the Kumamoto Machinami Trust (KMT) in(1) Cultural heritage with historic and social

supporting local community efforts in Kumamoto

values are at risk: About 350 historic buildings

Castle Town/ Shinmachi-Furumachi, Japan, toessential to the town’s historic streetscaperestore selected iconic structures damaged by thesustained damage in the 2016 earthquake.

Kumamoto Earthquake of April 2016. (Photos 4.5.2)

Some were demolished in the a ermath of thedisaster, leaving many of the approximately

WMF’s support, made possible by a generous grant

300 structures that remained at major risk offrom The Freeman Foundation, will assist the KMTdemolition. Conservation of the townscapein its restora on eﬀorts to restore the Historic Castle

is equally to do with the life and culture ofTownscape of Kumamoto/ Shinmachi-Furumachi.

the community and residents as it is about

The KMT iden fied five priority historic buildings forpreserving the historic buildings.

this project that are symbolic structures preserving
the characters of the castle town. The KMT will also(2) Recovering iconic cultural heritage and its

address documentation, community outreach, andhistoric context: Kumamoto Castle Town

preservation efforts in the town. The restoration

dates back over 400 years to the well-known

program supported by WMF will be completed

Kumamoto Castle’s construc on. In 1877, during

85

Photo 4.5.3 Five historic buildings including modern architecture in the report

the last civil war in Japan, most of the town’s

there are still many heritage sites at risk of

Edo Period structures were destroyed by fire.

demolition inside and outside Kumamoto, andIn the wake of the destruction, the rebuilding

the call for support needs to be accelerated andeﬀorts at the end of the 19th century led to themust reach a broader audience. It is hoped that

inclusion of traditional wooden townhouses

the partnership with the KMT will contribute tocalled machiya and new buildings, which today

eﬀorts to document heritage sites and minimize

are part of the essen al character of the castle

loss due to unnecessary demoli on.

town.
(3) An an cipated role in saving cultural proper es

Community engagement is essen al to ensure theoutside of the established framework forsustainable preserva on of cultural heritage. Today,

conservation and repair - e.g., Registeredas we witness community activities, starting with

Cultural Properties and Structures of

local stewardship, in the castle town of Shinmachi-

Landscape, as in the case of Shinmachi-

Furumachi, including public and private sectors, weFurumachi: Losing cultural heritage in disasterare certain the collabora on with the KMT and otherrecovery because of the lack of an establishedstakeholders toward this shared goal can be a beacon

framework to save them is a frequent global

for further ac on for the benefit of the community.

issue. In the case of the Kumamoto Earthquake,86

5 Past support activity andthe future prospects

Fukuoka University’s Mineo Takayama, Kumamoto
University’s Ryuichi Ito and Juko Ito, and Tokyo
City University’s Takeshi Sasaki. From the WMF,
Mitsuhiko Inagaki and two other persons, as ICOMOS

Support activities by Japan ICOMOS for the conservation of cultural properties affected by the
Kumamoto Earthquakes

member residing in Kumamoto City Kazuhiro
Fujikawa (Director of the Kumamoto Machinami
Trust), moreover four experts in cultural properties
restoration from the Japan Cultural Heritage

The field survey
The Japan ICOMOS Na onal Commi ee dispatcheda survey team to the local area on May 3rd, 4th, and5th (and part of May 6th) jointly with the Architectural
Institute of Japan and the World Monuments Fund
(WMF). After the fore-shock earthquake and themain-shock earthquake of April 14th and 16th, as
member of the Japan ICOMOS Na onal Commi ee
the writer (who is from Nishihara Village, Kumamoto
Prefecture) entered the site on the following day,contacted the ICOMOS members living in Kumamoto
and together ascertained that the historic buildings
and related sites had suﬀered major damage. In fact,
in terms of the period when the cultural proper esdamage survey team should enter the site, on the
one hand the survey should start a er people livingin the disaster area have received full-fledged life
support and have been able to catch their breath,but on the other hand if the survey starts too late, itwould not be possible to give mely and appropriate
advice to the owners of the damaged culturalproper es.
For that reason, a joint survey team was formed,
including members of Japan ICOMOS and theArchitectural Ins tute of Japan, and the field survey
was carried out. The members from Japan ICOMOS
and the Architectural Institute of Japan wereVice President Yuga Kariya, Executive Committee
members Kanefusa Masuda (ICORP), Toshikazu
Hanazato (ISCCARSAH) and Toru Ajisaka (ISC20C),
and Secretary Kazuyuki Yano, in addition, ICOMOS
members Kyushu University’s Kentaro Yamaguchi,

87

Consultancy, and one local architect also cooperated,bringing the total to 19 people.
On May 3rd, the team inspected the Eto family
home, an Important Cultural Property in Ozu Town;
the settlements of Futada District which is on the
Nishihara Village’s fault and damage was par cularly
severe, as well as the undesignated Kataoka family
home, located in the same place; the Yano family
home (Hontaku and shintaku), a Registered Tangible
Cultural Property in Kadode District; and theundesignated Hachiosha Shrine in Miyayama District.
On May 4th, the team inspected Kumamoto Castle inKumamoto City; PS Orangerie (former Daiichi Bank,
Kumamoto Branch), a Registered Tangible Cultural
Property in the Shinmachi-Furumachi neighborhood;the Suzuki family home (formerly the Nakamura
Pediatrics Hospital), which is a Landscape Important
Property of Kumamoto City; and the Honmyo-ji
temple Nio-mon Gate, a Registered Tangible Cultural
Property. On May 5th, they inspected the prefecture
designated The Janes’ Residence in Kumamoto
City and Yasemegane-bashi Bridge in Mifune Town,
Suizen-ji temple Joju-en Japanese gardens, and theMashiki Town se lement. On May 6th, they inspected
the Kumamoto University Goko Memorial Hall andother sites.
Among the inspected sites, at Kumamoto Castle
they found major damage, including the collapse ofmany dry stone walls, turrets and other buildings.
That gave the feeling that from now on, it will benecessary to conduct preserva on and repair works
to ensure the safety of the site and to plan long-termprojects addressing the difficult issue of tourism. It

private sector,” “The establishment of a system ofalso seemed necessary to establish a system for theorganic coopera on between the public and private

repair works that is different from that used up to

sectors and the promo on of rehabilita on measures

the present me.

within community-based historic town development

Preservation and repair works of nationally

policies,” “The crea on of a strategy to promote thedesignated properties are likely to be completed

registra on of undesignated structures na onwide,”even though it takes time. However, in this caseand the “Promo on of the training and cer fica on

there was widespread damage to various proper es,of groups of specialists such as heritage managers

including Registered Tangible Cultural Proper es andinvolved in the registration and preservation

important though undesignated historic proper es,of cultural properties.” This emergency appeal

and if there is not a mechanism in place to subsidize

statement was distributed when the Architectural

the repair works in the event of such disasters, it

Ins tute of Japan’s Emergency Report Mee ng was

is likely that many important historic properties

held at the Tokyo Ins tute of Technology. Moreover,will end up being dismantled and disposed of.

the team compiled and published on June 11 th

Shinmachi-Furumachi District in Kumamoto City was

The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes Japan ICOMOS

reduced to scorched earth in the Satsuma Rebellion,

National Committee Report—the Damage to thebut the subsequently restored old townscape has

Cultural ProperƟes and their RestoraƟon Prospects.

par ally survived and there are places that s ll retain

On July 30th, at Kumamoto Gakuen University, thethe atmosphere of a castle- town. Nevertheless,“Kumamoto Earthquakes Disaster-affected Historic

emergency condition examination was carried out

Buildings Preservation Forum” was held by Japanand red s ckers (indica ng that they are dangerous)

ICOMOS. The forum was attended by 180 people,

have been a ached to many of the townhouses, andincluding the owners of the historic buildings,

it can be said that their survival is in danger. In thisgovernment officials responsible for culturalsense, even though the castle would remain, theproper es and landscapes and related sites, heritage

castle-town appears to be at a cri cal point and on

managers, experts in repairs of cultural properties,

the brink of disappearing.

researchers and students from universities andother institutions, locally elected Diet members,

Publica on of the report and emergency appeal

City Council members, members of the general

On the basis of the results of the surveys, the Japan

public, and the media. At the forum, Yuga Kariya, theICOMOS field survey team submi ed the Kumamoto

Japan ICOMOS Commi ee Vice President, provided

Earthquakes Disaster Emergency Report (in English)

an overview of the disaster, after which Councilor

to the ICOMOS headquarters, and information has

Hiromichi Murakami of the Hyogo Prefecturethbeen disseminated globally. On May 12 , “TheBoard of Education gave a lecture titled “From theemergency appeal for the conservation of cultural

Experience of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,”properties and other structures damaged in theand then a presenta on was given on the support for

Kumamoto Earthquakes” (in Japanese and English)

historic buildings, including undesignated ones. Thiswas compiled and sent to the relevant organiza ons.

was followed by a presenta on of Kazuhiro Fujikawa,

The content of the emergency appeal included “TheKumamoto Machinami Trust Director, on the local

establishment of a Cultural Heritage Restoration

actions taken in Shinmachi-Furumachi District afterFund, which would include dona ons also from thethe earthquakes, after which Professor Juko Ito of88

Kumamoto University introduced the content of the

On entering 2017, the dismantling works

proposal made at the “Interim Report Meeting” ofthrough Public Funds began, and the situation in

the Cultural Proper es Doctors.

which the old dwellings that were damaged andhad become vacant are going to disappear was

The support movement

imminent. Therefore, in February 2017, “A request

In July, “The Commi ee to Support the Restora on

for emergency support for disaster-aﬀected culturalof Kumamoto Castle, Aso-jinja Shrine, and Other

properties” was submitted, among others, toDisaster-aﬀected Cultural Proper es” was launched

Diet members elected from the Kumamoto areaand began fund raising to support the disaster-

requesting their cooperation for the “Support for

affected cultural properties. This movement

the rehabilitation of cultural properties from theled to the calls by Japan ICOMOS to Kumamoto

Restora on Fund” as well as for the “Establishment

Prefecture, Kumamoto City, and the other relevantof a legislation enabling support for damaged

local governments for the preservation of their

Registered Cultural Proper es and other proper es

undesignated historic buildings. Meanwhile,

in major disaster-designated areas.”

supported by the Agency for Cultural Aﬀairs, Cultural

On February 9th, 2017, Alex Kerr, a researcher in

Properties Doctors have been conducting primary

Oriental culture and a member of ICOMOS, wasndsurveys and their Report Mee ng on September 22

invited to Kumamoto, and a gathering was held,at Kumamoto University was a ended by Professor

jointly hosted by the Japan ICOMOS National

Osamu Goto of Kogakuin University and others.

Committee and the Liaison Committee for Owners

The secondary surveys have been under way sinceand Others related to Disaster-affected Cultural

October. The “2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes Disaster-

Heritage Sites. It was attended by 70 people,

affected Cultural Properties and Related Properties

including the proper es owners, individuals from the

Restoration Fund” was established by Kumamoto

government and universi es, and experts in cultural

Prefecture and possible support mechanisms started

properties. Mr. Kerr delivered a lecture on caseto be examined.

studies of reuse of historic buildings and preserva onndrd

On November 2 and 3 , executives from theof historic landscapes. A er the lecture, there was an

WMF and the Freeman Founda on visited Nishihara

ac ve exchange of opinions on the diﬃcult situa ons

Village, Mashiki Town, and Shinmachi-Furumachi

the owners are facing and prospects for the future.

District in Kumamoto City, and both groups started
looking at the possibili es for support.

On February 15 th, the Kumamoto Prefecture
Cultural Affairs Section announced that it would

In November, the “Liaison Commi ee for Owners

u lize the “Disaster-aﬀected Cultural Proper es andand Others related to Disaster-affected Cultural

related Properties Rehabilitation and Restoration

Heritage Sites” was formed by, among others,

Fund” to subsidize up to two thirds of the costs

the owners of the damaged cultural buildings

for private-owned undesignated townhouses andin Kumamoto City, and it was decided to makesamurai residences and related structures (Registeredrequests to the Administration. Concerning the

Cultural Proper es or those for which there is alreadyhistoric buildings that Japan ICOMOS thought should

consent to become Registered Cultural Proper es) ,be preserved, it has been providing advice andas well as a maximum of 50% for those recognized ascoordina on with the relevant oﬃces to the owners

having value as historic buildings. At the same me,

and other concerned par es.

with the support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs,

89the Cultural Properties Doctors conducted thethrough the “Group Subsidies System” administrated

primary surveys, and their Interim Report Mee ng,

by the Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, butndheld on September 22 at Kumamoto University,

regarding the cultural proper es, also the “Disaster-

was a ended by Professor Osamu Goto of Kogakuin

affected Cultural Properties and related Properties

University and others. The secondary surveys began

Rehabilitation and Restoration Fund” has finallyin October, but it seems that it will take some me

begun opera ng oﬃcially. It has been decided that,for all of the disaster-aﬀected historic buildings to beconcerning the design supervision of the Registeredcovered.

Tangible Cultural Properties, when combining the

The Cultural Properties Restoration Fund aims atstate and prefectural funds, 90%; in the case of

suppor ng 150 cultural proper es, but at this point,

Registered Cultural Properties or those for which

it is still unclear to what extent the support will

there is already consent to become Registeredspread to buildings other than Kumamoto Castle andCultural Proper es, two thirds; for those proper es

Aso-jinja Shrine.

recognized as having value as historic buildings, one
half, support will be provided for the work expenses.

On November 2ndrdand 3 , the WMF and theIn addi on, for the shrine buildings in each village, up

Freeman Foundation inspected various sites,

to a maximum of one half of 20 million yen support

including Kumamoto Prefecture’s Nishihara Village,

will be provided from the Restoration Fund as

Mashiki Town, and Kumamoto City’s Shinmachi-

community facili es.

Furumachi District, searching for possible ways tosupport the townhouses and other properties. In

While it can be said that a measure of success wasaddi on, the Interna onal Interior Design Associa on

achieved through the requests from organizations(IIDA) JAPAN donated funds raised from a charity

such as Japan ICOMOS, the Architectural Instituteconcert to the ac vi es of Japan ICOMOS to supportof Japan, and the Japan Federation of Architects &the cultural heritage damaged in the Kumamoto

Building Engineers Associa ons, s ll there are cases

Earthquakes.

where rehabilita on costs are more than 50 million
yen and the financial burden placed on the individual

The start of the restora on of cultural proper es

owner reaches up to tens of millions of yen.

In 2017, one year a er the Kumamoto Earthquakes,

Therefore, in such cases, there are owners who feelthere is the feeling that the situation locally has

they have no choice but to dismantle their building

returned to somewhat normal, however the full-

through Public Funds. In fact, within the context of an

fledged rehabilita on and restora on work will takeaging popula on, having to pay upward of 10 million

place from now on.

yen is inevitably a harsh reality for many owners.

The restoration works for the cultural properties

At the end of May in Kumamoto City, “Morimoto

damaged in the Kumamoto Earthquakes began at

picture framing materials store”, which was said tona onally designated Important Cultural Proper es,

be the machiya townhouse which most retained thesuch as the Eto Family Residence and the Aso-jinja

original building type features unchanged, and “theShrine, or Special Historic Sites such as Kumamoto

Suzuki Residence,” a Western-style building, wereCastle. Besides such designated properties, thedismantled with Public Funds. It can be said that therestoration of Registered Cultural Properties andrace against time to try to preserve such buildings

undesignated cultural properties started quickly

has started.

90

Table 5.1 The financial resources for the system to subsidize the recovery of damaged cultural proper es (private owners)*2 Currently, municipality subsidies can also be seen in a system of “No subsidies” and “Subsidy rate of less than 50%” bymunicipali es, so together with promo ng the conversion to a system with a subsidy rate of 50% or more, the plan is
to subsidize from the reconstruc on fund, which is separate from the amount that corresponds to the actual burden
for the municipali es that is not covered by the special alloca on tax (municipal subsidies of 20%).
*3 In cases where consent has been obtained from the owners for the property to become a registered tangible culturalproperty
In (1) to (4), in the event that the municipali es have their own system of subsidies for owners, the burden borne by theowners, excluding this subsidy amount, will be reduced from the fund.
Created on the basis of materials from the Kumamoto Prefecture 3rd Commi ee to Allocate Funds for
the Restora on of Damaged Cultural Proper es (August 31, 2017).

91

This is true also for the restora on of shrines anddevelopment activities in Kumamoto City, hasother such buildings, such as Nishihara Village’s

become an NPO corporation, and from now on“Hachiosha Shrine,” which requires 50 million yen forwill provide support for disaster-affected cultural

its restora on; it was necessary to consider that theproper es. Its Chief Director, Juko Ito, and its Director,

support of 10 million yen from the Restora on Fund

Kazuhiro Fujikawa, are both ICOMOS members and it

might not be that useful to the shrine parishioners.

is providing painstaking support for the preserva on

Therefore, if the designation of the shrine as aof historic buildings that must be preserved at thevillage designated Cultural Property in order topresent time, with the goal of achieving national

obtain a different type of support would not bedesigna ons in the future, or to preserve the historic

considered, then there would have been no choiceurbanscape, or for sightseeing.

but to dismantle the shrine that features excellent

It is plausible to think that while owners temporarily

Edo Period designs. For this reason, with the cultural

take on the burden of preservation costs, as they

property designa on as a condi on, it was possiblegrow old, they choose the option of dismantlingto obtain two thirds of the funding from the “2016through Public Funds because they do not want

Kumamoto Earthquakes Disaster-affected Cultural

to put this burden on the next generation. Going

Properties and other Properties Rehabilitation andforward, it will be necessary to conduct activities

Restora on Fund.”to prevent such dismantling by actively aiming for

What is felt to be important in the current

a preservation with a wider vision to reuse thesupport for the restoration of cultural properties

buildings in various ways, such as for accommoda onis the significant role to be played by the private-facili es and restaurants.

sector platform as an intermediate support

On August 3rd, Kumamoto City WMF decided on

structure between the Administration and theits Kumamoto Earthquake Support, and the letter

owners. Volunteer-based groups are needed that

notifying this was sent from WMF Japan Officewould cooperate with the Administration and

Representa ve Inagaki to Juko Ito, the Chief Director

provide various forms of advice to the owners. Theof the “Kumamoto Machinami Trust,” the NPO“Kumamoto Machinami Trust”, which for many

corpora on that will be the recipient of this support.

years has conducted community-centred town

In addition, the Nippon Foundation decided tofund the activities of Japan ICOMOS to support
the restoration of cultural properties damaged in
the Kumamoto Earthquakes (8.15 million yen) andvarious activities are planned, including technicalsupport for repairs with a high degree of technicaldifficulty, cooperation to register and designate
unregistered and undesignated properties,
coopera on for local government designated culturalproperties, holding of symposia, cooperation for
the Kumamoto City planning of a community-based
historic city development, and the publication

Photo 5.2 The Morimoto Store before the disasterof an English-language report on the Kumamoto
Earthquakes (scheduled to be distributed at the92

December ICOMOS General mee ng).

Prospects for the futureth

On September 24 , a symposium hosted by Japan

Going forward, there is the need to build a system

ICOMOS and co-hosted by Kumamoto City, with(including creating funds and building an organic,

the support of the Agency for Cultural Affairs andcollabora ve system between the public and private

the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport andsectors) that could work in times of emergency

Tourism and others, tled “A community-based townsuch as a disasters to rescue those historic buildings

development valuing history—the rehabilitationthat can be preserved. In addition, it is expected

after the Kumamoto Earthquakes” was held, andthat conducting long-term restoration support

it was decided to proceed with the support for thehelps to maintain the dignity of urban and regional

rehabilita on and restora on of the disaster-aﬀectedareas and leads to regional revitalization throughcultural properties within the “Maintenance andcultural tourism. In the case of the recent Kumamoto

Improvement of Historic Scenery Act”, which is a

Earthquakes, it would seem necessary to act taking

joint legislation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs;

this as an opportunity to prac ce Build Back Be er

the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and(BBB) based on history and culture.

Tourism; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry andCollaborations are planned between the Agency

Fisheries. The a endees of this symposium included

for Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Land,

University of Tokyo Professor Yukio Nishimura

Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; to be further(Japan ICOMOS President), Professor Osamu Goto

joined by Kumamoto City; Kumamoto Prefecture;of Kogakuin University (ICOMOS member), andeach municipality; and also the Japan Federa on ofProfessor Toshiaki Funabiki of Miyagi University

Architects & Building Engineers Associa ons, which(ICOMOS member), while a lecture was given by

is responsible for the “Cultural Properties Doctors’

the Mayor of Kumamoto City Kazufumi Onishi, andDispatch Project”; the Architectural Institute of

Kazuyuki Yano (Japan ICOMOS Secretary) served as

Japan; and other organiza ons.

the moderator.

Photos 5.3 Symposium

93

94

95

二