Kumamoto Castle | |
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熊本城 | |
Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan | |
Type | Azuchi-Momoyama castle |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Ideta clan (1469–1496) Kanokogi clan (1496–1550) Jou clan (1550–1587) Sassa clan (1587–1588) Kato clan (1588–1632) Hosokawa clan (1632–1871) Japan (1871–present) |
Condition | Restored in 1960 and 1998–2008.[1] Currently under repair following damage caused by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes. |
Site history | |
Built | |
Built by |
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In use | 1467–1874 [1]-1945(as military base) |
Materials | Wood, stone, plaster, tile |
Demolished | 1877 (Satsuma Rebellion)[1] |
Kumamoto Castle (熊本城, Kumamoto-jō) is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture.[1] It was a large and well-fortified castle. The castle keep (天守閣, tenshukaku) is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960,[1] but a number of ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. Kumamoto Castle is considered one of the three premier castles in Japan, along with Himeji Castle and Matsumoto Castle.[2] Thirteen structures in the castle complex are designated Important Cultural Property.[1]