On October 5, a ceremony in the castle’s expansive grounds commemorated its partial reopening to the public, though the full restoration work is expected to take many years.

Completed in 1607, the castle complex covers a wide area and features dozens of buildings, gates and turrets around its main keep, in a design ordered by Kato, a seasoned samurai commander.

Kumamoto Castle was built in 1607 by Katō Kiyomasa, lord of the Kumamoto domain, and later taken over by the Hosokawa clan. It has been renovated and reconstructed many times over the centuries ...

Kumamoto has seen its fair share of drama over the centuries – but perhaps most famously, it was the site of the final battle between 20,000 samurai and the ruling Meiji government.

KUMAMOTO--Left devastated and in ruins by a spate of strong earthquakes seven years ago, iconic Kumamoto Castle is rising from the ashes. The temblors caused serious damage to the structures that ...

KUMAMOTO -- The "symbols of Kumamoto Castle," two statues, finally returned to their rightful places atop the towers of the castle here on April 28. 【Related】Photo Journal: Symbolic statues ...

KUMAMOTO -- Financial aid is pouring in from around Japan to pay for repairs to quake-damaged Kumamoto Castle, a landmark counted among three of the f ...

KUMAMOTO--The interior of Kumamoto Castle's main tower reopened to the public on June 28 following the completion of repairs from the 2016 earthquakes here that knocked off roof tiles and ...