Kumamoto: Castle Town Loves Its Past with Eye on the Future

"Journeys in Japan"

A majestic symbol of power.

Lifting the spirits of the people.

It lends a reassuring sense of continuity.

This castle has fallen, but always rises again.

A guardian of culture through time.

On "Journeys in Japan," we trace Kumamoto Castle's legacy.

Kumamoto lies in the heart of Kyushu,

some 900 kilometers from Tokyo.

Architect James Lambiasi is visiting the city.

It's one of Kyushu's largest with a population of nearly 750,000.

When traveling in Japan, a type of building you are likely to encounter is the castle.

Visiting a Japanese castle helps us to realize

that the fantastic stories of sword-wielding samurai really did exist

and are not just from the movies.

Today, I am in Kumamoto,

a city which boasts a magnificent castle

known as one of the three most famous in Japan.

I am looking forward to exploring Kumamoto Castle during this journey

and I invite you to please join me.

The castle towers over a sprawling compound.

Its construction started in 1601,

taking about seven years to complete.

So the road to the Tenshu actually goes below this building.

Now, I am under here. It's so dark now.

The dim passageway runs beneath the palace: quarters of the lord.

You can see how the magnificently huge beams are used

to bridge the gap between these two stone foundations.

This clever design allowed the preeminent resident

to make a hasty entrance or secret exit as needed.

The castle consists of two towers.

The main has six-stories, the second four.

Behold this magnificent castle!

Excuse me, who are you?

Kato Kiyomasa. I am the founder of Kumamoto Castle.

The famous 16th-century lord Kato Kiyomasa

was also a brilliant, innovative castle architect.

The "ishigaki" stone wall is fascinating. It curves, and then becomes sheer.

Yes. To prevent enemies from scaling it.

It's called "musha gaeshi," or warrior defense. I invented this structure from my experience in battle.

It's also called "seisho ryu."

The "masugata" is an enclosure with stonewalls,

and a gate at an angle that prevents direct entry.

Defenders can easily attack invaders with guns or arrows.

Iron spikes prevented the enemies from scaling walls.

I am proud of my perfect defense system.

Lord Kato Kiyomasa,

have you forgotten me?

The Hosokawa clan replaced the Kato clan,

ruling Kumamoto for about 240 years

until the final days of the Tokugawa shogunate.

What was Hosokawa's legacy in Kumamoto?

Hosokawa was extraordinary.

I cultivated things that enrich the spirit.

(Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art)

This 19th century armor belonged to the Hosokawa clan.

Well, I understand this is a helmet.

It really is a beautifully crafted piece of art.

This helmet is very fashionable, light and easy to wear.

This design reflects Hosokawa Tadaoki's experience as a lord and his artistic sensibility.

This kimono is gorgeous.

It belonged to the wife of the 14th Hosokawa head.

Though old, the design has a modern graphic feel.

Its geometric motifs are distinctive.

There is a repetition of patterns. But rendered in embroidery, dye, and different colors, they are never dull.

These are Noh masks, right?

Yes.

The Noh dance-drama was a very important entertainment form for the samurai class.

The Hosokawa clan, in particular, highly appreciated it.

Not just in terms of viewing, as they also performed it themselves.

Over 12 generations, the Hosokawa clan supported the arts.

Thanks to the art-loving Hosokawa clan, significant works of art accumulated in Kumamoto.

They had a huge influence on the city's art and culture.

There was another art form that the Hosokawa clan appreciated.

In 1640, they invited a legendary figure to Kumamoto.

Sword-master Miyamoto Musashi,

who triumphed with over 60 duels in his lifetime.

He was enlisted to teach his technique to the city's warriors.

The dual-sword Niten Ichi Ryu.

With a large sword in the right hand and a companion in the left,

the technique is perfect for both defense and offense.

Eighteenth generation Matsunaga Akinori and his father

are safeguarding the Niten Ichi Ryu tradition.

Musashi passionately fought duels to elevate his strategies and techniques.

He was fearless, relentless, calm

and pretty much invincible.

He was also a bit of a philosopher

who wrote "The Five Rings" and "Art of Solitude."

After five years in Kumamoto, Musashi passed away.

In his will, he recorded his intent to continue protecting the Hosokawa clan.

He was buried here in his full set of armor.

I'm getting hungry.

Could you recommend a local specialty?

I would suggest... Tadaoki?

Of course! But I don't want others to know about it.

Come closer.

Hello.

Hello. I heard you would be coming.

Karashi renkon, a local specialty.

How do you make it?

Well basically, boil the lotus root. Then, fill it with mustard-miso.

This batter is flour and broad bean. The color, from turmeric.

It was created as a healthy dish for Lord Hosokawa.

A theory has it that Kato Kiyomasa cultivated lotus root in his moat

as an emergency food.

But the Hosokawa's perfected them into cuisine.

Here you are. Our karashi renkon.

This is sake from Kumamoto.

Oh, wow.

The lotus root has a wonderful, crunchy texture.

But then the hot mustard has a real zing to it.

It really comes through the nose.

Flavors together is really, really nice.

Oh, then of course, it goes really well with this sake from Kumamoto.

They go really nicely together.

Oh, we can see our faces. The well is not dry.

There used to be 120 wells on the castle grounds for emergencies.

This is also Kiyomasa's engineering.

Enough of all that. Why don't you take James to that special place?

Excellent idea.

The Hosokawa clan commissioned this formal garden,

not far from their castle.

This building, once an emperor's study, was relocated here from Kyoto.

We are looking out on Jojuen.

It is so beautiful. The clear water is stunning.

I wanted to mention it earlier, but Kiyomasa is modest.

This pristine water is his achievement.

Lake Ezu, near Jojuen.

It's fed by spring water.

So, what is the connection to Kato Kiyomasa?

About 14 kilometers from the castle...

Hello.

About 400 years ago, Kato Kiyomasa built this canal from the river to irrigate fields.

It is called a Hanaguri Ide.

Don't the dividers hinder waterflow?

The water contains sediment and ash, which tend to settle at the bottom.

But, the structure washes them downstream.

The flowing water hits the dividers with increasing force, creating a whirlpool effect.

And this prevents earth and volcanic ash from accumulating at the bottom.

The Hanaguri Ide, engineered by Kato Kiyomasa, still contributes to Kumamoto's groundwater supply.

This is a rice field after harvest.

Volcanic deposits here extend about 100 meters deep. The layer easily absorbs water.

In this area, water is absorbed about ten times as fast as in other places.

The natural groundwater flows under Kumamoto city,

providing residents with abundant water supplies

and mineral-rich drinking water.

However, underground water output has been decreasing.

This may be due to urbanization.

The land is increasingly paved over with concrete or asphalt, preventing water absorption.

To increase water supplies, our groundwater association, in cooperation with rice farmers, fills the fields with water after harvest in winter.

This project ensures water is absorbed underground all year round.

I'm proud of Kumamoto's excellent water. So, I am happy to help out.

If you store water in the rice fields in winter, it nourishes the soil and produces great rice.

Excellent. Thanks to Kiyomasa.

An unparalleled view, is it not?

I can see repair work here and there.

It is due to the earthquake. It was massive.

It was truly overwhelming.

In April 2016,

a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Kumamoto.

Almost all of the castle structures were damaged.

While the main tower reopened after five years,

repairs are ongoing in other sections.

Visitors are not allowed to enter here due to the ongoing repair work.

Oh, that is very dangerous.

You're right, since the stone wall is not yet restored.

First, we need to dismantle the building and then repair the stone wall.

And finally, we will reassemble the building.

What is he working on?

We are reassembling the walls with the original stones in the original position.

However, when necessary, we carve new stones in the original shape.

So, where would this stone material go?

The Iidamaru turret's walls consist of about 4,000 stones.

We are making 140 new ones for it. This one will be locked into the positions in red.

How long will it take to complete the walls?

We need to repair about 30 percent of the stone walls, meaning some 100,000 stones.

It will take 20 years.

It may take longer.

This building is the Uto Yagura, an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

It looks alright at a glance, but if you look closer, it is tilted.

Inside, the floors, beams, and walls are severely damaged.

First, the Uto Yagura will be dismantled.

Its original materials will be carefully salvaged

to be used again to reassemble and restore the building to its former glory.

Why are you doing such faithful restoration work?

Because Kumamoto Castle is a symbol of the people of Kumamoto.

It has provided them comfort and support for generations.

Our mission is to restore this historic castle. We will continue to work with great care.

People in the city vividly remember the day of the earthquake.

Hello.

Atsuga Shinhachiro is a 10th generation craftsman of a local doll

with a history of 250 years.

This doll is called Obake no Kinta or Kinta the Ghost.

It's a mechanical doll. It has an amusing face.

When Kumamoto Castle was being built by Kato Kiyomasa, there was a foot soldier named Kinta.

As the construction work was arduous, Kinta would clown around and entertain the others.

The doll was made to resemble Kinta.

Kinta helped people relax with laughter.

Today we'd call him a comedian.

My house was near the castle. So, when I was little, I would play there all the time.

I would run in and all around it. I played there a lot.

After the earthquake, what was the castle like?

It was really a massive earthquake. I felt like my house was jumping in the air.

The next day, I got up and looked out at the castle.

The roof tiles had toppled off.

It was really sad to see. I was shocked. I almost cried.

If Kinta had been there, what would he have thought?

He would have been so shocked.

If he had seen the damage, he would have been so sad, like us.

Hello.

Do you often draw the castle?

Yes, I do.

When I was in high school, I would see Kumamoto Castle on my way to school.

For me, it has a huge presence. I am very attached it.

Nakamura Hina is a high school art teacher.

She stores some of her work at her old university.

Here we are.

This is the studio where I studied Japanese-style painting.

When the earthquake hit, Nakamura was still an art student.

I completed this piece before the earthquake.

I really find striking, this use of color, showing this happy town scene.

The color is not only in the train, but in the street, and...

it's even showing a colorful Kumamoto Castle in the background.

I painted what I saw shortly after the earthquake.

Not only the castle, but our everyday lives were also impacted.

So here is an image of Kumamoto Castle being repaired right after the earthquake.

I'm really struck by this piece of blue sky symbolizing hope for the future.

This is my graduation work.

By portraying the castle as a symbol of reconstruction, I captured the mood at that time to pass on to future generations.

My own impression of this scene is that there's much work to be done

and reconstruction is going to take a very long time.

Will you keep pursuing the castle as your subject?

I think so.

It will take decades to restore the castle to its former glory, but I hope to record the reconstruction process through my work.

Lord Hosokawa, it seems our Kumamoto Castle is still treasured by all.

It is a wondrous thing.

James, please visit Kumamoto Castle again.

Yes, of course!

A castle is more than a building.

It represents the history of a community of people where art and culture have flourished,

as was the case with Kumamoto Castle.

Today, it serves as not just a cultural asset that conveys history.

Kumamoto Castle remains as a source of identity and pride for the people of the city.

Castles have existed for hundreds of years

and have provided a reassuring sense of continuity.

Kumamoto Castle has responded in the same way,

overcoming hardships together with its people.

Like a time machine, castles allow traditions and hope for the future

to be passed on from one generation to the next.

These are the lessons that I learned during my journey to Kumamoto.

I look forward to my next journey in the future.

And as always, I hope you can join me again.

From Tokyo to Kumamoto, fly from Haneda to Kumamoto Airport.

It takes just under two hours.