A bit of good news regarding Janes Mansion, which was leveled in the quakes. First, some background.
Leroy Lansing Janes was a pioneering educator of western-style knowledge hired by the Hosokawa clan in 1871 to head what was called Kumamoto Yōgakkō (Kumamoto School of Western Studies). He was also a missionary, but consequences ranging from banishment to death sufficed for him to hug his Christ cards very closely to his chest during his time here. The original location of the school and his house were in the area now occupied by Daiichi High School (somewhat in the castle grounds, and a place I very highly recommend for a stroll, particularly during this season, when the camellias are blossoming).
Two problems existed with the location, however: It occupied valuable military space, and it housed a westerner, so in 1876, reactionary elements forced Kumamoto Yōgakkō to close, and Janes, together with several his students, fled to Kyoto, where they joined Dōshisha. Janes returned to the United States in 1878. Timing couldn’t have been better for that burst of xenophobia, though, as most of the area was destroyed during 1877’s Seinan War. (The Mansion miraculously survived.)
Bonus kanji time! Emperor Kōkaku (光格天皇 Kōkaku-tennō, 1771-1840, reigned 1780-1817; he retired so as “to spend more time with my family [the shogun wants to kill me!]”) had a son with a name so magnificent (Arisugawa no Miya Takahitoshin Noh , 有栖川宮幟仁親王) that he in turn felt compelled to name his son Arisugawa no Miya Taruhitoshin Noh (有栖川宮 熾仁親王 - remember, the kanji “noh” or “oh” 「王」meant “king” but was also reserved for close members of the male imperial line who could be drafted in the case of an emperor shortage), and it was this grandson of the now-late Emperor Kōkaku who took up residency in Janes Mansion after its eponymous inhabitant had fled to “manage” things. The predecessor of the Japan Red Cross was also founded in the Mansion during this time to care for the many injured from the war.
But then it was the mansion itself that was forced to wander, as the map included in the attached Kumanichi article shows. It first was moved to where the Central Kumamoto Police Station now is (reminder: never argue with the police), then to where Melupark (a post office hotel/event hall; reminder: never argue with your postman) now is, and finally in 1970 to a secluded spot behind Suizenji Park (you can argue with monks), where it remained until it completely fell down during the quakes.
So it is now a pile of rubble, but rubble with a history. There is a large open park space fronting the trolley street in a far more prominent location just down the lane from where the rubble now sits, and the City Government, thinking this would be ideal for its fourth location, have set a goal of 2021 for reconstruction. Others would like to see it returned to its original location, but lack of public access to the area is a major deterrent. Wherever it eventually ends up, it will be wonderful to see the rise of Janes Mansion once again. - William