Many will remember Iidamaru Turret, that which the quakes left leaning precariously on a single column of corner stones - it was dubbed the “single-column turret” - while engineers frantically sought a solution before aftershocks or the advent of rainy season brought down the whole structure. They finally settled on an immense cantilever, which did the job. Bravo for these engineers’ ingenuity.
The turret itself has been carefully dismantled and stored away, and Kumanichi reports that work to dismantle wall remnants for restoration, including that famous column, began today and is expected to conclude in March, with rock by rock to be carefully winched down to safety.
Also included below are photographs nabbed from the Net for a short trip down Iidamaru’s memory road. - William