Rebuilding Kumamoto Castle’s walls has been a marvel of innovation, technology, competence, and efficiency. After the quakes, all available photos from ancient to recent were scanned into a purpose-built program which identified the precise location of each stone based on shape. Each was then identified, numbered, and laid out so that it could be replaced.
Kumanichi reports that this process has been completed both for the Iidamaru Turret (that famous for dangling precariously on one leg of cornerstones) and the Main Keep, the latter of which involved 790 stones. The Lesser Keep, with 2,400 stones aloose, was reconstructed by last July. Work now continues on interior and exterior fixtures, but the scaffolding has been removed.
In these dark days, it is nice to see someone doing things right. - William
