The current walls of Kumamoto Castle date back to the early 1600s, about the same time Harvard University was founded (priorities!). But the buttresses expanded on earlier constructions. The history of the castle dates back to 1467, when Ideta Hidenobu first erected fortifications on a hill surrounded by rice paddy. These fortifications were further developed in 1496 by Kanokogi Chikakazu. In 1588, Kiyomasa Katou was transferred to what was then the northern half of Higo and set about building the castle as we know it today.
Kumanichi reports that, during reconstruction of the Iidamaru Turret walls, material from Kiyomasa’s earliest works has been identified, dating to 1599, consisting of cobblestone and clay. How the castle appeared in those days is interesting to imagine. The material will be reused in reconstruction of the turret, where 300 of 2,377 stones have been restored. - William
