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Kumamoto castle is located in Kumamoto city in modern day Kumamoto Prefecture (formerly [[Higo province]]) and was built sometime between [[1601]] and [[1607]] (although there is speculation that construction began before [[1600]]) under the direction of [[Kato Kiyomasa]]. Prior to Kiyomasa, the site had been home to a rudimentary structure since the middle of the 16th century and had been given to [[Sassa Narimasa]] in [[1587]]. Before that, it had been the headquarters of families such as the [[Izuta clan|Izuta]], [[Kanokogi clan|Kanokogi]], and [[Jo clan|Jo]].   

Kumamoto castle is located in Kumamoto city in modern day Kumamoto Prefecture (formerly [[Higo province]]) and was built sometime between [[1601]] and [[1607]] (although there is speculation that construction began before [[1600]]) under the direction of [[Kato Kiyomasa]]. Prior to Kiyomasa, the site had been home to a rudimentary structure since the middle of the 16th century and had been given to [[Sassa Narimasa]] in [[1587]]. Before that, it had been the headquarters of families such as the [[Izuta clan|Izuta]], [[Kanokogi clan|Kanokogi]], and [[Jo clan|Jo]].   

Kato remembered well the lessons he had learned while defending fortresses against the Chinese and Koreans during the Korean Invasion of the 1590’s. In particular, he placed an emphasis on the castle having a self-sustaining food supply by planting fruit and nut trees on the premises and filling tatami mats with these foodstuffs. The castle stretched about a mile east to west and 2 ¼ miles north to south. The outer moat had a circumference of 5 ½ miles. It boasted 49 turrets and 47 gates in its original form. The tenshu was five outside stories (with six inner floors) tall with three eaves and a basement. A smaller secondary tenshu had four outside stories (five inner floors) and two eaves. Both were plastered with mud, covered with wood, and painted black. The large Udo Yagura, which was considered a third tenshu, has five stories, a basement, and three eaves. The main part of the castle was built on Chausu-yama slightly inland form the Ariake Sea. The [[honmaru]] was divided into many compounds such as the Higashinomaru (East Compound), Takenomaru (Bamboo Compound), Iida Maru (named after Kato’s vassal iida Kakubei), and Sukiya Maru (Teahouse Compound). This complex was entered from the Nishide Maru (West Compound) which in turn led to the [[ninomaru]] and [[sannomaru]]. The [[ishigaki]] at Kumamoto are some of the most impressive in Japan, featuring ‘open fan’ highly curved corners.

Kato remembered well the lessons he had learned while defending fortresses against the Chinese and Koreans during the [[Korean Invasions]] of the 1590’s. In particular, he placed an emphasis on the castle having a self-sustaining food supply by planting fruit and nut trees on the premises and filling tatami mats with these foodstuffs. The castle stretched about a mile east to west and 2 ¼ miles north to south. The outer moat had a circumference of 5 ½ miles. It boasted 49 turrets and 47 gates in its original form. The tenshu was five outside stories (with six inner floors) tall with three eaves and a basement. A smaller secondary tenshu had four outside stories (five inner floors) and two eaves. Both were plastered with mud, covered with wood, and painted black. The large Udo Yagura, which was considered a third tenshu, has five stories, a basement, and three eaves. The main part of the castle was built on Chausu-yama slightly inland form the Ariake Sea. The [[honmaru]] was divided into many compounds such as the Higashinomaru (East Compound), Takenomaru (Bamboo Compound), Iida Maru (named after Kato’s vassal iida Kakubei), and Sukiya Maru (Teahouse Compound). This complex was entered from the Nishide Maru (West Compound) which in turn led to the [[ninomaru]] and [[sannomaru]]. The [[ishigaki]] at Kumamoto are some of the most impressive in Japan, featuring ‘open fan’ highly curved corners.

The Kato were ousted from Kumamoto by the [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]] Shogunate in [[1632]] when Kiyomasa’s son Tadahiro fell into disfavor and was exiled to northern Honshu. The castle was given to [[Hosokawa Tadaoki]], who passed it on to his son Tadatoshi. The Hosokawa remained in charge of the castle through the [[Meiji Restoration]]. The structure was then spared from destruction as the new government planned to use it as an army camp. The castle was put to the test during the [[Satsuma Rebellion]] in [[1877]]. [[Saigo Takamori]], who had resigned his position as commander of the Imperial Guard in [[Tokyo]] in [[1873]] when his plan to invade Korea was rejected by the Emperor, led a group of discontented former samurai who now found themselves on the outside looking in. Saigo had difficulty in controlling his followers, and to appease them agreed to lead them to Tokyo once again to restate their demands. He was declared a rebel on February 20, 1877 and his march to Tokyo found itself stopped cold when he and his 15,000 man army attempted to oust the Imperial garrison in Kumamoto castle on February 22. For 52 days Saigo’s army laid siege to the castle. While they were able to destroy many of the castle’s buildings (such as the two main tenshu), they were unable to take the castle. Government troops managed to convince the local residents to remain loyal to the Emperor and not render aid to Saigo, and on April 15 the siege was lifted. Saigo’s army retreated to [[Kagoshima]] and was eventually eliminated by Imperial troops. Ironically, the castle built by one of the more famous samurai commanders was used by the government to defeat the last of the samurai.

The Kato were ousted from Kumamoto by the [[Tokugawa clan|Tokugawa]] Shogunate in [[1632]] when Kiyomasa’s son Tadahiro fell into disfavor and was exiled to northern Honshu. The castle was given to [[Hosokawa Tadaoki]], who passed it on to his son Tadatoshi. The Hosokawa remained in charge of the castle through the [[Meiji Restoration]]. The structure was then spared from destruction as the new government planned to use it as an army camp. The castle was put to the test during the [[Satsuma Rebellion]] in [[1877]]. [[Saigo Takamori]], who had resigned his position as commander of the Imperial Guard in [[Tokyo]] in [[1873]] when his plan to invade Korea was rejected by the Emperor, led a group of discontented former samurai who now found themselves on the outside looking in. Saigo had difficulty in controlling his followers, and to appease them agreed to lead them to Tokyo once again to restate their demands. He was declared a rebel on February 20, 1877 and his march to Tokyo found itself stopped cold when he and his 15,000 man army attempted to oust the Imperial garrison in Kumamoto castle on February 22. For 52 days Saigo’s army laid siege to the castle. While they were able to destroy many of the castle’s buildings (such as the two main tenshu), they were unable to take the castle. Government troops managed to convince the local residents to remain loyal to the Emperor and not render aid to Saigo, and on April 15 the siege was lifted. Saigo’s army retreated to [[Kagoshima]] and was eventually eliminated by Imperial troops. Ironically, the castle built by one of the more famous samurai commanders was used by the government to defeat the last of the samurai.