Kumamoto - A powerful earthquake that registered the maximum seismic intensity of 7 in Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28 caused stone walls to collapse at 28 locations within Kumamoto Castle, reviving painful memories among residents who experienced the devastating earthquakes a decade ago.
The damage was visible from Ninomaru Square at the castle in Kumamoto City's Chuo Ward, where sections of stonework had fallen following the latest quake. Kumamoto city officials said collapses had been confirmed at 28 locations throughout the castle grounds.
A man in his 70s who was walking through the square said the shaking brought back the fear he felt during the Kumamoto earthquakes 10 years earlier. Near the end of the conversation, he appeared to summon his deepest emotions and said, "Please, no more."
Restoration work at Kumamoto Castle has continued since the earlier disaster, and the latest quake has struck while parts of the historic site remain under reconstruction.
A large blue structure visible within the grounds is not a decorative panel but a temporary protective roof built around the site of a turret damaged in the earthquakes a decade ago. The structure was completely dismantled so that it could be rebuilt, and restoration work is now underway.
Original building materials are being stored inside the enclosure, which is covered on all four sides and across the top to protect them during reconstruction.
A full-scale image of the former turret has been placed on the outside of the temporary structure, allowing visitors to visualize how the building appeared before it was dismantled.
Source: TBS
