[1] Kumamoto Castle's history dates to 1467, when fortifications were established by Ideta Hidenobu.

[1] The smaller castle tower, built sometime after the keep, had several facilities including a well and kitchen.

"[3] 13 of the buildings in the castle complex were undamaged, and have been designated Important Cultural Properties.

[1] The signature curved stone walls, known as musha-gaeshi, as well as wooden overhangs, were designed to prevent attackers from penetrating the castle.

The castle sustained damage in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck at 9:26 pm on 14 April 2016, in Mashiki town in Kumamoto prefecture.

A stone wall at the foot of the keep partially collapsed in the 2016 quake, and several of the castle's shachihoko ornaments fell from the roof of the keep and broke apart.

It sustained further extensive damage the next day on 15 April following a 7.3 magnitude earthquake where some portions were completely destroyed.

[10] However, in November 2022, Kumamoto Mayor Onishi Kazufumi [jp] announced that the reconstruction would take 15 years longer to complete, with full restoration scheduled for 2052.