KKR HOTEL KUMAMOTO

About Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto Castle was originally completed in 1607 after seven years of construction by Kato Kiyomasa who was a retainer of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. In the granting of rewards after the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), Kiyomasa was given the Higo Province with 520,000 koku crop yield and became the feudal lord. The castle features beautiful stone walls known as "musha-gaeshi" (literally, "turn away worriers"). The extremely steep walls are curving backward towards the top, making the castle impregnable.
The castle is also referred to as "Ginnan-jo" (Castle with gingko trees) because many gingko trees are planted in the castle yard. It is said that Kiyomasa planted these trees to get the nuts as food in case his worriers must sustain a long siege.
Legend has it that Kiyomasa murmured, looking at a tree he planted, "When the ginkgo tree grew as tall as the castle tower, there would be a battle in this castle". The tree was almost as tall as the castle tower in the early Meiji period (1868-1912) when the castle town became a battlefield of the Seinan Civil War in 1877. The castle tower and many castle buildings were destroyed by fire during the war.
The present Kumamoto Castle was rebuilt in 1960.

About Kumamoto

Kumamoto is located in the middle of Kyushu and has many sightseeing spots. "Kumamoto Castle" is one of the three greatest castles in Japan. "Mt. Aso" is one of the world's largest caldera volcanoes. "Amakusa Islands" are beautiful islands surrounded by the calm sea, where European culture introduced by Spanish or Portuguese merchants and missionaries are still much in evidence. "Hitoyoshi" has Gokanosho or five former villages that are known as the Heike refugee legend (a place where fleeing Heike-clan warriors were living secluded from the outside world) and the last unexplored parts of Kyushu. These places present different sceneries throughout the four seasons of Japan.
In addition, Kumamoto is well-known for a number of famous hot springs that attract many tourists annually. As for food, fresh produce and good quality foods are available in Kumamoto due to its reputation for being one of the finest agricultural prefectures in Japan. Local delicacies will add to many memories of your stay with us here in Kumamoto.

About our hotel

One of the attractions of this hotel is its location. It is perfect to enjoy the glorious view of Kumamoto Castle with cherry blossoms in spring, new green leaves in summer, or autumnal leaves in fall. Both Kumamoto Castle and the city center are within walking distance from this hotel. We offer attentive service in order to make your stay with us smooth and pleasant.

Contents

• Guest Rooms
• Restaurants
• Banquet
• Other Facilities
• Access