熊本城、特別公開始まる＝被災後初、勇壮な姿間近に

　２０１６年４月の熊本地震で被災し、立ち入り規制が続いていた熊本城（熊本市）の特別公開が５日、始まった。被災後初の一般向け公開。天守閣のうち大天守は外観が修復されており、訪れた市民は勇壮な姿を眺め、喜びの声を上げた。
　熊本城は２度にわたる大地震で、天守閣や国の重要文化財１３棟などが損壊。石垣も５０カ所で崩れ、直後から城内への立ち入りが規制されていた。特別公開の対象は券売所のある二の丸広場から天守閣前広場までの４５０メートルで、原則日曜と祝日に開放される。（2019/10/05-16:14）

Kumamoto Castle, damaged by powerful earthquakes in April 2016, partially reopened to the public Saturday, showing the fully restored exteriors of the main tower in the "tenshukaku" castle keep.
   The premises of the castle, where an award-winning Akira Kurosawa movie was shot, had been closed to entry since the southwestern Japan prefecture was battered by the two temblors.
   On the day, the square in front of the keep was opened, allowing visitors to enjoy the main tower from a close distance.
   "I remember the never forgettable deep sorrow felt at the sight (of the quake-caused destruction) as if it had happened yesterday," Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi said in a ceremony to mark the reopening. "I hope everyone will feel reconstruction progress through the reopening after three and a half years," he added.
   Kumamoto Castle, one of Japan's three premier castles, is known for its stone walls featuring steep curves to repel invaders. It was a filming location for "Kagemusha" (The Shadow Warrior), directed by prominent director Kurosawa, which won the Palme d'Or award at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.