We are delighted to announce that the drone footage from the Fuji TV-produced in-flight video program “SKY EYE – Message from the Sky” shot in 2013 serve as reference for restoration work on quake-damaged Kumamoto Castle.
The 400-year-old Kumamoto Castle suffered extensive damage by a series of powerful earthquakes that hit central Kyushu beginning on April 14, 2016. Work to repair collapsed stone walls, the tenshukaku (castle keep), and other damaged properties which are state-designated cultural assets, is now underway. As part of this initiative, Fuji TV’s footage of the before-quake Kumamoto Castle captured using a remote-controlled drone has been entrusted to the team of restoration experts to serve as an important reference material to restore the historic castle back to its earlier grandeur and appearance.
Kiyoshi Hirai, an expert on, historical architecture commented that these aerial footage vividly captures rare close-up details and high-angle shots of the castle when it still had all of its structure intact, therefore it is extremely helpful in the long restoration process that lie ahead.