NHK's popular program "Bura Tamori" (NHK General TV), in which Tamori visits various towns and cities, will air a "Kumamoto Castle Restoration 10th Anniversary New Discoveries Special" on May 30th at 7:30 p.m. The setting for the journey is Kumamoto Castle. The last time the program visited the site was in 2016. Because the earthquake struck shortly after that broadcast, it was a valuable episode that captured the appearance of Kumamoto Castle before the disaster. Ten years later, this will be an "unusual return visit" for "Bura Tamori," which has never featured the exact same place in the past. We asked the director in charge, Hiroto Natsume, and announcer Mana Sato, who serves as Tamori's travel partner, about the highlights of this episode.
◇This episode left a different aftertaste than usual. What's the reason...?
"Kumamoto Castle Restoration 10th Anniversary: New Discoveries Special" marks 10 years since the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, and Tamori revisits Kumamoto Castle for the first time since before the disaster. The program will explore new discoveries made at the restoration site, the skills passed down through generations, the feelings of the people, and the full picture that can only be seen now, 10 years after the restoration.
Natsume, who previously worked at NHK Kumamoto Broadcasting Station and witnessed the damage to Kumamoto Castle caused by the earthquake firsthand, recalls the time, saying, "I remember feeling incredibly sad."
From Natsume's perspective, Kumamoto Castle, which is in the process of reconstruction, is "trying to show the damage it suffered as it was, while also presenting it in a different way than before the earthquake." "I hope that aspect will be conveyed well in the program," she said.
The program, which showcases the current state of Kumamoto Castle along with the feelings of the people working hard on the reconstruction site, is, according to Natsume, an episode that "leaves with a different feeling after watching it than the usual ' Bura Tamori'." What is the reason for this...?
"In ' Bura Tamori,' the basic format is to feature one town or region, and have an expert familiar with the area guide Tamori and his partner announcer. I think the program is about unraveling how this place came to be, so it inevitably focuses on the past. But this time, the guide was someone who is currently involved in the restoration work and research, so we were able to hear the voices of those directly involved in the process. There were new things that have been discovered after 10 years, and it's unusual for ' Bura Tamori' to feature something that is still ongoing and connecting to the future. We were also able to talk to a stonemason involved in the restoration, and it was very moving. I think this episode is a more emotional program than the usual nostalgic one."
◇Witnessing the sentiment being passed down through generations.
Sato, the announcer who serves as Tamori's travel partner, joined the company in 2020, and her first assignment was at the Kumamoto Broadcasting Station. She worked there for about four years, from 2020 to 2024. "I don't know what Kumamoto Castle was like immediately after the earthquake, but I felt that the restoration was progressing little by little each day," she revealed.
"Kumamoto Castle was right next to the Kumamoto Broadcasting Station, so I thought I had seen the changes over the past four years in my own way. But when I arrived at Kumamoto Castle for this shoot, it looked so different from before. I realized that the restoration work had been steadily progressing thanks to the efforts of many people during the two years since I left Kumamoto, and that it wasn't 'just two years' after all. It was a very moving experience."
Announcer Sato cites "the sights and things that can only be seen and learned now, while the recovery work is underway," as one of the highlights.
"During this filming, I was able to see the dismantled components of the Uto Yagura (Uto Tower), and looking at the components, you can see how the building was protected by previous generations and how they are trying to protect it. The Uto Yagura is a nationally designated important cultural property, and it tilted due to the earthquake, so it was completely dismantled and reassembled, a restoration project that will continue until 2032. These components really conveyed to me how much the building has been cherished, more than I had imagined, so I feel like I might cry when the restoration work progresses and it returns to its original form."
It is said that it will take until 2052 for Kumamoto Castle to be completely restored. "I had heard that the restoration work would take several decades since I was at the Kumamoto Broadcasting Station," said announcer Sato, who also had a new realization.
"I realized that the restoration of Kumamoto Castle cannot be completed by the craftsmen currently involved in the restoration work alone. We must simultaneously train the craftsmen who will carry on the work 30 years from now, and pass on their spirits to them. While speaking with active stonemasons, I met one who said, 'This is my first year,' and he was from Kumamoto. He said that he started because he saw the stone-laying process up close (during the restoration of Kumamoto Castle) and thought it was simply cool. I thought that was a wonderful thing. I realized that Kumamoto Castle is truly a castle cherished by many people, and I felt that this legacy is being passed down through generations. I witnessed that firsthand this time."
