Kumamoto earthquake damages 53 cultural heritage sites

The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, last week had affected 53 cultural properties, including those at World Heritage sites, as of Monday, the Cultural Affairs Agency said.

The affected assets, located in Kumamoto and neighboring Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kagoshima prefectures, include three national treasures and 11 national important cultural properties.

Of the total, 48 affected properties are in Kumamoto.

At Shohinken, a centuries-old tea house with a garden in the city of Yatsushiro that is a national scenic site, a building collapsed, windows shattered, and the pond water level temporarily fell.

The main building of the former Iseri family residence, a national registered tangible cultural property also known as a sake brewery, in the town of Hikawa, is now severely tilted.

Kumamoto Castle in the city of Kumamoto was battered by the earthquake amid restoration efforts following twin powerful quakes a decade ago. The stone walls of the symbol of the prefecture collapsed in dozens of places, and the main tower was cracked. The scheduled full reopening in fiscal 2052 may be delayed.

Of World Heritage sites related to the Meiji industrial revolution, windows broke at Misumi West Port in the city of Uki and Manda Pit in the city of Arao.

Some buildings of Aoi Aso Shrine in the city of Hitoyoshi and Tsujunkyo Bridge in the town of Yamato, both designated as national treasures, were partly damaged.

-Philippine News Agency