Kumamoto Castle left illuminated all night long as symbol of hope for earthquake victims

The castle itself is still undergoing repairs from an earthquake from 10 years ago.

Kumamoto is still reeling from a massive earthquake that struck the prefecture on Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu on the afternoon of July 28. Recovering from the magnitude-7.1 quake will not be a quick or easy process, and there are many, many difficult days ahead. In dark times, though, any symbol of hope becomes vital, and Kazufumi Onishi, mayor of Kumamoto Prefecture’s Capital of Kumamoto City, shared one the day following the disaster.

“Tonight, Kumamoto Castle will be illuminated throughout the night,” Onishi announced via his official Twitter account. “We are still dealing with a harsh, difficult situation, but let’s look towards the castle’s tower, the symbol of Kumamoto, and then turn towards doing our best again tomorrow to get through this.”

Kumamoto Castle itself was severely damaged 10 years ago when a previous earthquake struck the region. It took five years for the main keep to be repaired to a state where it could again start welcoming visitors, and restoration work is still ongoing for some parts of the castle. All of that, though, arguably makes it an even more appropriate symbol of resilience, and the decision to keep the castle lit up as a beacon of hope was met with high praise from commenters to Onishi’s announcement.

Usually, on nights when Kumamoto Castle is illuminated, the lights go off sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight. It’s unclear whether the all-night light-up was a one-time only event or whether it’ll be happening periodically as Kumamoto continues to pick up the pieces. Either way, though, it’s nice for people to have a shared symbol of the community to remind them that they’re not alone in these trying times.