This is Fukuoka Castle, where the biggest mystery is whether or not it had a castle tower. New historical documents have been discovered that suggest the existence of a castle tower. Read the article in this video > https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/fbs/category... Fukuoka City's press conference began at 3:00 pm on the 10th. Mayor Takashima: "New documents have been discovered that support the existence of Fukuoka Castle's castle tower." Fukuoka Castle once stood in Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City. The biggest mystery is the existence of the castle tower. Announcer Nakamura Asato: "This is the ruins of Fukuoka Castle, and now only the castle tower base remains, but was there once a castle tower here?" On the 10th, it was announced that a new letter had been discovered that suggests that the castle tower "existed." The conventional wisdom until now has been that Fukuoka Castle "did not have a castle tower." Announcer Nakamura: "This is the map that is the basis for the idea that Fukuoka Castle did not have a castle tower." This is a drawing of Fukuoka Castle drawn in 1646. Although many turrets are depicted, the castle tower, or the building, is not depicted on the "castle base." It was believed that Kuroda Nagamasa, who built the castle, did not build a castle tower out of consideration for the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, historical documents have been found that suggest that Fukuoka Castle "had" a castle tower. Professor Emeritus Masahiko Sato of Kyushu Sangyo University: "This document was discovered by a Kuroda samurai named Ogo, and it says that the parapet of the castle tower has rotted and should be repaired. This clearly shows that there was a castle tower here, and that it had a parapet." According to Fukuoka City, the newly discovered historical document reinforces the theory that there "was" a castle tower. This is the letter. It dates from around 1640 to 1650 in the early Edo period. A retainer of the Kuroda family wrote about the events immediately after the Kuroda family entered Chikuzen. In one passage, there is a statement that "the castle tower was built." According to the Fukuoka City Museum, the grandfather and father of the retainer who wrote this letter were of the same generation as Kuroda Nagamasa, who built the castle, and the retainer may have written down the story he heard from that generation. The information was obtained from the generation that directly experienced the construction of Fukuoka Castle, so it is considered to be highly reliable. Mayor Takashima: "With the growing interest of citizens in Fukuoka Castle, I think the fact that this historical document has come to light at this time will further stir up romance." Fukuoka City and the local business community are positive about restoring Fukuoka Castle as part of their tourism promotion measures. This spring, a "temporary" castle tower was built and lit up in an effort to boost momentum for the restoration. We asked local residents about the restoration of Fukuoka Castle's castle tower. Local Resident: "I think there must have been one. If it was built, people would gather and it would become a famous spot." "There's no need to build something that we don't know if it exists or not." Did Fukuoka Castle have a castle tower? Fukuoka City plans to continue research on the castle tower and collect historical documents. In a survey conducted by the Fukuoka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in September this year, 59.1% of citizens, or roughly 60% of the total, said they were in favor of restoring Fukuoka Castle. However, restoration at this stage would be extremely difficult. The Agency for Cultural Affairs cited two main reasons for this: 1) There are no direct historical documents remaining from Fukuoka Castle, such as blueprints or old photographs that could serve as reference for restoration. 2) Fukuoka Castle is a national historic site, so any new restoration would require permission from the national government. For the latest news, please visit https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/fbs. X Also available on FBS Fukuoka Broadcasting News (@FBS_NEWS5). / fbs_news5