 Katō Kiyomasa, a contemporary of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was made "daimyō" of half of the (old) administrative region of Higo in 1588.Afterwards, Kiyomasa built Kumamoto Castle.Due to its many innovative defensive designs, Kumamoto Castle was considered impregnable, and Kiyomasa enjoyed a reputation as one of the finest castle-builders in Japanese history.