Shuri-jo
A focus for a while on Okinawa, where I spent a few days recently.
Okinawa was originally a separate kingdom from Japan. The Ryuku Kingdom lasted for about 500 years before being invaded and finally dismantled by Japan after the Meiji Restoration. Shuri-jo, or Shuri Castle, was the main castle of the Ryuku royal family, located in the now capital city of Okinawa Prefecture – Naha.
Seiden and Una forecourt
During the ferocious Battle of Okinawa in WWII, Shuri-jo was all but destroyed. What you can see today is a reconstruction based on photographs, drawings, historical records and people’s memories.
Shuri-jo is located at the top of a hill, commanding a great view over Naha and Okinawa Island. It is located inside a park that encompasses many historical locations that are free to wander around. These include the Shureimon Gate, which features on the rarely seen 2000 yen note and the Stone Gate of Sonohyan-utaki, where the king and other royalty would pray before they left to travel.
Shureimon
The main part of Shuri-jo is 800 yen for adults to enter. It encompasses the structures known as Seiden (the royal residence), Nanden, Houshinmon (the gate to this inner castle area) and the spactacular red and white-striped Una forecourt. The patterns where laid out so that everyone knew where to stand. The middle path was only for the royalty to walk down. It reminded me a bit of the Forbidden City courtyard in Beijing.
You’ll be asked to take off your shoes to walk inside the Seiden and Nanden. One highlight is looking through the glass window in the floor of the Seiden to see the original ruins of Shuri-jo. There’s only a few inches left. It really makes you realise how the Battle of Okinawa destroyed so much.
The structures, parklands, museums, monuments, gift shops and restaurants are fairly extensive, so I’d recommend spending the best part of a day there.
Links:
Shuri Castle official site (in English)
Wonder Okinawa’s articles on Shuri-jo (in English)
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