- Type
- Ruin
- Built
- 14th century
- Location
- Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 26.3298°, 127.8789°
History
This gusuku – the stone fortress typical of Okinawa – was built on a limestone hill above Nakagusuku Bay in the early 14th century; tradition credits it to the fifth son of Taisei, second king of the Eiso dynasty and first lord (aji) of Katsuren. Its most famous, and last, lord was Amawari, who overthrew his predecessor in the mid-15th century and grew, through overseas trade, into one of the mightiest local rulers. He brought about the fall of his neighbour Gosamaru of Nakagusuku and then turned against the Ryukyu king Shō Taikyū, but in 1458 he was defeated by the royal forces. After his downfall the castle was abandoned. In 2000 the ruins were inscribed on the UNESCO list with the other gusuku of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
What to see
Limestone walls climb in terraces towards the summit, with narrow passages and gates linking one enclosure to the next. The highest, where traces of a tile-roofed building were found, looks out over the Pacific and the bays on either side of the peninsula. Much of the walling has been rebuilt on the basis of archaeological research, and a centre at the foot of the hill displays finds.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q2471589
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).