- Type
- Ruin
- Location
- Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
- Commissioned by
- Haniji
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 26.6908°, 127.9303°
History
The gusuku on a hill in the north of Okinawa probably dates from the 13th century and was enlarged over the following centuries. In the 14th century, during the Three Kingdoms (Sanzan) period, it became the seat of the kings of Hokuzan, who sent tribute to Ming China. In 1416 it was captured by the forces of Shō Hashi of Chūzan, who went on to unite the whole island a few years later. From then on it was run by governors sent from the court at Shuri, until in 1609, during the invasion by the Shimazu clan of Satsuma, the gusuku was burned and abandoned. In 2000 the ruins were inscribed on the UNESCO list as part of the Gusuku Sites of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.
What to see
The highlight is the long, gently undulating wall of grey limestone, some 1.5 kilometres in total, which snakes along the slopes following the lie of the land. Inside are the terraces of successive enclosures, foundations of former buildings and sacred worship sites, and the highest point looks out over the East China Sea and nearby islands. In January and February the ruins draw crowds for a cherry-blossom festival, one of the earliest in Japan.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q508866
Popularity: articles about this site in 20 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).