Random Thoughts

This is a doozy of a long post with lots of info, it was written with the intent that later it will be published to another part of the website other than the blog. So feel free to skim it (there isn't to much person info in this post), or to read it all and learn about Shurijo Castle.

These are all of the photo's that I took at Shurijo Castle in July of 2006. There are a few more gates that I missed getting shots of and two more temples (people were worshiping) that I didn't get. Perhaps we will go back another time and I can grab the shots I am missing and complete the info on Shurijo Castle.

If you do plan to visit Shurijo Castle please be prepared to deal with the heat and to take your shoes off inside the Seiden and the Museum. There are no exceptions to the shoe thing, even the guy in the wheel chair took his off and his feet never touched the floor. They provide you with a bag to hold your shoes and being barefoot is okay, but if your shy about your feet make sure to wear socks!

Admission is free for much of the park but to enter the Uta and to see the Seiden and its surrounding buildings its 800 yen for admission. This is about $8.00 per person. There are parking garages located at the site itself and cost 310 yen per two hours or a fee for all day. The castle itself only takes about an hour and a half to see everything so there really isn't much of a need to stay longer.

All of the information I have posted here has been gleaned from The Pamphlet entitled "Enjoy Leaning About Shurijo Castle The Tale of Shurijo Castle" produced by the Ocean Exposition Commemorative Park management Foundation. I am unsure what year the pamphlet was published or anything like that, but if they have any English ones on hand they can be found at the Shurijo Castle ticket booth.

The first segment on the history of Shurijo Castle is a summary of the information presented in the front of the pamphlet. It is NOT a direct word for word from what is in the pamphlet. The captions under the pictures however are word for word what is written in the pamphlet to give credit where credit is due.

also anything enclosed by ** is written in my own words about my own information or was something I remembered reading somewhere, but who knows where. Don't quote me on it, I could be wrong!

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Tucked away in the eastern part of Naha about 120-130 meters above sea level is Shurijo Castle, commonly referred to as Shuri Castle. The castle strategically looks out over the Naha harbor and is located in a very auspicious place according to Chinese Fengshui. The castle itself is modeled after Chinese castles instead of Japanese castles because Okinawa's relations with China were much stronger than with that of Japan when the islands were independent.

Shurijo castle was the royal residence and center for government and religion for thousands of years on Okinawa. Though Shurijo castle's exact founding date is unknown however records show that the castle, in some form or another, has been standing since before 1427. Some of the original foundations of the castle can be seen today in a looking glass set into the floor of the castle.

When Japan annexed Okinawa and made it a prefecture, Shurijo castle was used for numerous functions over the years. For a short time the building was used as barracks for a Japanese garrison stationed there shortly after Okinawa's take over. Later the buildings were converted into classrooms for the Shuri City Women's Craft School, Okinawa Prefectural school for Industrial aphrodisiac and Shuri No. 1 Elementary School until 1945.

The historical Shurijo castle spent many years struggling against demolition due to the dilapidated conditions of the castle. In 1923 a movement was started by Kamakura Yoshitaro and Ito Chuta to save Shurijo castle. In 1925 Shurijo castle was designated for special preservation measures and after a lot of hard work and restoration the castle was deemed a national treasure in 1929.

Shurijo castle has spent most of its life struggling to remain upright. The castle has been destroyed at least four times since 1427 and has been rebuilt each time. The most recent and devastating destruction happened during the Battle of Okinawa in WWII when the castle was reduced to rubble when US military forces bombarded the castle to flush out the Japanese Army that was fortifying there in under ground shelters.

during post war occupation the US military established the University of the Ryukyus on the former grounds of Shurijo castle. Some of the properties around the grounds were rebuilt over the next few years but the reconstruction of the castle itself was impossible while the university was there. After finding a suitable location to relocate the University the reconstruction of Shurijo castle began and in 1992 after 47 years of the loss of Okinawa's most treasured historical site, the castle was rebuilt in all its glory.

The Castle itself and several of its substructures were rebuilt from photo's taken before WWII and for the accounts of those who survived the war. In some cases the exact colors or construction methods were lost to time, but over all the castle stands as it has stood for centuries.


Shureimon Gate Originally built circa 1527-1555. Shureimon gate displays the plaque inscribed "Shurie-no-kuni", which means that the Ryukyus is a land of propriety. Designated a national treasure in 1933, shuriemon was destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa. It was restored in 1958 as one of the first structures in Shurijo Castle to be rebuilt.



Zuisenmon GateLocated on the inner walls of Shurijo castle, Zuisenmon is also called Hikawa-ujo (gate of the spring) for the Ryuhi water conduit located before the gate. Believed to have been built circa 1470, it is a wooden turret gate built on vertically cut walls. Zuisenmon was designated a national treasure in 1933, but was burned down during the war. Restored 1992.



Ryuhi Water Conduit Bringing forth cool and clear water, the Ryuhi dragon conduit was also known by honorific names such as Shiyori Oyahigawa and Gusuku Oyahigawa. The spring water was carried to the Tenshikan in the morning ad in the evening as drinking water for the Chinese investiture envoys during the era of the kingdom of the Ryukyus. From here, the water flows into t he conduit outside the Kyukimon Gate.

**The Stone tablets going up the walkway (3 are behind Jason in the first photo) on the Zuisenmon Gate photo are 7 tablets with Chinese praises of the fountains water. The Dragon head sculpture from which the water flows from was a gift from China to the Ryukyus.

**This is just a view from the side castle wall that looks out over the Naha harbor**


SundialThe sundial is located just past the Roukokumon. In ancient times, it was placed here to supplement the water clock. It was reportedly first installed in 1739


Koufukumon GateKoufukumon is a building with a hipped roof. The year of its original construction is unknown. The east wing of the building housed the Okumiza, the office to intervene n property disputes among noble families. The west wing was the Jishaza, the magistrate overseeing shrines and temples. Today, the Okumiza is used as the ticket office, and Jishaza is used as a restroom.


Bridge of Nations BellThe bell was hung at Shurijo castle's Seiden in 1458. The bell on display is a replica of the original bell in possession of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum. Since the exact location is unknown, it is laced here for now. Inscriptions on the bell proudly express the spirit of the kingdom of the Ryukyus that flourished in overseas trade.

**It is still unknown what the bell was used for**

**This is a traditional court dancer performing one of the court dances. The movements are very slow and calculated. The music is of a similar manner.**


Houshinmon GateAlso known as Kimihokori-ujo, Houshinmon stands facing the Seiden across the Una forcourt. The year of original construction is unknown, but its stone balusters are known to have been completed in 1562. This gate is 20 ken (about 36 meters) wide and 4 ken (about 7.2 m) long, and its central roof is elevated above the side eaves. The left (north) wing housed the Naden, a room keeping account of medicine, tea, and tobacco. To the right (south) was Kimihokori, a room reserved for ceremonies held in the castle. AT present, the Houshinmon serves as an entrance tot he charged admission and information offices, and first aid station.

**A tablet outside depicting the layout of the main castle grounds and the Una**


Suimui-utakiA site of worship located in front of the castle wall is called Suimui-utaki. According to the mythology of the Ryukyus, the sacred site was created by the hands of god. There used to be ten worshiping sites within the castle collectively called Totake.


Seiden (Main Hall)The Seiden, also known as the State Hall and Momourasoe Udun, was the largest wooden structure in the kingdom of the Ryukyus. This important building symbolized the King's sovereignty over all corners of the nation.

The main hall with double-layered roofs and three tories, as well as decorated dragon pillars, are distinctive features of Ryukyuan architecture unparalleled in Japan or China. The double-layered roofs of the Seiden resembles the Great Hall of Peace at the Beijing Imperial Palace and the Hall of Government at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, representing the most dignified for of Chinese style palaces. The dragons, a symbol of the King, appears frequently in buildings and crafts as the nation's tuteary.

According to records, the Seiden experienced four fires and reconstruction. The current building s a reproduction of the Seiden built in 1712, which went through several major repairs and stood until WWII.

**I don't have any pictures from inside the Seiden because most of the Seiden doesn't allow pictures and the places that do allow pictures don't seem to allow flash photography and I had ha hard tie getting a shot with my digital camera in the low light.

The inside is just as stunning as the outside with most of it being made with red and black lacquer highlighted here and there with yellow lacquer. In the most important rooms of the Seiden there are gilded dragons climbing up lacquer pillars and thrones with more elaborate designs.

The first floor, called the Shichagui, was used by the King, his Son's and a few of the senior officers to conduct important ceremonies and conferences. The second floor was called the Ufugui and this is where other royal ceremonies were conducted and the Kings female attendants stayed.**


Una, Hokuden and Nanden**This is a semi blurry picture inside the museum of the Una, Seidon, Hokuden (left) and Nanden/Bandokoro (right). I was distracted by the Seiden and forgot to take pictures of the Hokuden and Nanden**

Una is the forcourt enclosed by the Seiden, Nanden, Bankoro, Hokuden and Houshinmon. It was the main courtyard where investitures and major ceremonies of the Kingdom were held. The structure is nearly identical to the Chinese 'Forbidden City' palace in Beijing: a similarity that reflects the close ties between the Ryukyus and China.

The ceremonial aisle between the Houshinmon and the Seiden is called Ukimichi. The brown parallel tiles stretching on both sides of Ukimichi served as markers for the officials to line up and for setting up ceremonial apparatus. The Ukimichi was considered a sacred path.

The Hokuden (North Hall), formerly called Nishi-no-udun or Giseiden, was built circa 1506-1521. Lost in the fire of 1709 along with the rest of Shurijo castle, it was later rebuilt in 1712. The Hokuden served as the administrative facility for the royal government. Here, ministers (Omote Jugonin-Shu) and officials (Hissha and Satunushi) worked, and the Triumvirate ministers discussed state affairs. The Hokuden was also used to receive and entertain Chinese investiture envoys during their stay in China.

The Nanden and Bandokoro are located to the right of the Seiden Main Hall. The two buildings are adjoined by a corridor. The Bandokoro is the single structure to the right (bottom), and the Nanden is the two story building to the right (top). The exterior of both buildings is of unpainted wood, with no records of it ever being painted. Construction of these buildings took place during the Tenkei era (1621-1627), sometime after invasion by the Satsuma Clan in 1609.

The Bandokoro served as the reception office for castle visitors. The Nanden was used to hold ceremonies for various annual events, and to entertain the guests from the Satsuma Clan.

Only the exterior of the buildings has been restored to the original state. Inside the buildings are exhibitions halls with displays of lacquerware, paintings and other arts and crafts created during the era of the kingdom of the Ryukyus.


Bezaitendo and EnkanchiLocated in front of the main gate of the Enkakuji temple, Bezaitendo Shrine was built in 1502 to store Buddhist Sutras given by the Korean King with whom the Ryukyus traded. The Tennyo-bashi Bridge offers access to the small island created in the middle of the pong, offering a view resembling a miniature landscape garden. The shrine was restored in 1969. The Tennyo-Bashi Bridge has been designated an important cultural asset by the Government of Japan.

**The other side of this temple was far more beautiful with two small flowering trees and a view of the bridge but all of the shrines and temples around the castle are still used today. Since people were praying at this shrine I thought it better to respect their privacy and not snap a photo from that side.