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Shuri Castle

Ryukyuan gusuku castle

Key facts

Type: Gusuku
Open to the public: Partly (Main castle closed due to fire in 2019)
Condition: Four main structures irreparably destroyed, surrounding structures intact. Reconstruction work underway as of February 2020.
Built: 14th century, first rebuild 1958–1992, second rebuild 2020–present
In use: 14th century – 1945
Materials: Ryukyuan limestone, wood
Demolished: 2019, destroyed by fire; 4 times previously (1453, 1660, 1709, 1945)
Battles wars: Invasion of Ryukyu (1609), World War II Battle of Okinawa (1945)
Occupants: Kings of Chūzan and Ryukyu Kingdom , Imperial Japanese Army
Criteria: Cultural: ii, iii, vi
Inscription: 2000 (24th Session )

via Wikipedia infobox

Article

Outside and inside Shuri Castle main hall 2012, before it was destroyed by fire Shuri Castle (Japanese: 首里城, Hepburn: Shuri-jō; Okinawan: Sui Gusuku) is a Ryukyuan gusuku castle in the historic Shuri district of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed. The site of Shuri Castle has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 1972.

After the war, the castle was re-purposed as a university campus. Beginning in 1992, the central citadel and walls were largely reconstructed on the original site based on historical records, photographs, and memory. In 2000, Shuri Castle was designated as a World Heritage Site, as a part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. The Shoen and Sasu-no-ma Gardens (鎖之間庭園) were designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2009.