Read aloud by your device's voice. It sounds different on each device.
The palace
Shuri Castle was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1429 to 1879
Between 1429 and 1879, Shuri Castle in the Shuri district of Naha was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom. For 450 years from 1429 it was the royal court and administrative center, and the focal point of foreign trade.
450years as the royal court of the Ryukyu Kingdom
The style
Unlike Japanese castles, it followed Chinese architecture
Shuri Castle was greatly influenced by Chinese architecture, with decoration similar to that seen in the Forbidden City. The gates and buildings were painted red with lacquer, and the king's dragon was used heavily in the decoration.
1609
Satsuma forces seized Shuri in 1609 and the kingdom became a vassal state
During the reign of Shō Nei, samurai forces from the Satsuma domain seized Shuri on 6 May 1609. They withdrew soon afterwards, and Shō Nei returned to his throne, but the kingdom was now a vassal state under Satsuma.
1879
In 1879 the last king left the castle for Tokyo
In the 1850s Commodore Matthew C. Perry twice forced his way into the castle but was denied an audience with the king. In 1879 the kingdom was annexed by the Empire of Japan, and the last king, Shō Tai, was compelled to move to Tokyo.
The fire
The fire of 2019 was the fifth time the castle was destroyed
On 31 October 2019 a fire destroyed the Seiden, the main hall, and the Hokuden and Nanden beside it. It was the fifth time the castle was destroyed, after 1453, 1660, 1709 and 1945. Rebuilding began in February 2020.
“...a symbol of the Ryukyu Kingdom, an expression of its history and culture”
Governor Denny Tamaki, after the 2019 fire
Day 2, afternoon
It comes after Tsuboya Pottery Street. Then Tamaudun.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Shuri Castle, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.