Quick Okinawa Info
Gusuku |
Updated on : March 31, 2005 |
Symbols of power? Pillars of faith? Ancient villages? Gusuku sites are still wrapped in mystery
Ruins of numerous Gusuku (or Gushiku) exist in Okinawa. Generally, the word "Gusuku" is written using the Japanese characters for castle. Geographically, they are found from the Amami Islands to the Miyako and Yaeyama island groups.
Gusuku take various forms. Some sites are large, like the Zakimi Castle (Yomitan), Nakijin Castle and Nakagusuku Castle ruins. Others, like the Gushikawa Castle ruins and the Tamagusuku Castle ruins along Okinawa's southern "Gusuku Road", are small. While most of these ruins produce a castle-like atmosphere, there are some Utaki (sacred praying sites or groves in wooded areas) that are also called Gusuku. All told, there are some 300 Gusuku found on the islands. Their construction is thought to have begun in the 12th century. In terms of Ryukyu history, they mark the Gusuku Era.
Gusuku are found all over Okinawa Island and there are sites on many of the outer islands, including Iheya, Izena, Ie, Kume, Miyako, Ishigaki and Taketomi. It has also been confirmed that Gusuku are also present in the Amami Islands of Kagoshima Prefecture.
The period of building was one in which local lords called Aji emerged to rule over communities of farming villages and then fell to warring against one another in power struggles. Subsequently, in the Sanzan Era, power on Okinawa Island was consolidated in the so-called three kingdoms, Hokuzan, Chuzan, and Nanzan. King Sho Hashi unified these three fiefdoms in 1429 and thus laid the foundation of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The capital of the newly unified kingdom was established at Shurijo Castle, which held this position until the kingdom's end.
The people of ancient Ryukyu evidently did not build Gusuku simply as fortresses of power. Researchers have offered other hypotheses. The "sacred precincts" theory argues that they were holy places -- in effect, temples of religious belief. Another theory advanced is that as the primeval societies evolved, "defended communities” appeared with “hilltop communities” where sacred precincts were located. The “local chieftain residences” theory argues that local lords erected these Gusuku to protect their families. Research on the Gusuku is steadily progressing and findings based on discovery of new evidence can be anticipated.
Recognizing the historical and archeological significance of these sites, much restoration work is ongoing. In 2000, a number of Gusuku and related sites representative of the history and culture of Ryukyu were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu."
Categories
