Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu

The Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu (琉球王国のグスク及び関連遺産群, Ryūkyū ōkoku no gusuku oyobi kanren'isangun) is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of nine sites all located in the Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The heritage sites include two utaki (or sacred sites, one a gate and the other a grove), the Tamaudun mausoleum, one garden, and five gusuku castles sites, four of which are ruins and one of which is a reconstruction. The sites were inscribed based on the criteria that they were a fine representation of the Ryūkyū Kingdom's culture, whose unique blend of Japanese and Chinese influence made it a crucial economic and cultural junction between several neighboring states.^[1][2]

History

The construction of the Gusuku began throughout the islands at the end of the shell-mound period and heralded the Gusuku period^[3] and the rise of Aji Chieftains at the approach of the 12th century. During this period, people who had been living in coastlines along low-lying areas had moved to higher ground to build villages inland. Agriculture--such as paddy rice, wheat and millet--was developed further during this period. Groves called utaki were constructed within these villages to serve as sacred grounds for praying to guardian spirits of cultivation. Overseas trading was also opened when the Ryukyu Islands began to create a common culture. The existence of Sueki ware and Chinese ceramics excavated in the Amami Islands region is considered as strong evidence of its cultural development. At the beginning of the 13th century, a steady rise in the interests of the villages saw the emergence of chieftains who were called Aji or Anji and who occupied political positions within these villages. The aji mainly oversaw taxes and conducted religious rites. Trade became more developed and allowed the ajis to increase possession of good harbors in Urasoe, Yomitan, Nakagusuku, Katsuren, Sashiki and Nakijin.

The Sanzan kingdoms were formed when the regional aji dealt with struggles to defend their domains as their powers increased. The Ryukyus^[4] were divided into 3 kingdoms, the Hokuzan in the north which was situated at Nakijin Gusuku, the Chuzan in the central area which was in Urasoe Gusuku, and Nanzan in the south which was in Shimajiri Ozato. The Eiso Dynasty who came to power in the central Chuzan Kingdom declined during the rise of fourth king Tamagusuku and fifth king Seii. In 1350, Satto ascended to the Chuzan throne where he reigned for 56 years. A legend^[5] circulated at this time where it is said that in Urasoe there lived a poor farmer by the name of Okumaufuya. One day he was walking down a road going home, he stopped in the springs of Mori-no-kawa to wash his hands, there he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath in the springs. Okuma immediately hid the woman's clothes and approached her, as it turned out the woman was a celestial maiden. The woman searched for her clothes but Okuma did not say a word that he had hid them, the woman in despair was accompanied her to his house. A couple of years passed and the woman and Okuma had children, a girl and a boy^[6] they named Janamoi. One day, the older sister was singing her little brother to sleep with a song about the celestial robe of her mother kept in the outhouse. Their mother heard this and regained her robe this led to the woman saying goodbye to her family. The story suggests that Janamoi grew up to become King Satto.

A significant change in status for the period happened in 1609^[7] with the invasion of the Ryukyus by the Satsuma-han of Japan. At this time Satsuma took control of the Ryukyus and placed the northern islands of Amami under direct Satsuma rule. Before this time the Sho dynasty had previously governed over the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Preservation

The world-heritage listing of the "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu"^[8][9] represents more than 500 years^[10][11] of Ryukyuan history, specifically from the 12th to the 17th century. On November 30, 2000, UNESCO inscribed it, along with 60 other global sites, on the World Heritage list. It was selected on the basis of three of the 10 criteria^[12][13] set by UNESCO. Specifically, the Gusuku sites were selected for the way that they (1) exhibit the importance of human values over a span of time (Criteria ii), in this case covering more than 500 years of cultural and ethnic history; (2) show an exceptional cultural tradition by a civilization that has disappeared (Criteria iii); and (3) are regarded for tangibly linking events and traditions with ideals and beliefs with literary and artistic works (Criteria vi).

List of sites

Name	Type	Location	Picture
Tamaudun (玉陵)	mausoleumMausoleum	nahaNaha, Okinawa
Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon (園比屋武御嶽石門, Okinawan: Sunuhwan-utaki)	utakiStone gate at utaki	nahaNaha, Okinawa
Nakijin Castle Site (今帰仁城跡, Nakijin-jō ato, Okinawan: Nachizin Gushiku)	gusuku ruinsGusuku ruins	kunigami nakijinNakijin, Kunigami, Okinawa
Zakimi Castle Site (座喜味城跡, Zakimi-jō ato, Okinawan: Zachimi Gushiku)	gusuku ruinsGusuku ruins	nakagami yomitanYomitan, Nakagami, Okinawa
Katsuren Castle Site (勝連城跡跡, Katsuren-jō ato, Okinawan: Katchin Gushiku)	gusuku ruinsGusuku ruins	nakagami urumaUruma, Nakagami, Okinawa
Nakagusuku Castle Site (中城城跡, Nakagusuku-jō ato, Okinawan: Nakagusiku Gushiku)[14]	gusuku ruinsGusuku ruins	nakagami nakagusukuNakagusuku, Nakagami, Okinawa
Shuri Castle Site (首里城跡, Shuri-jō ato, Okinawan: Sui Gushiku)	gusuku ruinsReconstructed Gusuku on site of ruins	Naha, Okinawa
Shikinaen (識名園)	gardenGarden	nahaNaha, Okinawa
Sefa-utaki (斎場御嶽, Seefa-utaki)	utakiUtaki	nanjoNanjō, Okinawa

See also

• Gusuku
• Ryūkyū Kingdom
• Tourism in Japan
• List of World Heritage Sites in Japan

Notes

• Motoo, Hinago (1986). Japanese Castles. Tokyo: Kodansha. pp. 200 pages. ISBN 0-87011-766-1. 
• Kerr, George H. (2000). Okinawa: the History of an Island People. (revised ed.) Boston: Tuttle Publishing.
• Smits, Gregory (1999). "Visions of Ryukyu: Identity and Ideology in Early-Modern Thought and Politics." Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.

References

External links

Media related to Gusuku sites and related properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu at Wikimedia Commons

• Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu at UNESCO
• Gusuku Sites Type and the Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu at Wonder Okinawa
• Comprehensive Database of Archaeological Site Reports in Japan, Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

World Heritage Sites in Japan
Hokkaido	Shiretoko
Tōhoku	Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land Shirakami-Sanchi Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kantō	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Shrines and Temples of Nikkō Ogasawara Islands Tomioka Silk Mill
Chūbu	Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kansai	Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area Himeji Castle Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Chūgoku	Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) Itsukushima Shinto Shrine Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining
Kyushu	Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining Yakushima