Okinawa. Shuri. Ryukyu

Program

The main part of the route is the Shuri Palace complex. Numerous gates, long castle walls, a stone clock construction, and a real spring at the castle walls, all these objects have their purposes. As you walk around the park independently, few pay attention to them, but learning about their functionality, you can easily imagine the ancient way of life and orders of island life, draw parallels, and notice differences with the cultural traditions of Japan.

Shuri Castle was the only completely restored castle on the island. To this day, it remains one of Ryukyu's cultural objects listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its visit requires an entrance fee and your willingness. It so happened that as a result of a fire in October 2019, three castle buildings burned down, and now on Okinawa, there are almost no authentic historical objects preserved from both the Kingdom times and the post-war period when all life on Okinawa proceeded under the close attention and control of the United States government administration. In the courtyard of the palace complex, there is an excursion area where you can observe the restoration works, some of which are done manually. You will witness a unique reconstruction process, capture some details that will not be visible after the completion of the works.

Depending on weather conditions, a walk and inspection of fortress and temple structures from the outside are possible. Religion and power are undoubtedly an interesting and dramatic theme of any country. Near the gates of a Buddhist temple, gradually being restored for over seventy years, we will talk about monks and the influence of their teachings on the formation of character and discipline of generations of Ryukyuans. After a promenade along the walkway along the imperial pond, we will head slightly off the main attraction of Shuri and arrive at the walls of a real mausoleum. And since the cult of ancestor worship in Okinawa remains one of the most important components of the religious side of life to this day, we will develop this theme here, revealing some palace intrigues and evaluating the architectural compositions of the building.