is a Ryukyuan ''
gusuku
often refers to castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone walls. However, the origin and essence of ''gusuku'' remain controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the ''Gusuku period'' refers to an archaeologica ...
'' in
Nanjō, Okinawa. It is the second oldest castle in the
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...
. The ruins consist of the old castle to the east being made out of rock and the other newer castle to the west being made out of ashlar masonry.
History
Before the
Sanzan Period
The is a period in the history of the Okinawa Islands when three lines of kings, namely , and , are said to have co-existed on Okinawa Island. It is said to have started during King Tamagusuku's reign (traditional dates: 1314–1336) and, accord ...
, the "King of the Ryukyu Islands" and the
chief priestess would make a pilgrimage to Chinen Castle. The castle was the home of the
Aji
Aji or AJI may refer to:
Location
*Aji (town), Tieling County, Liaoning, China
*Aji Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
*Aji, Kagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
* Aji River (disambiguation), rivers with the same name
Other
* Aji (Go), a latent tr ...
of Chinen
Magiri
The administrative divisions of the Ryukyu Kingdom were a hierarchy composed of districts, ''magiri'', cities, villages, and islands established by the Ryukyu Kingdom throughout the Ryukyu Islands.
Divisions
There were three or ''hō'': , , and ...
. The new castle was built under
Shō Shin
was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the third ruler the second Shō dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the dyn ...
who reigned from 1477 to 1526. In 1972 the ruins of Chinen Castle were designated as a National Historic Site.
References
External links
A video
Castles in Okinawa Prefecture
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