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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 the village of Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is one of a number of castles built on the island of Okinawa by the Ryukyu Kingdom now in ruins. The legendary Ryukyuan commander, Gosamaru, built the fortress in the early 15th century to defend against attacks from the east by Lord Amawari of Katsuren Castle. Amawari attacked the castle in 1458 and defeated Gosamaru shortly before his own castle was attacked by Uni-Ufugusuku. The castle was visited by Commodore Matthew C. Perry in 1853, who noted that the walls seemed to be designed to absorb cannon fire. The six courtyards of this fortress with stacked stone walls make it a prime example of a gusuku. It was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2000. It is regarded as one of the 100 most famous castles in Japan. Less than away from the castle is the Nakagusuku Hotel ruins.

Gallery

File:Nakagusuku Castle02n2700.jpg, Rampart of the 3rd district File:Nakagusuku Castle17n3104.jpg, Rampart of the 2nd district File:Nakagusuku Castle22n3104.jpg, Rampart of the 1st district File:Nakagusuku Castle40n3104.jpg File:Nakagusuku_Castle35n3000.jpg File:Nakagusuku_Castle18n3104.jpg File:Nakagusuku_Castle42n3104.jpg

References

Literature

External links

Short history and directions
to Nakagusuku Castle from Japan Guide

site run by Nakamura-ke, located near the gusuku.

dramatic episode Buildings and structures completed in 1440 15th-century fortifications World Heritage Sites in Japan Castles in Okinawa Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan Former castles in Japan {{castle-stub