, officially , is a Ryūkyūan
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 archaeological ...
and was the largest in, and capital of,
Nanzan
Nanzan (), also known as Sannan (山南) before the 18th century, located in the south of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. The political entity was identified as a tiny ...
until 1429. It is in ruins, and is located in
Itoman.
History
Nanzan Castle was built in the early 14th century, and became capital of Nanzan in 1314 when the Lord of Ōzato,
Ōzato Ofusato, broke away from the chieftain
Tamagusuku
was a legendary local ruler of Okinawa Island.
According to Ryukyu's official history, Okinawa was split into three polities during the reign of Tamagusuku.Kerr,
He was the third son of Eiji (r. 1309-1313), he was the fourth ruler of the E ...
at
Urasoe Castle.
It sat on a hill near the fishing town of
Itoman and the farming village of
Ōzato. There was a small inlet at the bottom of the hill that allowed merchant ships to trade directly with the castle.
[Kerr, George H. ''Okinawa, The History of an Island People'', Second Printing, Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, 1959, p. 60] The strategic location of the castle allowed Nanzan to compete with
Chūzan
was one of three kingdoms which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. Okinawa, previously controlled by a number of local chieftains or lords, loosely bound by a paramount chieftain or king of the entire island, split into these three more ...
and outlive
Hokuzan
, also known as before the 18th century, located in the north of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century during Sanzan period. The political entity was identified as a tiny co ...
, but during a succession dispute in 1429 following the death of the last King of Nanzan,
Ōzato Taromai, the army of Chūzan captured the castle.
In the 1950s, a primary school was built within the inner court of the castle.
References
External links
*http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/drfcr421/24216370.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051014/http://www.odnsym.com/pic/iseki/nanzan.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20140108225416/http://www.okipota.com/db02/history/ruin009/
Castles in Okinawa Prefecture
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