Here we are in Japan. I can see this fantastic trip coming to an end. Naha was marred by the weather. This was the first day of constant rain, and I wasn’t well prepared for it. I did have my rain jacket, but I needed a hat to keep the rain off my face.
We took another excursion which was very informative and included a World Heritage Site: The SHURIJO Castle Park. The castle we saw is a reproduction of the castle reconstructed from the 18th century one. This place has burned down more than once since it was build in the 13th century. Okinawa was the center of the Ryukyu Kingdom. This kingdom was only on the island Okinawa and the people spoke their own language (which is now almost extinct). The guide who is Ryukuan describes the people in this corner of Okinawa more in line with the Bali way of thinking: Kind, considerate, and very mindful of the instant repercussions of poor behavior toward other people and toward the land. These people definitely believe in bad karma.
The castle was the home of the royal family as well as the seat of Ryukyu government. The royal family offered tribute to the Japanese government, but stayed an independent kingdom until 1879 when Japan consolidated all the islands surrounding it into the country. Okinawa became a Japanese prefecture at that point. Japan discouraged the speaking of the Ryukyu language and customs.
The castle has burned down three times: 1709, 1945, and 2019. The first two fires destroyed it entirely, while the third was a partial fire. Reconstruction began in 2020 and is still ongoing.
Because of the independent kingdom, the architecture of SHURIJO Castle incorporates both Chinese and Japanese influences. It was the largest structure in the Ryukyu kingdom.
Here are some pictures:
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| We managed to avoid these steps, taking the winding path up to the castle |
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| Drake is modeling the entrance to the castle - notice how much taller he is than the entrance. |
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| I captured the camouflaged bird in this picture |
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| The entrance to the castle |
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| Restoration of a column with a ‘head’ |
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| I managed to capture a feeding butterfly |
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| This lion/dog is capturing 'luck' with the open mouth. His female counterpart has a closed mouth to hold in all the luck |
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| One of the keepers of the castle |
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| You find gargoyles everywhere in the world |
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| The Welcome Center; formerly the house of the Ladies of the Court. The castle is being reconstructed, so we couldn’t go inside. Big disappointment. It’s a massive structure, so this is going to take awhile. Naha was a beautiful island. It was somewhat mountainous, and it's still the home of an American Airforce base. Most of this island was destroyed in the battle for Okinawa in 1945. It was this bloody, bloody battle that convinced President Truman to authorize dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Here are the pictures of Naha. |
