Oct 31, 2019
Shuri Castle Memories
This morning, I woke to read the news that Shuri Castle had burned. My heart sank. This was a great treasure for Okinawa, and a world heritage site in Japan.
The castle was lost in World War II but extensively rebuilt in 1992 with reference to the original castle.
On a winter afternoon some years ago, I visited the castle and was stunned by the extensive reconstruction and the painstaking detail. At a pavilion on the south side of the front court, dancers and musicians were performing while in the middle of the court, a woman was observing a ritual at the shrine that stood before the gate.
In Seiden, the main structure, I saw the foundations of the original castle below the floor, and noticed the fragrance of incense wafting through the hall. I asked an attendant about it, and he told me that incense is burned daily to please the king. The Ryukyu Kingdom was still alive at this stronghold.
I was stunned by the beauty and the melding of Chinese and Japanese motifs in the decoration of the throne room.
Dragons stood out on the pillars and beams, swirling among the brilliant red lacquer backgrounds.
I'm so grateful I could see this magnificent tribute to the history and people of the place. I won't forget it.
1 Comment
KamaT
on Nov 1
I visited Shuri Castle a couple years back, around October - November. At that time I think it was the honden that was undergoing some repair or maintenance work so I wasn't able to see it in its full glory. I particularly enjoyed the castle in the evening though when the surrounding grounds are still open and the castle is gently illuminated. We picked a spot to the south of the honden and played around with our cameras trying to get some night shots of the main structures poking above the walls, while local cats slinked around us. It was nice up there, all warm and balmy, and really quiet.