Mount Gusuku

Mount Gusuku
城山
Mount Gusuku, the highest point on Ie Island Iejima, Okinawa Prefecture
Elevation	172.2 m (565 ft)
Location
Mount Gusuku Ie, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates	26°43′11″N 127°48′26″E / 26.71972°N 127.80722°E / 26.71972; 127.80722Coordinates: 26°43′11″N 127°48′26″E / 26.71972°N 127.80722°E / 26.71972; 127.80722

Mount Gusuku on Ie Island

Mount Gusuku (城山, Gusuku-yama) is a mountain located on the Ie Island (Iejima) in the village of Ie, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.^[1] The mountain rises 172.2 m (565.0 ft) on Iejima to the northwest of Okinawa Island and is the highest point on the island.^[2][3] Mount Gusuku is considered a symbol of Iejima.

Mount Gusuku is considered a symbol of the Ie Island due to its distinctive conical shape. It rises above east of the island and is clearly visible from the main island of Okinawa and in the East China Sea. The outline of Mount Gusuku can be clearly seen from the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawa Island and Sesoko Island. The mountain has historically served as a nautical landmark and appears in Japanese nautical charts from the medieval period.^[1][3][4]

Etymology

The traditional Japanese reading for the mountain is "Shiro-yama;" however, in Okinawan, it is pronounced "Gusuku-yama." The meaning of 城 in both languages is "castle." Locally, the mountain is sometimes referred to as Tatchū (タッチュー).^[2]

Geology

Mount Gusuku is 70 million years older than the rest of Iejima. The mountain is formed by a unique offscrape phenomenon: an older level of bedrock was displaced by newer bedrock to form an admixture of the two.^[1]

Utaki

Mount Gusuku is a site considered sacred in the Ryukyuan religion. An utaki, or shrine of the Ryukyuan religion, is located halfway to the summit of the mountain, and the path leading to the shrine is marked by torii gates. Historically the utaki at Mount Gusuku has been utilized for prayers for safe sea voyages and crops.^[1][3]

References