Nakagusuku Castle

Nakagusuku Castle 中城城
Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa
Ruins of Nakagusuku Castle (west district)
Type	Gusuku
Site information
Controlled by	Ryūkyū Kingdom (1440–1879)  Empire of Japan (1879–1945) United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands(1945-1950) United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands(1950-1972)  Japan(1972-present)
Open to the public	yes
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	around 1440
Built by	Gosamaru
In use	early 1440-1611
Materials	Ryūkyūan limestone, wood
Battles/wars	Attacked by Amawari (1458)
Garrison information
Occupants	Gosamaru, Aji of Nakagusuku Magiri

Nakagusuku Castle (中城城, Nakagusuku-jō) is a gusuku in the village of Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is one of a number of castles built on the island of Okinawa during 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 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.^[1] Less than 50 meters away from the castle is the Nakagusuku Hotel ruins.

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  Rampart of the 3rd district

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  Rampart of the 2nd district

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  Rampart of the 1st district

References

Literature

• Motoo, Hinago (1986). Japanese Castles. Tokyo: Kodansha. p. 200 pages. ISBN 0-87011-766-1. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nakagusuku Castle.

• Short history and directions to Nakagusuku Castle from Japan Guide
• Nakagusuku Castle site run by Nakamura-ke, located near the gusuku.
• The Amawari-Gosamaru dramatic episode

Coordinates: 26°17′02″N 127°48′05″E / 26.28389°N 127.80139°E / 26.28389; 127.80139