Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of a snake museum, a small zoo and a habu snake versus mongoose show. he snakes are
sacrificed six times daily to the predator mongoose. Some people object to these “demonstra-
tions” as unnecessarily cruel, for the snakes really don't have much of a chance against the
mongoose and are invariably killed.
5 GUSUKU (FORTRESS) RUINS 御城
The southern section of Okinawa has quite a large number of gusuku (fortress) ruins, but they
are just that—ruins—not too interesting for most casual visitors. If this does interest you,
here's a list of many of them, but again, they are mostly piles of stones. Close by to Point Ky-
an are the ruins of Gushikawa Castle ( 具志川城 ) and Kyan Castle ( 喜屋武城 ). Near Okinawa
Peace Park is Itomansatsuki Gusuku Ruins ( 糸満城 ), and near Gushikama village, just be-
low Okinawa World, are the Ona Castle and Gushikama Ruins. Further along the east coast,
north to the Chinen Peninsula ( 知念半島 ; Chinenhantō), are several more ruins, including
Minton Castle; Chinen Gusuku ( 知念城 ), Azama Castle ( 安座真城 ) and Sashiki Gusuku (
敷城 ). To the north, at the boundary of what we'll call Central Okinawa, at Urasoe, there are
the ruins of Urasoe Castle ( 浦添城 ). None of these ruins amount to much, at least to a non-
archeologist. The better or more substantial or restored gusuku are further north.
Gusuku Fortress ( 御城 )
Gusuku is the Okinawan word for a castle or fortress. In Japanese it is shiro . The Kanji characters are
the same. There are gusuku (or gusuku ruins) throughout the Ryukyus, but many of the finest ex-
amples are on Okinawa. Many have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The gusuku 's hey-
day was between the 13th and 18th centuries when feudal lords, called aji , ruled the Okinawan king-
dom. Each had his own fortress. The best examples on the island today are Naha's Shuri Castle, Nak-
agusuku in central Okinawa, Zakimi in Yomitan, Katsuren Castle on the Katsuren Peninsula and Nakijin
on northern Okinawa's Motobu Peninsula. A secion of the Katsuren Castle ramparts is shown above.
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