Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Built in 1726, the Uezu family home is a designated Japanese National Heritage site and
a treasure and it's an example of pure Okinawan style. It was built to house the Uezu fam-
ily who were descended from the lords of Gushikawa Castle. In the Ryukyu kingdom they
held a social rank called pechin , a status similar to a samurai. For generations the Uezus were
the heads of the local administrative district. Today, the house, its interior and courtyard, are
preserved as they were 300 years ago. It's an archetype of a fine Okinawan dwelling: the exten-
ded red tile roof, the support posts perched on stone, all surrounded by coral stone walls and
Fukugi trees. It's a lesson in traditional design perfectly suited to its environment. For those
who have visited other Ryukyu Islands, it's similar to the Nakamura House on Okinawa, the
Takara House on Geruma in the Kerama Islands and the Miyara Donchi House on Ishigaki.
Like those other preserved homes, there's a small admission charge of a few hundred Yen to
enter the house.
Uezu Old House, one of the oldest traditional residences of any Okinawan Island.
From here it's just over three-quarters of a mile (1 kilometer) northwest through the Uezu
neighborhoods to our next stop, the massive “Five-Branched Pine.” We're now above Gushi-
 
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