Shuri Castle

Shuri Castle 首里城
Naha, Okinawa
Seiden (main hall) of Shuri Castle in 2016
Coordinates	26°13′1.31″N 127°43′10.11″E / 26.2170306°N 127.7194750°E / 26.2170306; 127.7194750
Type	Gusuku
Site information
Open to the public	Partly (Main castle closed due to fire in 2019)
Condition	Four main structures irreparably destroyed, surrounding structures intact.[1] Reconstruction work underway as of February 2020.[2]
Site history
Built	14th century, first rebuild 1958–1992, second rebuild 2020-present
In use	14th century – 1945
Materials	Ryukyuan limestone, wood
Demolished	2019, destroyed by fire; 4 times previously (1453, 1660, 1709, 1945)
Battles/wars	Invasion of Ryukyu (1609) World War II Battle of Okinawa (1945)
Events
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iii, vi
Reference	972
Inscription	2000 (24th Session)
Garrison information
Occupants	Kings of Chūzan and Ryukyu Kingdom Imperial Japanese Army

Shuri Castle (首里城, Shuri-jō, Okinawan: Sui Ugusuku^[3]) is a Ryukyuan gusuku castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed.

After the war, the castle was re-purposed as a university campus. Beginning in 1992, the central citadel and walls were largely reconstructed on the original site based on historical records, photographs, and memory. In 2000, Shuri Castle was designated as a World Heritage Site, as a part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.

On the morning of 31 October 2019, the main courtyard structures of the castle were again destroyed in a fire.^[4] Reconstruction is currently ongoing.