Shuri (Okinawa)
Shuri ( Japanese 首 里 ) is a district of Naha . Formerly independent, it was the capital and royal seat of the Ryūkyū kingdom . In Shuri There are a number of famous historical sites, including Shuri Castle , the Shureimon which Sunuhyan-utaki (a sacred place of indigenous Ryukyu Shinto ), and the Royal Mausoleum Tamaudun . All of these sites are classified as UNESCO World Heritage .
Originally designed as a fortified city surrounding the Royal Palace, Shuri lost its position as the capital when royalty was abolished and the city was incorporated into Okinawa Prefecture . In 1896 Shuri was declared a ku (city district) of Okinawa , Japan's southernmost prefecture. In 1921 the Shuri-ku, like all -ku in Okinawa , was transformed into Shuri- shi , the city of Shuri. Shuri was incorporated into Okinawa's prefectural capital, Naha , in 1954 .
history
Middle Ages and Early Modern
Shuri Castle ( okin .: Sui ) was built under Shunbajunki , who ruled from 1237 to 1248 in the nearby palace of Urasoe . One hundred years later, Okinawa was to be split into the three kingdoms of Hokuzan , Nanzan, and Chūzan , and another century later these were united to form the Ryūkyū kingdom. However, the island as a kingdom was not really united and politically organized. Rather, it was ruled by local princes ( 按 司 , anji ) who were subordinate to the Lord of Urasoe.
The historian George H. Kerr describes Shuri Castle as "one of the most magnificent palace complexes in the world, which towers over the surrounding countries for miles and allows the sea to be seen on all sides on the horizon."
From 1266 onwards, Okinawa took tribute from the surrounding islands of Iheya , Kumejima and Kerama , as well as from the more distant Amami Islands . Government offices to administer these tributes were set up in the port of Tomari , which was directly below the castle to the north.
Shō Hashi , who ruled the united Kingdom of Ryūkyū as the first king from 1422 to 1439, declared Shuri to be his capital and oversaw the expansion of the palace and city. Shuri then remained the royal capital for approximately 550 years. In succession wars, the castle was burned to the ground in the 1450s, but then rebuilt, and both the castle and town were embellished and expanded under King Shō Shin , who ruled from 1477 to 1526. In addition to the construction of the stone dragon pillars and other decorations of the palace itself, the Buddhist temple Enkaku-ji was built on the grounds of the palace in 1492 , the temple Sōgen-ji on the road to Naha was expanded, and in 1501 the construction work on Tamudun was completed, which henceforth served as a royal mausoleum.
Throughout the entire Japanese Middle Ages and early modern period, almost all of Shuri's residents had a certain relationship with the royal court. While Naha was the economic hub of the kingdom, Shuri remained the political center. Living in Shuri was therefore considered very prestigious until well into the 20th century.
Samurai troops of the Japanese daimyate of Satsuma captured Shuri Castle on April 5, 1609. The samurai soon withdrew, reinstated King Shō Nei and handed the castle and town back to the people of Okinawa. Nevertheless, from then on the kingdom remained a vassal state under Satsuma's rule, but survived as such for another 250 years. The American Commodore Perry invaded Shuri Castle twice when he came to Okinawa in the 1850s, but was denied an audience with the king in both cases.
Japanese Empire
The kingdom was officially abolished when troops of the Japanese Empire under Matsuda Michiyuki advanced to the castle on March 27, 1879 and Prince Nakijin presented the papers with the decision from Tōkyō. King Shō Tai and his court were removed from the castle, which from then on was held by a Japanese garrison and the main gates were sealed. The castle and nearby residences of the court nobles fell into disrepair in the years that followed, and the way of life of the Shuri aristocracy was stripped of its soil: royal pensions were sharply reduced or even abolished, and income from the nobles' lands dried up. Servants were laid off, and the city's aristocratic population dispersed in search of employment in Naha, the countryside, or the main Japanese islands.
Data from the 1875–1879 census show that approximately half of the Okinawa population lived in the greater Naha-Shuri area. Shuri had fewer households than Naha, but each household consisted of more people on average. About 95,000 residents in 22,500 households, out of a total of 330,000 subjects of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, were nobility at the time, and most of them lived in and around Shuri. In the years that followed, however, the population fell and with it Shuri lost influence as Naha grew.
Increased public pressure to rebuild and preserve the historic sites of Shuri began in the 1910s. In 1928 Shuri Castle was declared a National Monument and a four-year plan for reconstruction was presented. Other historical monuments of Shuri were also placed under protection a short time later.
Although the Japanese military garrison, which had originally occupied Shuri Castle since 1879, had withdrawn in 1896, the castle and a number of tunnels and caves below it were made into the military headquarters of the Japanese armed forces in Okinawa during World War II . The city suffered the first air raids by Allied forces in October 1944. The preparation and organization of the civilian population for this case were extremely inadequate. Bureaucrats, all natives of the prefecture, were all bound by obligations and military orders and made little effort to protect the civilian population, their homes, schools and historical monuments. Civilians were left to their fate to protect themselves, their families and property and bring them to safety.
The treasurer of the Okinawa royal family returned to the family seat in Shuri in March 1945 and attempted to bring a large number of valuable artifacts to safety, ranging from crowns granted to the king by the Chinese imperial court to official royal portraits. Some of these items were locked in treasure chambers, but others were simply buried in the ground or hidden here and there under leaves and plants around Shuri. The mansions were destroyed by fire on April 6th, and the Okinawa guards appointed by the chamberlain were sent away by the Japanese military who had occupied the site from then on.
Since Shuri was the center of the Japanese defense, it was the main target for the American attack in the Battle of Okinawa from March to June 1945. Shuri Castle was razed to the ground by the USS Mississippi and much of the city was razed in the course of the battle destroyed.
post war period
The city was rebuilt in the post-war years. The Ryūkyū University was established in 1950 on the site of the ruins of Shuri Castle, but the headquarters were later moved. Today the campus is in Ginowan and Nakagusuku . The castle walls were rebuilt shortly after the end of the war, and the restoration of the central palace hall ( silk ) was completed in 1992, on the 20th anniversary of the end of the American occupation of Okinawa.
education
Shuri now has a variety of elementary, middle and high schools, as well as a university. The Okinawa District Fine Arts University ( 沖 縄 県 立 芸 術 大学 ) is located just outside the Shuri palace complex. One of the university buildings is on the site of the former office of the "mother-of-pearl magistrate " ( kaizuri bugyōsho , 貝 摺 奉行 所 ), a royal administrative oversight of the empire's craftsmen, especially painters.
The village of Tobari near Shuri was the home of Masami Chinen , who founded and taught the martial art style Yamanni-ryū and specialized in Bōjutsu .
Local transport
The Shuri and Gibo stations on the Okinawa Monorail line are in the Shuri city area. The palace gardens, Tamaudun and other well-known sights are within easy walking distance of the current terminus of the route at Shuri Station. An extension of the monorail route is planned, however.
Individual evidence
- ↑ "Shuri." Okinawa konpakuto jiten ( 沖 縄 コ ン パ ク ト 事 典 , "Compact Okinawa Lexicon"). Ryukyu Shimpo ( 琉球 新 報 ). March 1, 2003. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
- ↑ a b Kerr, George H. (2000). Okinawa: the History of an Island People . (revised edition) Boston: Tuttle Publishing. P. 50.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 52.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 51.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 85.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 97.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 109.
- ↑ that is 1314–1609, respectively 1609–1879
- ↑ Kerr. P. 114.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 159.
- ↑ Kerr. Pp. 315-317, 328.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 381.
- ↑ a b Kerr. Pp. 394-395.
- ↑ Kerr. Pp. 455-456.
- ↑ Kerr. P. 460.
- ↑ a b Kerr. Pp. 467-468.
- ↑ Kerr. Pp. 469-470.
- ↑ Kadekawa, Manabu (ed.). Okinawa Chanpuru Jiten ( 沖 縄 チ ャ ン プ ル ー 事 典 , "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tōkyō: Yamakei Publishers, 2003. p. 54.
- ↑ Explanatory board on the site of the former kaizuri bugyōsho .
- ↑ "Kaizuribugyō." Okinawa konpakuto jiten ( 沖 縄 コ ン パ ク ト 事 典 , "Compact Okinawa Lexicon"). Ryukyu Shimpo ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) ( 琉球 新 報 ). March 1, 2003. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
- ↑ " Dispute over the route delays decision on the extension of the monorail (s)." Weekly Japan Update . November 9, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
Web links
- www.japan-guide.com Information page (s)
- Naha City Tourist Association Official site ( August 6, 2009 memento on the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 26 ° 13 '1.2 " N , 127 ° 43' 9.9" E