Shûri castle

首里城 shûri-jô

construction 14th century | reconstructed 1958-92 | destroyed 1945 + 2019

Naha City / Okinawa Island

From 1429 to 1879, the seat of government of the Shô, rulers of the Ryûkyû kingdom. In 1879, King Shô Tai had to abandon the castle at the behest of the Japanese government. In 1945, the complex was destroyed by American bombing and has been slowly rebuilt since 1972. In 2000, UNESCO placed the palace and other Okinawan castles (gusuku) on the World Heritage List. In 2019 a fire broke out in the main Seiden Palace and spread to other parts of the complex. A total of 6 buildings with an area of 4,200 m² were completely destroyed in the major fire.