In May 2024, I visited Shurijo (Castle) and the reconstruction is advancing quite well. The day I randomly chose was one of two days, during the entire project, that the public could get an up-close and very personal look at the progress, construction techniques and speak to the builders and foremen. I was ecstatic! It seems that the previous building, though very impressive, was not entirely accurate to the original. However, with a great amount of research throughout the world (so many countries had visited the Ryukyu Kingdom and recorded detailed descriptions) and a better archive on Okinawa, the current reconstruction is expected to be closest to the original. The Seiden is currently enclosed in a warehouse type shell to protect it and allow work to continue 24/7. Also, lacquer being applied at this stage. The pictures below show how precise and advanced the work is. When finished, beautiful tile will cover all of this wood. The projection is for the unveiling around the end of 2026.
The first alarm was sent out at 2:47am JST, October 31st, 2019. Not long after, news agencies around the world began reporting on the devastating early morning fire that has destroyed the main castle structure (Seiden), as well as the accompanying administrative buildings to the north (Hokuden) and the south (Nanden and Bandokoro). Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said that Shurijo is “a symbol of the Ryukyu Kingdom, an expression of its history and culture,” and has vowed to rebuild it. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Shurijo is “an extremely important symbol of Okinawa.” I can recall the beginning of the current reconstruction in the early 1980’s, finally opened to the public in 1992. Construction continued around the castle site until 1999. In 2000, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and hosted the world leaders attending the G-8 Summit. Though some criticize the few historic inaccuracies, due to royal records being destroyed during WWII, I can testify that it was (and will be again) an exquisite and very detailed representation of the original period of the Sho Dynasty… inside and out! It is, also, a reminder of the rich and impressive history of the talents, determination, tenacity and high level social structure of the Ryukyu kingdom and its people. For all who have visited this site and witnessed the opulent ceremonies reenacted there, this is heartbreaking. However, Uchinanchu (Okinawans) around the world will do as we have always done when tragedy descends upon us… We will band together, persevere and rebuild, through our character of cooperation, hard work and community.
