Katsuren Castle

Pictures donated by Terry P.

History

The 10th lord of the castle, Amawari Aji, is the last and most well known lord of Katsuren Castle. He is famous for fostering prosperous international trade and many shards of Chinese pottery and tiles were found on the site of Katsuren Castle. He was also a cunning and deceiving lord. It is said that he pushed the 9th lord Mochizuki Aji off the top of the walls when he tricked Mochizuki to come up there one night and thus assumed lordship of the castle. Mochizuki was considered to be a tyrant so Amawari was a savior to the people of Katsuren. As his strength grew, Lord Gosamaru was moved to Nakagusuku Castle to keep Awamari in check. Awamari deceived the king in Shuri that Gosamaru was the bigger threat and got his support to defeat Gosamaru. Later, he also planned to seize control of the whole kingdom and overtake the king at Shuri, but this time the king was warned in time and Amawari was defeated. Some stories say it was Amawari's wife (the king's daughter) found out about the plot and warned her father in time. After Amawari, no powerful lords rose from Katsuren Castle.

Field Notes

Pictures donated by Terry P.

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Gallery

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  stone walls
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  History and Cultural Museum at Amawari Park
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  History and Cultural Museum at Amawari Park
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  Model of Katsuren Castle

Castle Profile
English Name	Katsuren Castle
Japanese Name	勝連城
Founder	Katsuren Aji
Year Founded	early 14th Century
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	stone walls
Visitor Information
Access	Bus from Naha Bus Terminal
Hours
Time Required
URL	Castle Website
Location	Uruma, Okinawa Pref., Okinawa Prefecture
Coordinates	26.33049, 127.87887
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Admin
Added to Jcastle
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