5 new Okinawa Castle Profiles

RaymondW, the modern king of Ryukyuan gusuku, has provided a new set of profiles for castles in Okinawa Prefecture. This time 4 are on the island of Kumejima and 1 on Ishigakijima. Until he started posting all the Okinawa Prefecture castles I had no idea there were so many

5 new Okinawa Castle Profiles

2024/09/22

RaymondW, the modern king of Ryukyuan gusuku, has provided a new set of profiles for castles in Okinawa Prefecture. This time 4 are on the island of Kumejima and 1 on Ishigakijima. Until he started posting all the Okinawa Prefecture castles I had no idea there were so many scattered throughout the islands.

Chinaha Castle / 伊敷索城

This castle ruin is an easy short walk from the Kumejima Hospital bus stop. Please note that buses run infrequently on the island, so visitors without their own transportation might have to use a taxi. My wife and I took the bus from a bus stop near our hotel to visit this castle.

In recent years, the local authorities have removed many trees and much of the undergrowth, so the site was quite clear when my wife and I visited. The stone wall ruins at Chinaha Castle were clearly visible unlike some of the lesser-known Ryukyuan gusukus that I have visited on the main island of Okinawa.

RaymondW wrote this castle profile and contributed all the photos.

Furusutobaru Ruins / フルスト原遺跡

Furusutobaru Ruins is a 15-minute walk from the Obama bus stop, which is located not far from the Obama Post Office.

There were hardly any people at this site on my two visits there with my wife, so castle fans can pretty much have the whole place to themselves. The restored stone-walled enclosures are signposted with a number out of 15, and there are several signs on site giving a brief history of the site and about the wildlife found in the area.

On my second visit there on a weekday, there were a couple of workers there painstakingly restoring a section of the second enclosure’s wall by methodically piling on the limestone rocks on each other in the Nozura-zumi style.

RaymondW wrote this profile and contributed all the photos.

Gushikawa Castle (Kumejima Okinawa) / 具志川城

Nakandakari bus stop is the closest bus stop to Gushikawa Castle, but buses run very infrequently, so my wife and I opted to use a taxi to get there.

This castle is quite impressively situated on the plateau of a solitary limestone hill overlooking the sea. The castle ruin is divided into four baileys, and all the baileys have stone wall ruins. The sections facing the east, above the modern-day parking area and around the main gate have been restored, but most of the other stone walls have collapsed in piles as can be seen in the photos.

RaymondW wrote this castle profile and contributed all the photos.

Tonnaha Castle / 登武那覇城

This fortress ruin was too overgrown to attempt some bush bashing in hope of spotting some stone wall remnants. In one of the Ryukyuan gusuku books that I have, there are black and white photos showing collapsed stone walls in the thick undergrowth taken in or before 1996, the year the book was published. I have put up the profile here, so Ryukyuan gusuku fans would know of this fortress on Kumejima. Perhaps one day, the local authorities will clear up the site for castle fans to visit and enjoy. RaymondW wrote this castle profile and contributed all the photos.

Uegusuku Castle / 字江城城

Hiyajo Banta bus stop is the closest bus stop to Gushikawa Castle, but buses run very infrequently. It is also a long walk uphill to the castle, so my wife and I opted to use a taxi to get there in maximise our time on the island visiting gusukus.

Uegusuku Castle’s Main Bailey has a magnificent 360-degree view of Kume Island and the surrounding sea. The view from this mountaintop castle may remind castle fans of some mountaintop castles on the main island of Honshu such Takeda Castle and Kuroi Castle with similar all-round views from the top of those castle ruins.

This castle consists of three linear baileys with the Main Bailey situated at the highest point of the mountain. When I visited with my wife, the castle ruin was undergoing some restoration work with parts of the Main Bailey not accessible to visitors. Also, the trailhead down the mountain from near the base of the Second Bailey was blocked with an off-limits sign. The Third Bailey is now used as a carpark as the end of the metal road up to the mountaintop.

This castle is not easy to access if you don’t have your own set of wheels, but the view from this castle is certainly worth the effort of visiting this mountaintop fortress. It’s the highest castle found in Okinawa Prefecture, perched 310m at the top of Mt Uegusukudake.

RaymondW wrote this castle profile and contributed all the photos.

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