page_title: Okinawan architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Okinawan architecture
caption_attribution_description: English: Traditional house of a wealthy family in Okinawa Prefecture. Believed to be Nakamura House, Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. I took this photo and contribute my rights in the file to the public domain; individuals and organizations retain rights to images in it. Español: Casa tradicional de una familia acomodada en la Prefectura de Okinawa.
context_page_description: The history of Okinawan architecture dates back to the Shell Mound Period that lasted between 2000–1000 BC. During this period, houses in Okinawa were principally pit dwellings. Constructors dug houses into the red earth or encircled them by walls made of limestone material. Hearths never featured in either of the two forms of pit-dwellings. During the late quarter of the Shell Mound Period, people started building structures that pillars supported. To build the new buildings, people started using the black muddy soil found in the area to produce tiles. The first step involved mixing the mud with water and drying it for forty days. The second step involved baking the tiles and this led to the roof tiles will has the red color, which is the most significant feature of Okinawan architecture. The red roofs were a preserve of aristocrats because commoners used to live in grass-thatched houses. In 1889, however, the Shuri government abolished the exclusive use of red tiles among the aristocrats and commoners started using the design on their houses. Since then, red tiles are a common feature on houses in Okinawa.
context_section_description: The history of Okinawan architecture dates back to the Shell Mound Period that lasted between 2000–1000 BC. During this period, houses in Okinawa were principally pit dwellings. Constructors dug houses into the red earth or encircled them by walls made of limestone material. Hearths never featured in either of the two forms of pit-dwellings. During the late quarter of the Shell Mound Period, people started building structures that pillars supported. To build the new buildings, people started using the black muddy soil found in the area to produce tiles. The first step involved mixing the mud with water and drying it for forty days. The second step involved baking the tiles and this led to the roof tiles will has the red color, which is the most significant feature of Okinawan architecture. The red roofs were a preserve of aristocrats because commoners used to live in grass-thatched houses. In 1889, however, the Shuri government abolished the exclusive use of red tiles among the aristocrats and commoners started using the design on their houses. Since then, red tiles are a common feature on houses in Okinawa. 
  In addition to the houses with red roofs, Okinawan architecture also consists of castles or fortresses, which are prominent in the Ryukyu Islands. The primary feature of these structures is their stone walls. The structures, commonly referred to as gusuku, also have one or multiple baileys, depending on their size. An additional feature is the presence of gates guarding entrances. At the heart of these buildings is a main hall, often referred to as seidan, which is reserved as the residence of the feudal lord. Moreover, almost all the gusuku structures contain shrines that occupants use to perform religious rites. The Shuri Castle is an example of a gusuku structure.
caption: Red tile on the traditional Okinawan house
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