Gusuku

**Gusuku** (J: グスク *Gusuku*, O: 城 *Gushiku*) are castles in the Ryūkyū Islands. The majority are in ruins, but Shuri Castle has been restored.

## Etymology

Two Chinese-Okinawan dictionaries, the Liuqiu-guan Yiyu and the Yiyu Yinshi, give "皇城" (imperial palace) the translation of "姑速姑" (gu-su-gu) and "窟宿孤" (ku-su-gu), respectively. Basil Hall Chamberlain speculated that it came from a combination of honorific *gu* (御) and *shuku* (宿). *Suku* has been thought to come from *soko* (J: 塞, fortress) or *soko* (J: 底, bottom), while *gu* has been thought to come from *go* (stone) or an honorific. 御塞 was found in the Omoro Soshi, dating to the early 16th century.

What is called "gusuku" is varied. The many castles and fortresses are often called gusuku, but some fortifications in the Amami Islands aren't called gusuku by the locals. Also, in the Sakishima Islands, "gusuku" can literally mean "stone wall"; so a garden with a stone wall would be called a gusuku. The ending "-suku" is also common in the Yaeyama and Miyako languages for place names of sites that classify as gusuku.

## Classification of Gusuku

Gusuku can be divided into three categories:

* Castles or fortresses

* Walled settlements

* Holy places

The castle/fortress-type gusuku is common in the Okinawa Islands, but more rare elsewhere. Many gusuku found in Northern Okinawa and the Amami Islands have earthen walls instead of stone.

The walled settlement-type gusuku can be found throughout the Ryūkyū Islands. They are most prevalent in the Sakishima Islands.

The holy place-type gusuku is also found throughout the Ryūkyū Islands. They can be located anywhere, such as on hills, in caves, or on cliffs. Holy places with "gusuku" names are often found in or near the other two types of gusuku, which has led to the speculation that the fortifications evolved around the holy places.

## History

The first gusuku was Tamagusuku Castle, traditionally said to have been built by the Ryūkyūan goddess Amamikyu. Most gusuku were built during the Gusuku Period (1187–1429), however the Ryūkyū Kingdom would continue building gusuku until the early 17th century. Gusuku are most prominent as castle/fortresses in the Okinawa Islands, but they were also built in the Amami, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands (i.e. Furusutobaru Castle), and not all were castle/fortresses. In Northern Okinawa and the Amami Islands, many fortifications that used wood and/or earth instead of stone have been found; this style of castle-building was common in medieval Japan. The culmination of gusuku engineering came in the form of the Greater Naha-Shuri defense network constructed during the reign of Shō Shin. After the Satsuma invasion of 1609, most of the fortifications fell into disuse. When Japan annexed the Ryūkyū Kingdom in 1879, it sent a battalion of Japanese soldiers to occupy Okinawa, who took up residence in Shuri Castle.

The Japanese Army manned some of the old Ryūkyūan fortifications and even modified them to fit their needs. During the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, many gusuku were the sites of fierce fighting, leading to many of them being destroyed. After the war, the American military demolished some gusuku to expand their military bases. In 1991, Shuri Castle was completely restored to its prewar condition. Other gusuku have been partially restored.

## Architecture

The average gusuku is characterized as having long, snaky stone walls, wooden buildings, and a position of political, strategic, or religious significance. The walls are typically low, with the stones being fitted together, and having little or no protection for those atop them. Gates can either be wooden gatehouses or stone arches, with large wooden doors. Many of the later gusuku were built with gun ports around the gates. The buildings inside the gusukus were built in the typical Ryūkyūan styles. Smaller gusuku (like Mie Castle) had no buildings inside of them. Less prominent gusuku had buildings with thatched roofs, and the more prominent gusuku had tiled roofs. Stone shisa (guardian lion dogs) are often seen on top of buildings or in front of entrances.