Blog Entries for meg tagged 'Shuri Castle'

Kyoto's Counterpart

meg

When you think of quintessential Japan, we're betting you think of the charms of Kyoto, with its many tea houses, kimono-clad geiko, elegant shrines, and narrow alleys. On Okinawa, Kyoto's cultural counterpart is Shuri, the former seat of the royal family of the Ryukyus.

While Kyoto may have been spared from bombing by Allied generals during World War II due to its cultural importance, Shuri was given no such bye. The area was (and is) located on an impressive hilltop, and this, combi [...]

Stout Shuri

meg

For centuries, Shuri Castle has stood as the pride and joy of the Ryukyu Islands. The home of Ryukyuan royalty, its vermillion buildings shone in the tropical sun, glimmers of gold emanating regal light from the pillars and gates. Destroyed on several occasions by fire, this wooden structure has seen many incarnations, the most recent of which was completed in 1992 after nearly four decades of researchand reconstruction following the building's demise during World War II.

If the walls of [...]