ToJo in Japan: Shuri-jo Castle Park

One of the many excursions we enjoyed during Nicki's visit was to Shuri-jo (jo is Japanese for castle), which is located on a high hill overlooking Naha City in the southern section of the island. Shuri Castle is believed to have been built at the end of the 14th century. This was the largest castle in Okinawa and measured 400 meters long from east to west, 270 meters long from north to south and 46,167 square kilometers in area. The castle was the headquarters of the Sho dynasty for 450 years - from 1492 (when three kingdoms were unified on Okinawa) through 1879. Commodore Matthew Perry signed the Treaty of Peace and Amity at Shuri Castle in 1854. Shuri Castle was designated a national treasure of Japan in 1928, then was totally destroyed in WWII during the Battle of Okinawa. After six years of planning and hard work, it was reconstructed based on photographs, historical records and memory. Shuri Castle reopened to the public in November of 1992. The "new" castle sweeps you back in time to the days of feudal warlords, emperors and warriors. Each building was painstakingly reconstructed to look as close to the original as possible.