Nanzan Castle

Nanzan Castle
島尻大里城
Nanzan Castle; 島尻大里城
Itoman, Okinawa
	Nanzan Castle before 1945
	Nanzan Castle; 島尻大里城 Nanzan Castle; 島尻大里城
Type	Gusuku
Site information
Controlled by	Nanzan (1314-1429); Chūzan (1429); Ryūkyū Kingdom (1429–1879); Empire of Japan (1879–1945); United States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands(1945-1950); United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands(1950-1972); Japan(1972-present)
Open to; the public	yes
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	early 14th century
Built by	Ōzato family
In use	early 14th century – 1429
Materials	Ryukyuan limestone, wood
Demolished	1429 invasion of Nanzan
Battles/wars	Invasion of Nanzan (1429)
Garrison information
Occupants	Kings of Nanzan

Nanzan Castle (南山城, Nanzan jō, Okinawan: Nanzan Gushiku), officially Shimajiri-Ōzato Castle (島尻大里城, Shimajiri-Ōzato jō, Okinawan: Shimajiri-Ufuzatu Gushiku), is a Ryūkyūan gusuku and was the largest in, and capital of, Nanzan until 1429. It is in ruins, and is located in Itoman.

History

Nanzan Castle was built in the early 14th century, and became capital of Nanzan in 1314 when the Lord of Ōzato, Ōzato Ofusato, broke away from the chieftain Tamagusuku at Urasoe Castle.^[1] It sat on a hill near the fishing town of Itoman and the farming village of Ōzato. There was a small inlet at the bottom of the hill that allowed merchant ships to trade directly with the castle.^[2] The strategic location of the castle allowed Nanzan to compete with Chūzan and outlive Hokuzan, but during a succession dispute in 1429 following the death of the last King of Nanzan, Ōzato Taromai, the army of Chūzan captured the castle.^[2] In the 1950s, a primary school was built within the inner court of the castle.^[2]

References

^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2014-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ a b c Kerr, George H. Okinawa, The History of an Island People, Second Printing, Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, 1959, p. 60

External links

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/drfcr421/24216370.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20140421051014/http://www.odnsym.com/pic/iseki/nanzan.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20140108225416/http://www.okipota.com/db02/history/ruin009/

26°07′40″N 127°41′20″E / 26.127779748951877°N 127.68891562920695°E / 26.127779748951877; 127.68891562920695

[1] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2014-04-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[kerr1959-2] Kerr, George H. Okinawa, The History of an Island People, Second Printing, Charles E. Tuttle Company, Tokyo, 1959, p. 60