Japanology Plus

Season 9, Episode 16

Episode Title: Okinawa: The Reconstruction of Shuri Castle

Air Date: 2022-07-21

Overview:

Okinawa Prefecture is a group of subtropical islands in the far south of Japan. It was previously a prosperous maritime trading state called the Ryukyu Kingdom. In the second of 2 episodes about Okinawa, we focus on the kingdom's political and cultural hub: Shuri Castle. Our guest, historian Takara Kurayoshi, talks about working on the castle's reconstruction, and shares how he felt in 2019, when a devastating fire burned it to the ground. He also tells us about the forthcoming reconstruction project.