Omonogusuku
- Japanese/Okinawan: 御物城 (Omonogusuku / Umungusuku)
Omonogusuku was a Ryukyuan royal storehouse located on its own small island in Naha harbor, where trade goods obtained from overseas were stored. The storehouse also served as an armory, holding spears, swords, bows and arrows, and suits of armor, and included spaces where numerous jars of sake or awamori were aged and stored according to vintage.[1]
The date of its construction is unclear, but Omonogusuku first appears in the historical record in the mid-15th century. It was headed by the Omonogusuku osasu-no-soba, the highest governmental position a member of the Naha scholar-aristocracy could attain; the osasu-no-soba held his position for a term of three years.[2] The storehouse operated until the early 18th century, when it fell into disuse as a result of the decline in Ryûkyû's foreign trade.
The former site of Omonogusuku can still be seen today in Naha Harbor, connected to the Naha "mainland" but still surrounded by water on three sides. It is located within what is now the Naha Port Facility (a US Army base), and as at Mie gusuku, modern structures have been built atop the ruins, but elements of the former structure and its stone foundations are still visible.
References
- "Omonogusuku," Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.
