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*''Japanese/Okinawan'': 首里 ''(Shuri / Sui)''
*''Japanese/Okinawan'': 首里 ''(Shuri / Sui)''
Shuri was the royal capital of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]]. It was absorbed in the modern period into the neighboring port city of [[Naha]], and is thus today a neighborhood of the prefectural capital of [[Okinawa prefecture|Okinawa]].
Shuri was the royal capital of the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]], and of its predecessor, the kingdom of [[Chuzan|Chûzan]]. It was absorbed in the modern period into the neighboring port city of [[Naha]], and is thus today a neighborhood of the prefectural capital of [[Okinawa prefecture|Okinawa]].
==Geography & Sites==
==Geography & Sites==
The royal palace, [[Shuri castle]], faced west towards China. A major boulevard called Aijô-ufumichi (J: ''Ayamon ômichi'') extended west from the castle's main gate, the [[Shureimon]]; this boulevard was home to a number of significant sites, many of which have been restored today. These include the Chûzanmon (second gate after the Shureimon); [[Nakagusuku udun]], the Crown Prince's mansion, which may be restored by 2020; the royal mausoleum, [[Tamaudun]]; [[Ankokuzen-ji]], another major Zen temple patronized by the royal family; and the ''[[Uchakuya]]'', an office/residence used by the ''[[zaiban bugyo|zaiban bugyô]]'', a representative of [[Satsuma han]].<ref>Plaques on-site at Shuri castle.</ref>
The royal palace, [[Shuri castle]], faced west towards China. A major boulevard called Aijô-ufumichi (J: ''Ayamon ômichi'') extended west from the castle's main gate, the [[Shureimon]]; this boulevard was home to a number of significant sites, many of which have been restored today. These include the Chûzanmon (second gate after the Shureimon); [[Nakagusuku udun]], the Crown Prince's mansion, which may be restored by 2020; the royal mausoleum, [[Tamaudun]]; [[Ankokuzen-ji]], another major Zen temple patronized by the royal family; and the ''[[Uchakuya]]'', an office/residence used by the ''[[zaiban bugyo|zaiban bugyô]]'', a representative of [[Satsuma han]].<ref>Plaques on-site at Shuri castle.</ref> The grounds of the castle, along with [[Sonohyan utaki]] (a sacred site at the castle), Shikinaen, and Tamaudun, were named UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]s in 2000, as part of a group called "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu."
A cobblestone road constructed in [[1522]] under King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] led south from the castle towards the royal family's mansion at [[Shikinaen]], eventually looping around to Naha Port. One section of that road survives today, and is known as the [[Shuri Kinjo stone-paved road|Shuri Kinjô stone-paved road]].<ref>''[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41691-storytopic-121.html Shuri Kinjô-chô ishitatami michi]," Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.</ref>
A cobblestone road constructed in [[1522]] under King [[Sho Shin|Shô Shin]] led south from the castle towards the royal family's mansion at [[Shikinaen]], eventually looping around to Naha Port. One section of that road survives today, and is known as the [[Shuri Kinjo stone-paved road|Shuri Kinjô stone-paved road]].<ref>''[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-41691-storytopic-121.html Shuri Kinjô-chô ishitatami michi]," Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.</ref>
Many of the famous sites in Shuri today, as a result, date originally to the reign of King Shô Shin in the 16th century. The [[Benten]] Hall and its attached Tennyo Bridge at [[Ryutan|Ryûtan]] Pond were completed in [[1502]], the cobblestone road to the south in [[1522]], and XXX.
Many of the famous sites in Shuri today, as a result, date originally to the reign of King Shô Shin in the 16th century. The [[Benten]] Hall and its attached Tennyo Bridge at [[Ryutan|Ryûtan]] Pond were completed in [[1502]], the cobblestone road to the south in [[1522]], and XXX.
The city was home to one of Ryûkyû's four groups of scholar-aristocrat lineages; the other three derived from Naha, [[Kumemura]], and [[Tomari]].
The city, and the castle, fell to samurai invaders from Satsuma han in [[1609]]/4. Following the [[invasion of Ryukyu|invasion]], the Ryukyuan government, bureaucracy, and society were left intact, and King [[Sho Nei|Shô Nei]] restored to his throne two years later. The kingdom was permitted to retain considerable autonomy in its domestic affairs, with Satsuma being chiefly interested in exploiting Ryûkyû for its commercial connections, and the prestige of claiming a foreign kingdom as a vassal. Shuri was rebuilt following its destruction at the hands of these samurai invaders, and came to house an office/residence for Satsuma officials, but otherwise was largely unaffected by the political shift, in terms of the city's character, layout, and even administration.
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