Changes

While responsibility for the management and maintenance of the castle grounds and structures was divided between the national and prefectural governments, the Churashima Foundation (which also oversees Okinawa Ocean Expo Park and plays a prominent role in the operation of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum) oversees the reproduction and maintenance of individual objects such as statuary, furniture, and wall decor, as well as the castle's collections of surviving historical artworks and artifacts.<ref>Uezu Yasuyuki, "The Path towards the Restoration of Shurijo Castle," n.d., 7.</ref> The grounds beneath and around the reconstructed castle were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, and the reconstructed castle became the site of regular reenactments of royal court ceremonies and numerous other cultural performances, as well as regularly-cycling temporary exhibits of artworks and other treasures related to the kingdom. The castle quickly became the most-visited tourist site on Okinawa Island, boasting some three million visitors a year.<ref>"Hôdô shashin shû Shurijô" 報道写真集・首里城, Okinawa Times (2019), n.p.</ref> Over the following decades, additional areas were restored and opened to the public. The Yuinchi, Kugani udun, Kinshû tsumesho, and Okushoin (described below) were restored and opened in 2014, and in February 2019, areas of the Agari no Azana (eastern lookout) and Ouchibaru (women's quarters) not previously open were made accessible to the public.<ref>"Hôdô shashin shû Shurijô," 34.</ref>

While responsibility for the management and maintenance of the castle grounds and structures was divided between the national and prefectural governments, the Churashima Foundation (which also oversees Okinawa Ocean Expo Park and plays a prominent role in the operation of the Okinawa Prefectural Museum) oversees the reproduction and maintenance of individual objects such as statuary, furniture, and wall decor, as well as the castle's collections of surviving historical artworks and artifacts.<ref>Uezu Yasuyuki, "The Path towards the Restoration of Shurijo Castle," n.d., 7.</ref> The grounds beneath and around the reconstructed castle were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, and the reconstructed castle became the site of regular reenactments of royal court ceremonies and numerous other cultural performances, as well as regularly-cycling temporary exhibits of artworks and other treasures related to the kingdom. The castle quickly became the most-visited tourist site on Okinawa Island, boasting some three million visitors a year.<ref>"Hôdô shashin shû Shurijô" 報道写真集・首里城, Okinawa Times (2019), n.p.</ref> Over the following decades, additional areas were restored and opened to the public. The Yuinchi, Kugani udun, Kinshû tsumesho, and Okushoin (described below) were restored and opened in 2014, and in February 2019, areas of the Agari no Azana (eastern lookout) and Ouchibaru (women's quarters) not previously open were made accessible to the public.<ref>"Hôdô shashin shû Shurijô," 34.</ref>

The Seiden caught fire early in the morning on Oct 31, 2019; the fire soon spread, and by the time it was put out in the early afternoon that same day, the Seiden and Hokuden had been completely destroyed, with the Nanden and four other structures (for a total of seven structures) suffering severe damage. Some number of historical treasures were lost in the fire. There are plans to rebuild the lost structures, however it is unclear how long this will take, or the extent of the losses of irreplaceable cultural artifacts and the like.<ref name=nhkfire>"[https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20191031/amp/k10012157881000.html 首里城で火災「正殿」などが全焼 那覇]," NHK News Web, 31 Oct 2019.</ref>

The Seiden caught fire early in the morning on Oct 31, 2019; the fire soon spread, and by the time it was put out in the early afternoon that same day, the Seiden and Hokuden had been completely destroyed, with the Nanden and four other structures (for a total of seven structures) suffering severe damage. Out of the roughly 1500 historical treasures and notable reproductions held at the castle, roughly 421 were lost in the fire. Those lost included several (original, historical) paintings and documents and numerous lacquerware and pottery objects that had been on display in the temporary exhibit galleries at the time of the fire, a number of replicas produced since the 1980s, including the royal thrones, royal crown, royal seals, and lacquered Qing imperial calligraphy plaques displayed in the throne room, and models of the castle displayed in the Main Hall and gift shop.<ref>"[https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/507607 首里城火災、焼失した所蔵品393点のリスト初公表　被害の半数超は漆器]," ''Okinawa Times'', 8 Dec 2019.</ref> As of 2020, reconstruction is projected to be completed in 2026.<ref>"[https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/552187 首里城正殿 2026年までに完成　政府が工程表決定　22年中に本格着工]," ''Okinawa Times'', 27 March 2020.</ref>

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