Yara gusuku

• Type: Okinawan gusuku
• Built: 13th-14th centuries
• Status: Ruins
• Japanese: 屋良城 (Yara gusuku)

Yara gusuku was an Okinawan fortress in the Hija neighborhood of Yomitan village, in central Okinawa. It is particularly famous as the supposed birthplace of Amawari (d. 1458), who would later be lord of Katsuren.

Yara is of a relatively older type of gusuku, built in the 13th or 14th century without stone walls. The fortress takes advantage of the natural topography, being located on a hill near the Hija River. The main enclosure sits about 40 meters above sea level, and the site as a whole surrounded by defensible natural valleys to the east and west.

As at many other gusuku sites, a tomb for the lords of the castle has been dug into the natural stone, and excavations have revealed old pottery, beads, rice and wheat, and other materials. The Ryûkyû-koku yurai-ki suggests the castle contained an utaki (a sacred space of the native Ryukyuan religion); legends also tell of Yara as the birthplace of Amawari, and the residence of Yara-Ôkawa anji.

The castle was further guarded by Tomari gusuku, which sat a short distance away, and served as a watchtower and trading center.

References

• Kitahara Shûichi. A Journey to the Ryukyu Gusuku 琉球城紀行。 Naha: Miura Creative, 2003. p93.