View source for Ginowan-udun tomb

[[File:Ginowanudun-tomb.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The Ginowan-udun tomb]]
*''Japanese'': [[宜野湾]][[御殿]]の墓 ''(Ginowan udun no haka)''

The Ginowan-udun tomb is a large [[Okinawan tombs|Okinawan tomb]] in Sueyoshi Park, in [[Naha]], [[Okinawa prefecture|Okinawa]]. Constructed in the early 18th century, it is an example of the oldest extant style of [[turtleback tombs]] (J: ''kamekô baka'', ''kikkô baka'', [[Okinawan language|O]]: ''kaami nu kuu baka''). Always a royal tomb, in the 19th century, it became the burial site of the Ginowan-udun line of royal princes, namely King [[Sho Tai|Shô Tai's]] second son [[Sho In|Shô In]], and Shô In's descendants.

Turtleback tombs only first began to be constructed in the 17th century. One of the defining features of this earlier form, evident in the Ginowan-udun tomb, is a gentler curve of the front section of the tomb's roof, a section known as the ''mayu'' (brow, O: ''mayu''). The high rank of those interred is represented in part by the number of stone walls to either side of the tomb, known as ''sode'' (sleeves, O: ''sudi''). At the Ginowan-udun tomb, there are three such walls nested up against one another, where most tombs would have one. The ''[[hinpun]]'' (a stone wall protecting the entrance to the tomb from foul winds) is also quite high, and with only narrow entryways to either side; when someone was to be interred here, the coffin would have had to be raised high to get over the ''hinpun'', a representation again of the deceased's high rank, and also of the desire to make it difficult for one to pass out of the world of the living.

The tomb alone is quite large, but the surrounding area considered part of the associated graveyard covers about 4000 ''[[Japanese Measurements|tsubo]]'' of land area (about 12,000 m<sup>2</sup>, or three acres), including ruins of guard houses, and a cobblestone path.

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==References==
*Plaques on-site.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15053304734/sizes/k/]

[[Category:Edo Period]]
[[Category:Ryukyu]]
[[Category:Historic Buildings]]