Agena castle

• Japanese: 安慶名城　(Agena-jou / Agena gusuku)
• Other Names: 大川城 (Ookawa-jou / Ookawa gusuku)
• Type: Okinawan gusuku
• Founder: Ôkawa anji
• Year: 14th century

Agena gusuku was an Okinawan castle which is believed to have been built by the anji (lord) of Ôkawa, in the 14th century. It lasted only three generations, being passed down to the son and grandson of its founder.

The castle made good use of the natural topography, being located on a mountain or hillside, and bounded to the north by the Tengan river. It was organized in the rinkaku manner, with roughly concentric sets of walls forming separate baileys.　The walls were made from piled-up cut stone, extending as high as 30 meters at the tallest point.

The site is today a public park and designated historical landmark in the city of Gushikawa.

References

• "Agenajôseki." Okinawa Konpakuto Jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 25 May 2010.
• Kadekawa, Manabu. "Agena-jô-seki." Okinawa Chanpurû Jiten (沖縄チャンプルー事典, "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tokyo: Yamatokei Publishers, 2003. p108.