Changes

====Ouchibara====

====Ouchibara====

Beyond the Seiden lay a series of nine or so rooms/buildings which constituted the Ouchibara, the private residential areas of the palace. It housed the king and his immediate family (including both royal princesses, and royal princes who had not yet [[genpuku|come of age]]), as well as the various queens and concubines to the king; the king's mother and grandmother; wetnurses to the king, princes, and/or princesses; and roughly one hundred additional court ladies. These court ladies were divided into two main groups: one, the ''usuba gufuukuu'' 御側御奉公, were ladies-in-waiting who came from elite families (often of some relation to the royal family) and who were in service to the queen or royal concubines; the other, known as ''gusukunchu'' (城人, lit. "people of the palace/castle"), handled a wide range of palace business. The ''gusukunchu'' were selected from families from Naha or Shuri or from elsewhere in the kingdom, and helped look after the king and other members of the royal family.<ref>Gallery labels, "Women of the Ouchibara," Shuri castle.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15440305095/sizes/h/]</ref>

Beyond the Seiden lay a series of nine or so rooms/buildings which constituted the Ouchibara, the private residential areas of the palace. It housed the king and his immediate family (including both royal princesses, and royal princes who had not yet [[genpuku|come of age]]), as well as the various queens and concubines to the king; the king's mother and grandmother; wetnurses to the king, princes, and/or princesses; and roughly one hundred additional court ladies. These court ladies were divided into two main groups: one, the ''usuba gufuukuu'' 御側御奉公, were ladies-in-waiting who came from elite families (often of some relation to the royal family) and who were in service to the queen or royal concubines; the other, known as ''gusukunchu'' (城人, lit. "people of the palace/castle"), handled a wide range of palace business. The ''gusukunchu'' were selected from families from Naha or Shuri or from elsewhere in the kingdom, and helped look after the king and other members of the royal family.<ref name=women>Gallery labels, "Women of the Ouchibara," Shuri castle.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15440305095/sizes/h/]</ref>

 

In addition to handling a variety of other responsibilities pertaining to the operation of the palace, the care of the royal family, and so forth, women of the Ouchibara also spent much time making thread, weaving cloth, and sewing garments; these included clothing for themselves, members of the royal family, and others, made from a variety of materials including ''[[bashofu|bashôfu]]'' and ''[[karamushi]]'', among others.<ref name=women/>

The king and other members of the royal family were the only men permitted in this portion of the palace. Women used the Shukujunmon or the Nakamon attached to the kitchens (Yuinchi, 寄満) to come in and out of the ''ouchibara''.<ref name=plaques/>

The king and other members of the royal family were the only men permitted in this portion of the palace. Women used the Shukujunmon or the Nakamon attached to the kitchens (Yuinchi, 寄満) to come in and out of the ''ouchibara''.<ref name=plaques/>