Ryukyuan architecture

Okinawa's architecture, typified in its gusuku (noble & royal castles) and minka (vernacular residences), incorporates Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian influence in rather distinctive local forms. Red-orange earthenware roof tiles and the white Okinawan limestone used in walls are among the most recognizable, or often-cited, features.

Early Okinawan Architecture

Pit-dwellings first appeared in the early Shell Mound period (c. 2000-1000 BCE), reaching their height around the middle of that period (c. 1000 - 100 BCE). The largest covered around ten square meters. Two styles of square pit dwellings have been found in Okinawa: some were simply dug into the red earth, while others, especially those in sandier areas, were encircled by limestone walls. Neither of the two forms featured hearths. Several communities of forty dwellings or more have been discovered on the island, including those at the Shinugudô site in Yonagusuku and the Nishi-Nagahamabaru site in Nakijin.

In the Late Shell Mound Period (c. 100 BCE - 1000 CE), pit dwellings were replaced with structured supported by pillars embedded in the ground.

References

• Suzuki Kakichi, et al. "Ryukyuan Architecture: Its History and Features," Okinawa bijutsu zenshû 沖縄美術全集, vol 5, Okinawa Times (1989), 87-111.