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Urasoe yôdore, located in a cave on a cliff to the northeast<ref name=compact>"Urasoe yôdore." ''[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-40437-storytopic-121.html Okinawa Konpakuto Jiten]'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 25 September 2009.</ref> of [[Urasoe castle]] on [[Okinawa]], is a mausoleum housing the remains of three 13th-14th century rulers of the island, along with one king of the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]] separated from the others by several centuries. It is associated with [[Gokuraku-ji]], the first Buddhist temple to be established in Ryûkyû.<ref>''Kenchiku kankei ryaku nenpyô'' (Architectural Abbreviated Chronology), gallery label, [[Tamaudun]].[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15282589387/]</ref>

Urasoe yôdore, located in a cave on a cliff to the northeast<ref name=compact>"Urasoe yôdore." ''[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-40437-storytopic-121.html Okinawa Konpakuto Jiten]'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 25 September 2009.</ref> of [[Urasoe castle]] on [[Okinawa]], is a mausoleum housing the remains of three 13th-14th century rulers of the island, along with one king of the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Kingdom of Ryûkyû]] separated from the others by several centuries. It is associated with [[Gokuraku-ji]], the first Buddhist temple to be established in Ryûkyû.<ref>''Kenchiku kankei ryaku nenpyô'' (Architectural Abbreviated Chronology), gallery label, [[Tamaudun]].[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/15282589387/]</ref>

The mausoleum was established in [[1261]], during the reign of [[Eiso]], when Okinawa was ruled by a network of local chieftains under the leadership of one head chieftain or "king," before the island was divided into [[Sanzan period|three kingdoms]]. The mausoleum consists of three chambers cut directly into the limestone cliff, including two for entombment, and one for ''[[senkotsu]]''<ref>A key element of traditional Ryukyuan funerary ritual, in which remains are stored for a period, before the bones are later washed and more fully, properly, laid to rest.</ref>. Eiso and two of his successors are entombed at Urasoe yôdore, in sarcophagi of a Chinese diorite stone<ref name=compact/>; excavations have discovered bodies wrapped in textiles.<ref>Gallery labels, [[Okinawa Prefectural Museum]], August 2013.</ref> Statues of the [[bodhisattva]]s [[Kannon]] and [[Jizo|Jizô]] stand inside the cave<ref>Shinzato, Keiji et al. ''Okinawa-ken no rekishi'' (沖縄県の歴史, "History of Okinawa Prefecture"). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p36 (Appendix).</ref>.

The mausoleum was established in [[1261]], during the reign of [[Eiso]], when Okinawa was ruled by a network of local chieftains under the leadership of one head chieftain or "king," before the island was divided into [[Sanzan period|three kingdoms]]. The mausoleum consists of three chambers cut directly into the limestone cliff, including two for entombment, and one for ''[[senkotsu]]''<ref>A key element of traditional Ryukyuan funerary ritual, in which remains are stored for a period, before the bones are later washed and more fully, properly, laid to rest.</ref>. Eiso and two others were entombed at Urasoe yôdore in that period, in sarcophagi of a Chinese diorite stone<ref name=compact/>; excavations have discovered bodies wrapped in textiles.<ref>Gallery labels, [[Okinawa Prefectural Museum]], August 2013.</ref> Statues of the [[bodhisattva]]s [[Kannon]] and [[Jizo|Jizô]] stand inside the cave<ref>Shinzato, Keiji et al. ''Okinawa-ken no rekishi'' (沖縄県の歴史, "History of Okinawa Prefecture"). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p36 (Appendix).</ref>.

More than 300 years later, King [[Sho Nei|Shô Nei]] requested to be buried at Urasoe and not in the Shô family royal mausoleum of [[Tamaudun]]. His reign had seen the [[invasion of Ryukyu]] by forces from Japan's [[Satsuma province]], and the subjugation of the kingdom to Satsuma's suzerainty, and thus it is believed that he felt he had dishonored his family and his kingdom, and was not worthy of being buried with his ancestors<ref>Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp165-166.</ref>.

More than 300 years later, King [[Sho Nei|Shô Nei]] requested to be buried at Urasoe and not in the Shô family royal mausoleum of [[Tamaudun]]. His reign had seen the [[invasion of Ryukyu]] by forces from Japan's [[Satsuma province]], and the subjugation of the kingdom to Satsuma's suzerainty, and thus it is believed that he felt he had dishonored his family and his kingdom, and was not worthy of being buried with his ancestors<ref>Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. Revised Edition. Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. pp165-166.</ref>.