− | The castle ruins lie behind the modern city of [[Urasoe]], on the northern edge of [[Naha]], today the capital of [[Okinawa Prefecture]]. It sits roughly 130-140 meters above sea level, and consists of two sections, arranged for the most part along a northwest-southeast axis. The ''Kogusuku'' (old castle) and ''Migusuku'' together cover an area roughly 380m long by 60-70m wide, the ''kogusuku'' being on a slightly higher rise to the east of the ''migusuku''. A series of interconnected enclosures cross the site from east-west. | + | The castle ruins lie behind the modern city of [[Urasoe]], on the northern edge of [[Naha]], today the capital of [[Okinawa Prefecture]]. It takes its name from the notion of ruling (''soe'') all the many various towns and villages (''uraura'', lit. "inlets" or "harbors").<ref>Akamine Mamoru, Lina Terrell (trans.), Robert Huey (ed.), ''The Ryukyu Kingdom: Cornerstone of East Asia'', University of Hawaii Press (2017), 85.</ref> The castle sits roughly 130-140 meters above sea level, and consists of two sections, arranged for the most part along a northwest-southeast axis. The ''Kogusuku'' (old castle) and ''Migusuku'' together cover an area roughly 380m long by 60-70m wide, the ''kogusuku'' being on a slightly higher rise to the east of the ''migusuku''. A series of interconnected enclosures cross the site from east-west. |
| The compound included a pair of wells called ''kagan-ukaa'' and ''kara-ukaa'', and a stone associated with [[Minamoto no Tametomo]], called ''hanarijii''.<ref name=kitahara>Kitahara Shûichi. ''A Journey to the Ryukyu Gusuku'' 琉球城紀行。 Naha: Miura Creative, 2003. p97.</ref> | | The compound included a pair of wells called ''kagan-ukaa'' and ''kara-ukaa'', and a stone associated with [[Minamoto no Tametomo]], called ''hanarijii''.<ref name=kitahara>Kitahara Shûichi. ''A Journey to the Ryukyu Gusuku'' 琉球城紀行。 Naha: Miura Creative, 2003. p97.</ref> |
| The grave of [[Iha Fuyu|Iha Fuyû]], the "father" of Okinawan Studies, is located within the castle grounds.<ref name=kitahara/> | | The grave of [[Iha Fuyu|Iha Fuyû]], the "father" of Okinawan Studies, is located within the castle grounds.<ref name=kitahara/> |
| *[[Richard Pearson|Pearson, Richard]] (2001). "Archaeological Perspectives on the Rise of the Okinawan State." ''Journal of Archaeological Research'', Vol 9, No 3. | | *[[Richard Pearson|Pearson, Richard]] (2001). "Archaeological Perspectives on the Rise of the Okinawan State." ''Journal of Archaeological Research'', Vol 9, No 3. |