Changes

At some point, the ''[[magiri]]'' (district) of Nakagusuku became the traditional seat of the Crown Prince. As a result, the Crown Prince's residence in Shuri was named [[Nakagusuku udun]] ("the Nakagusuku Palace"); it is not to be confused with the castle. From at least the early 17th century onward, if not earlier, Nakagusuku gusuku came to house administrative offices and guardhouses for the kingdom, continuing to function as a local administrative center for the surrounding area. [[Commodore Perry]] and his party visited Nakagusuku while in Okinawa in [[1853]], and his illustrator produced drawings of the castle which were included in the party's official report.

At some point, the ''[[magiri]]'' (district) of Nakagusuku became the traditional seat of the Crown Prince. As a result, the Crown Prince's residence in Shuri was named [[Nakagusuku udun]] ("the Nakagusuku Palace"); it is not to be confused with the castle. From at least the early 17th century onward, if not earlier, Nakagusuku gusuku came to house administrative offices and guardhouses for the kingdom, continuing to function as a local administrative center for the surrounding area. [[Commodore Perry]] and his party visited Nakagusuku while in Okinawa in [[1853]], and his illustrator produced drawings of the castle which were included in the party's official report.

The buildings on the site largely survived until they were burned down in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa.

Following the [[Ryukyu shobun|abolition of the kingdom]] in the 1870s, the ''gusuku'' became the site of the local village office. The buildings on the site largely survived until they were burned down in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. An amusement park was then built on the site, before being later dismantled.<ref>Uezato Takashi, ''Dare mo mita koto no nai Ryukyu'', Naha: Borderink (2008), 16.</ref> Along with the other ''gusuku'' sites designated as World Heritage Sites, Nakagusuku is today operated primarily as a historical site and tourist site, with a minimum of modern structures on-site.

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