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| Agena ''[[gusuku]]'' was an Okinawan castle which is believed to have been built by the ''[[anji]]'' (lord) of Ôkawa, in the 14th century. It lasted only three generations, being passed down to the son and grandson of its founder. | | Agena ''[[gusuku]]'' was an Okinawan castle which is believed to have been built by the ''[[anji]]'' (lord) of Ôkawa, in the 14th century. It lasted only three generations, being passed down to the son and grandson of its founder. |
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− | The castle made good use of the natural topography, being located on a mountain or hillside, and bounded to the north by the [[Tengan river]]<!--天願川-->. It was organized in the ''rinkaku'' manner, with roughly concentric sets of walls forming separate baileys. The walls were made from piled-up cut stone, extending as high as 30 meters at the tallest point.
| + | Ôkawa ''anji'' was a relative of the lord of [[Nakijin gusuku]], and his territory included [[Kyan gusuku]] and [[Yara gusuku]] as well.<ref name=kitahara>Kitahara Shûichi. ''A Journey to the Ryukyu Gusuku'' 琉球城紀行。 Naha: Miura Creative, 2003. p97.</ref> |
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− | The site is today a public park and designated historical landmark in the city of [[Gushikawa]]. | + | The castle made good use of the natural topography, being located on a mountain or hillside roughly 49 meters above sea level,<ref name=kitahara/> and bounded to the north by the [[Tengan river]]<!--天願川-->. It was organized in the ''rinkaku'' manner, with roughly concentric sets of walls forming separate baileys, the innermost surrounding an open space at the top of the hill, and the outermost located roughly halfway up the incline. The walls were made from piled-up cut stone, ranging in height from two meters to more than 10 meters at the tallest point.<ref name=kitahara/> |
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| + | The compound contains several sites of worship (''[[utaki]]''), and the tomb of the lords of Agena.<ref name=kitahara/> |
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| + | The site is today a public park and nationally designated historical landmark in the city of [[Gushikawa]]. |
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| ==References== | | ==References== |
| *"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-40059-storytopic-121.html Agenajôseki]." Okinawa Konpakuto Jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 25 May 2010. | | *"[http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-40059-storytopic-121.html Agenajôseki]." Okinawa Konpakuto Jiten (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 25 May 2010. |
| *Kadekawa, Manabu. "Agena-jô-seki." ''Okinawa Chanpurû Jiten'' (沖縄チャンプルー事典, "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tokyo: Yamatokei Publishers, 2003. p108. | | *Kadekawa, Manabu. "Agena-jô-seki." ''Okinawa Chanpurû Jiten'' (沖縄チャンプルー事典, "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tokyo: Yamatokei Publishers, 2003. p108. |
| + | <references/> |
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| [[Category:Ryukyu]] | | [[Category:Ryukyu]] |
| [[Category:Castles]] | | [[Category:Castles]] |