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Upon entering the Kankaimon or Kyûkeimon (both built c. [[1477]]-[[1526]]),<ref name=ryufuan>''Earth Exhibit of Ryukyu Kingdom''. Ryûfûan Hawaii. 2010. p12.</ref> a visitor, official, or royal would next ascend a set of stairs flanked by seven stone tablets of investiture, representing prior kings and the authority of the Throne. Even the king himself would dismount here from his [[palanquin]] and bow before proceeding further into the complex.

Upon entering the Kankaimon or Kyûkeimon (both built c. [[1477]]-[[1526]]),<ref name=ryufuan>''Earth Exhibit of Ryukyu Kingdom''. Ryûfûan Hawaii. 2010. p12.</ref> a visitor, official, or royal would next ascend a set of stairs flanked by seven stone tablets of investiture, representing prior kings and the authority of the Throne. Even the king himself would dismount here from his [[palanquin]] and bow before proceeding further into the complex.

These stairs lead to the Zuisenmon, a red-painted wooden structure perched atop a gap in the stone wall. ''Zuisen'' means, essentially, "spring of beauty/purity/youth and good fortune"; the gate is also known as Hikawa-ujô (樋川御門), meaning "spring spout gate." This gate was originally built in [[1470]],<ref name=ryufuan/> and its names refer to the Ryûhi (龍樋) spring. Emerging to one side of the stairs, the spring was one of the main sources of fresh water to the castle. "Ryûhi," which means "dragon pipe" or "dragon flume," refers both to the spring itself and to a stone dragon head, made in China in [[1523]], which remains extant today as the main spout from which the water emerges. Seven stelae standing near the spring, restored in 1996, preserve the praise of Chinese investiture envoys for the purity of the water. Where the Kankaimon and Kyûkeimon are composed of stone arches stretching across the opening, the Zuisenmon is formed of vertical stone on either side, crossed horizontally by a wooden guardhouse/turret structure, perhaps reflective of Japanese influence and resembling one traditional style of gatehouse from [[Sengoku period]] Japanese castles.<ref>Plaque near Ryûhi / Zuisenmon stairs.</ref>

These stairs lead to the Zuisenmon, a red-painted wooden structure perched atop a gap in the stone wall. ''Zuisen'' means, essentially, "spring of beauty/purity/youth and good fortune"; the gate is also known as Hijaa-ujô (樋川御門), meaning "spring spout gate." This gate was originally built in [[1470]],<ref name=ryufuan/> and its names refer to the Ryûhi (龍樋) spring. Emerging to one side of the stairs, the spring was one of the main sources of fresh water to the castle. "Ryûhi," which means "dragon pipe" or "dragon flume," refers both to the spring itself and to a stone dragon head, made in China in [[1523]], which remains extant today as the main spout from which the water emerges. Seven stelae standing near the spring, restored in 1996, preserve the praise of Chinese investiture envoys for the purity of the water. Where the Kankaimon and Kyûkeimon are composed of stone arches stretching across the opening, the Zuisenmon is formed of vertical stone on either side, crossed horizontally by a wooden guardhouse/turret structure, perhaps reflective of Japanese influence and resembling one traditional style of gatehouse from [[Sengoku period]] Japanese castles.<ref>Plaque near Ryûhi / Zuisenmon stairs.</ref> In addition to the Ryûhi, a second spring, the Sungaa-gaa-hijaa (寒水川樋川), also served as an important water source for the castle. This spring flowed just outside of the Kyûkeimon, and drained into the Enkanchi (Enkan Pond), which in turn drained into the Ryûtan.<ref>Plaque outside of Kyûkeimon.</ref>

The path into the castle is never straight, the gates often situated at right angles to one another, in theory slowing an invading army and leaving attackers quite open to fire from defenders, stationed in the wooden gate structures and armed with Chinese-style firearms or bows & arrows. [[Stephen Turnbull]] notes, however, that the gates, and castle walls in general, lacked loopholes or other defensive features for defenders to hide behind. All in all, when the castle was invaded by Satsuma samurai in 1609, it fell quite quickly.

The path into the castle is never straight, the gates often situated at right angles to one another, in theory slowing an invading army and leaving attackers quite open to fire from defenders, stationed in the wooden gate structures and armed with Chinese-style firearms or bows & arrows. [[Stephen Turnbull]] notes, however, that the gates, and castle walls in general, lacked loopholes or other defensive features for defenders to hide behind. All in all, when the castle was invaded by Satsuma samurai in 1609, it fell quite quickly.