− | 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 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 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>. |