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Local power-holders known as ''[[anji]]'' - who might be understood as chiefs, village heads, local lords, or by a number of other descriptors - first began to emerge in the 8th to 10th centuries. Communities became more organized and began to emerge as distinctive locales, building walls or other fortifications separating their villages from wilderness, and from one another. Though today, especially in standard Japanese or in English, the term "gusuku" is used almost exclusively to refer to a specific type of fortress, placenames preserve the fact that the term originally referred to villages, and was later used to refer to a wide variety of structures, including guardtowers and warehouses, places of worship, and tombs. Today, there are over 300 places on Okinawa which are called ''gusuku''.<ref name=journey>Kitahara Shûichi. ''A Journey to the Ryukyu Gusuku'' 琉球城紀行。 Naha: Miura Creative, 2003. p19.</ref>

Local power-holders known as ''[[anji]]'' - who might be understood as chiefs, village heads, local lords, or by a number of other descriptors - first began to emerge in the 8th to 10th centuries. Communities became more organized and began to emerge as distinctive locales, building walls or other fortifications separating their villages from wilderness, and from one another. Though today, especially in standard Japanese or in English, the term "gusuku" is used almost exclusively to refer to a specific type of fortress, placenames preserve the fact that the term originally referred to villages, and was later used to refer to a wide variety of structures, including guardtowers and warehouses, places of worship, and tombs. Today, there are over 300 places on Okinawa which are called ''gusuku''.<ref name=journey>Kitahara Shûichi. ''A Journey to the Ryukyu Gusuku'' 琉球城紀行。 Naha: Miura Creative, 2003. p19.</ref>

''Gusuku'' construction took off in the 13th-14th centuries as a few powerful ''anji'' emerged, seeking to expand their power, and fueling a period of armed conflict. Most of the largest and most famous fortresses, and those with the most impressive stone walls, date to this period.

Settlements incorporating embedded-pillar buildings, [[Okinawan tombs|tombs]], and fields, became quite numerous across the islands in the 12th-13th centuries. ''Gusuku'' construction then developed further in the 13th-14th centuries as a few powerful ''anji'' emerged, seeking to expand their power, and fueling a period of armed conflict. They built new buildings with pillars on stone foundations, and encircled the settlements in high stone walls and waterless moats, transforming them into fortresses.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/29775636243/sizes/l]</ref> Most of the largest and most famous Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' fortresses, and those with the most impressive stone walls, date to this period.

The island was divided in for most of the 14th century into [[Sanzan period|three kingdoms]], known as [[Hokuzan]], [[Chuzan|Chûzan]], and [[Nanzan]], which were then united circa [[1419]]-[[1429]] by [[Sho Hashi|Shô Hashi]], king of Chûzan, who in so doing, united the island and established the Kingdom of Ryûkyû. ''Gusuku'' had already begun to become - as castles around the world do - not merely military fortifications, but residences for the powerful, and symbols of power, prestige, and wealth. Shô Hashi established Shuri castle as his palace, and the center of political & administrative affairs for the kingdom, while other ''gusuku'', such as [[Nakijin gusuku]], the largest on the island, had already been used by the lords (kings) of Hokuzan as a sort of palace as well.

The island was divided in for most of the 14th century into [[Sanzan period|three kingdoms]], known as [[Hokuzan]], [[Chuzan|Chûzan]], and [[Nanzan]], which were then united circa [[1419]]-[[1429]] by [[Sho Hashi|Shô Hashi]], king of Chûzan, who in so doing, united the island and established the Kingdom of Ryûkyû. ''Gusuku'' had already begun to become - as castles around the world do - not merely military fortifications, but residences for the powerful, and symbols of power, prestige, and wealth. Shô Hashi established Shuri castle as his palace, and the center of political & administrative affairs for the kingdom, while other ''gusuku'', such as [[Nakijin gusuku]], the largest on the island, had already been used by the lords (kings) of Hokuzan as a sort of palace as well.