World Heritage site Nakijin Castle wall collapses due to Typhoon Number Seven
Tsuketari Shina Castle/Nakijin Castle wall that collapsed due to Typhoon Number Seven’s wind and rain, taken in the afternoon of July 3 in Imadomari, Nakijin Village
July 4, 2018 Ryukyu Shimpo
Due to the wind and rain from Typhoon Number Seven that passed through the main island of Okinawa between late in the evening on July 1 and the morning on July 2, part of the castle wall of World Heritage site Nakijin Castle collapsed.
Specifically, the eastern side wall of the main enclosure of the castle that was built between the mid to late 14th century collapsed. An area about 9.7 meters wide by 6.4 meters tall collapsed.
After the typhoon passed through, members of the village’s board of education that manages the Nakijin Castle inspected the grounds and made the discovery.
To avoid secondary damage involving tourists, the board segregated the area with rope to prevent people from entering.
In 2001, a part of the castle wall was also damaged as a result of a typhoon.
The board plans to submit a damage report to the national and prefectural government.
They will also coordinate with the Okinawa’s Cultural Properties Division and Agency for Cultural Affairs regarding maintenance and restoration.
The village’s Cultural Properties Section Head Yasushi Tamagusuku said, “It’s not a place we can bring in heavy machinery, so it’s going to take considerable amount of time to restore it.We are at our wits’ end.”
The Nakijin Castle, along with the Zakimi, Katsuren, Nakagusuku, and Shuri Castles ruins were registered as a World Heritage site collectively as the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu in 2000.
In the 2010 Ryukyu Islands Earthquake that recorded a lower-five seismic intensity on the seven-point Japanese scale, part of the Katsuren Castle wall collapsed as well.
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
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