Damaged roof tiles from Shuri Castle used to make flower bed, providing new home to 300 flowers at Tsuboya Elementary School in Naha

Damaged roof tiles from Shuri Castle used to make flower bed, providing new home to 300 flowers at Tsuboya Elementary School in Naha

School children and Dad’s Association members sitting alongside the red roof tile and mortar flower beds home to hundreds of flowers. October 4, Tsuboya Elementary School in Makishi, Naha (photograph provided by the Tsuboya Dads’ Association)


October 20, 2020 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Hiroe Nakagawa

Flower beds made with the red roofing tiles called aka kawara from Shuri Castle, which was destroyed in a fire, have started blooming flowers such as marigold and bougainvillea in various colors, delighting the eyes of both children and passerby.

The flower beds were designed by the “Tsuboya Dads’ Association” (Yasutomo Nerome, chairman), a group that watches out for the safety of the children of Tsuboya. They offer the children a reminder about the castle while raising the flowers, and the group hopes that being surrounded by flowers will bring smiles to their faces.

The flower beds were built in September by children, parents, teachers, and other members of the community. They were constructed with support from representative director Atsushi Tabata and Genki Horikiri from the Ryukyu Aka Kawara and Mortar Construction Association. The beds run along the path from the school entrance to the school building, about 10 meters long on the left side, and 14 meters long on the right. Around 300 flowers have been planted in the beds.

Dads’ Association chairman Nerome said, “Because of the flower beds, the children will remember both Shuri Castle and the experience of raising flowers.”

(English translation by T&CT and Sam Grieb)

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