, officially , is a Ryukyuan
gusuku
often refers to castles or fortresses in the Ryukyu Islands that feature stone walls. However, the origin and essence of ''gusuku'' remain controversial. In the archaeology of Okinawa Prefecture, the ''Gusuku period'' refers to an archaeological ...
built in
Nanzan
Nanzan (), also known as Sannan (山南) before the 18th century, located in the south of Okinawa Island, was one of three independent political entities which controlled Okinawa in the 14th century. The political entity was identified as a tiny ...
and used until 1429. It, and the village of
Ōzato, are named after the
Ōzato Dynasty of Nanzan. It is in ruins, and is an officially designated historical site in
Nanjō City, Okinawa.
[Tokumori, Lima, and Mark Ealey. "Cultural Affairs Council Recommends Two Okinawan Sites to Minister of MEXT." Ryukyu Shimpo ]aha
AHA, Aha, or aha may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Aha!'' (TV program), an information and education TV program in the Philippines
* a-ha, a Norwegian pop music band
* ''Aha!'' (film), a 2007 Bangladeshi film
* Aha (streaming se ...
19 November 2011: n. pag. Ryukyu Shimpo. Web. 13 January 2014.
History
Nanzan was established in 1314 when the Lord of Shimajiri-Ōzato,
Ōzato Ofusato, broke away from the chieftain
Tamagusuku
was a legendary local ruler of Okinawa Island.
According to Ryukyu's official history, Okinawa was split into three polities during the reign of Tamagusuku.Kerr,
He was the third son of Eiji (r. 1309-1313), he was the fourth ruler of the Eis ...
at
Urasoe Castle. The castle was built in the 14th century West of the farming village of
Ōzato, and became the seat of the
Aji
Aji or AJI may refer to:
Location
* Aji (town), Tieling County, Liaoning, China
* Aji Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan
*Aji, Kagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
* Aji River (disambiguation), rivers with the same name
Other
* Aji (Go), a latent t ...
of Ōzato
Magiri. It fell into disuse after the capture of
Nanzan Castle in 1429. During an excavation of the site, Chinese ceramics were found, showing the extensive trade that Nanzan had done with
Ming China
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
.
In 2012, Ōzato castle became an officially designated historical site on
Okinawa Island
is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has a ...
.
References
External links
*http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2011/11/29/3883/
*http://okininjakitty.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/ozato-castle-ruins/
Castles in Okinawa Prefecture
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