is one of the three royal

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be con ...

s of the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in t ...

, along with Urasoe yōdore at

Urasoe Castle is a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' which served as the capital of the medieval Okinawan principality of Chūzan prior to the unification of the island into the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the moving of the capital to Shuri. In the 14th century, Urasoe was the la ...

and Izena Tamaudun near Izena Castle in

Izena, Okinawa is a village occupying Izena Island in the north of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (though administered as part of Shimajiri District). There are five localities of about equal size and population located on the island: Izena, Nakada, Shomi, Uchih ...

. The mausoleum is located in Shuri,

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, and was built for Ryūkyūan royalty in 1501Kerr, George H. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People'' (revised ed.). Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. p109. by King

Shō Shin was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the third ruler the second Shō dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the dy ...

, the third king of the

Second Shō Dynasty The was the last dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1469 to 1879, ruled by the under the title of King of Chūzan. This family took the family name from the earlier rulers of the kingdom, the first Shō family, even though the new royal famil ...

a short distance from

Shuri Castle was a Ryukyuan '' gusuku'' castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroye ...

Overview

The site, covering an area of 2,442m²,Official pamphlet obtained on-site consists of two stone-walled enclosures, the three compartments of the mausoleum itself facing north and backed by a natural cliff to the south.Kadekawa, Manabu. ''Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia'' (沖縄チャンプルー事典). Tokyo: Yama-Kei Publishers, 2001. p56. A stone stele in the outer enclosure memorializes the construction of the mausoleum, which was finished in 1501, and lists the name of Shō Shin along with those of eight others involved in the construction. The three compartments of the mausoleum are laid out from east to west, with kings and queens in the eastern compartment and the princes and rest of the royal family in the western compartment, the central compartment used for the Ryukyuan tradition of '; remains would only be kept here for a limited time, after which the bones were washed and entombed.Official plaques and gallery labels on-site. The ''

shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some ...

'' (stone lions) guarding the tomb are examples of traditional Ryūkyūan stone sculpture. The architectural style of the mausoleum represents that of the royal palace at the time, which was a stone structure with a wooden roof. The structure suffered extensive damage in the 1945

battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...

, and was subsequently looted, but the tombs and royal remains themselves remained intact, and much of the structure has since been restored. In 1992 Hiroshi Shō, the great-grandson of

Shō Tai was the last king of the Ryukyu Kingdom (8 June 1848 – 10 October 1872) and the head of the Ryukyu Domain (10 October 1872 – 27 March 1879). His reign saw greatly increased interactions with travelers from abroad, particularly from Europe ...

, the last king of the

Ryūkyū Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...

, donated Tamaudun and the royal gardens of Shikina-en to the City of

Naha is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area i ...

. It was designated a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

on December 2, 2000, as a part of the site group ''

Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu The is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of nine sites all located in the Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The heritage sites include two '' utaki'' (or sacred sites, one a gate and the other a grove), the Tamaudun mausoleum, one garden, a ...

'' and a

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundam ...

in 2018.

Burials

Seventeen of the 19 kings of the Second Shō Dynasty who ruled between 1470 and 1879 are entombed at Tamaudun, along with various queens and royal children. The first person to be buried there was

Shō En was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the founder of the Second Shō dynasty. Prior to becoming king, he was known as . Early life and rise to power Kanamaru was born into a family of peasant farmers on Izena, Okinawa, Izena Island,"Shō En." ''Okin ...

, for whom the mausoleum was constructed upon the orders of his son and successor,

. However, for approximately 25 years, Shō En was not initially interred here, given that he died in 1476 and the mausoleum was not completed until 1501. Other monarchs not interred here include Shō Sen'i (1430-1477), who was not later re-interred here as his brother was, and

Shō Nei was king of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1587 to 1620. He reigned during the 1609 invasion of Ryukyu and was the first king of Ryukyu to be a vassal to the Shimazu clan of Satsuma, a Japanese feudal domain. Shō Nei was the great-grandson of Shō Sh ...

(1564–1620) who chose to be interred separately in Urasoe yōdore in the aftermath of the

Invasion of Ryukyu The by forces of the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma took place from March to May of 1609, and marked the beginning of the Ryukyu Kingdom's status as a vassal state under the Satsuma domain. The invasion force was met with stiff resistance ...

. The last interree was former Prince of Nakagusuku,

Shō Ten was . He lost that title upon the abolition of the kingdom and the forced abdication of the king, his father, Shō Tai, in 1879, and later succeeded to the title of in the '' kazoku'' peerage following his father's death in 1901. Life Sh ...

, the son of the Ryūkyū Kingdom's last king,

, who was entombed there in 1920 in accordance with traditional Ryūkyūan royal funerary rites. *Eastern Chamber (37 sarcophagi, 40 corpses) *No. 1: Simple crown icon

(1415–1476) *No. 2: Simple crown icon

(1465–1526) & Simple crown icon

Shō Sei (1497–1555) *No. 3: Simple crown icon

Shō Gen was king of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1556 to 1572. He was called "Gen, the mute."Kerr, George H. (2000). The king required considerable support from the ''Sanshikan'' (Council of Three), the chief council of royal advisors. His reign marked the b ...

(1528–1572) *No. 4: , Queen consort of Shō Gen *No. 5: Simple crown icon

Shō Ei (1559–1588) & This is a title, not a name. This person was the wife (indicated by ''kanashi'' ) of the ''anji'' (, an aristocratic rank and administrative post/title which might be translated as "local lord") of Aoriya (a placename). See also

Okinawan family name Okinawan names ( Okinawan: /, ''nā'') today have only two components, the family names (surnames or last names) first and the given names last. Okinawan family names represent the distinct historical and cultural background of the islands which no ...

for the ways in which these terms were typically used by the Ryukyuan aristocracy at the time in place of personal names. *No. 6: , Queen consort of Shō Ei *No. 7: Simple crown icon

Shō Hō was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. He succeeded Shō Nei, whose reign saw the invasion of Ryukyu by Japanese forces in 1609 and the subjugation of the kingdom to Satsuma Domain, and ruled from 1621 until 1640. Shō Hō was the fourth son of Shō ...

(1590–1640) *No. 8: , Queen consort of Shō Hō; &

Shō Kyō , also known by Prince , was a prince of the Ryukyu Kingdom. He was the eldest son of King Shō Hō. King Shō Nei had no heir. Shō Kyō was chosen as Crown Prince by the kingdom’s ministers, and was recognized by Satsuma as the rightful hei ...

(1612–1631), Crown Prince, eldest son of Shō Hō *No. 9: (unknown) *No. 10: , Queen consort of Shō Hō *No. 11: Simple crown icon

Shō Ken was the 9th king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, who ruled from 1641 to 1647. Shō Ken was the third son of Shō Hō. He had two elder brothers named Shō Kyō (尚恭) and Shō Bun (尚文), but both of them died before their father. So Shō Ken beca ...

(1625–1647) *No. 12: , Queen consort of Shō Ken *No. 13: Simple crown icon

Shō Shitsu was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom who held the throne from 1648 until his death in 1668. The fourth son of King Shō Hō, he was named Prince of Sashiki in 1637, at the age of eight, and was granted Sashiki '' magiri'' as his domain. In 1645, hi ...

(1629–1668) *No. 14: , Queen consort of Shō Shitsu *No. 15: Simple crown icon

Shō Tei (1645–1709) *No. 16: , Queen consort of Shō Tei *No. 17: Shō Jun (1660–1706), Crown Prince, eldest son of Shō Tei *No. 18: , Crown Princess of Shō Jun *No. 19: Simple crown icon

Shō Eki was a king the Ryukyu Kingdom, who ruled from 1710 to 1712. It was said that he was born with harelip A cleft lip contains an opening in the upper lip that may extend into the nose. The opening may be on one side, both sides, or in the middle ...

(1678–1712) *No. 20: , Queen consort of Shō Eki *No. 21: Simple crown icon

Shō Kei was king of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1713–1752. His reign, strongly guided by royal advisor Sai On, is regarded as a political and economic golden age and period of the flowering of Okinawan culture."Shō Kei." ''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' (� ...

(1700–1751) *No. 22: , Queen consort of Shō Kei *No. 23: Simple crown icon

Shō Boku was a king of Ryukyu. His reign began in 1752. Although a period of relative stability, he had to contend with a tsunami in 1771 that devastated the Miyako Islands and Yaeyama Islands. His reign also saw the Chinese envoy Chou Huang who wrote a ...

(1739–1794) *No. 24: , Queen consort of Shō Boku *No. 25: Shō Tetsu (1759–1788), Crown Prince, eldest son of Shō Boku *No. 26: , Queen consort of Shō Tetsu *No. 27: Simple crown icon

Shō On (1784–1802) *No. 28: , Queen consort of Shō On *No. 29: Simple crown icon

Shō Sei (1800–1803) *No. 30: Simple crown icon

Shō Kō (1787–1834) *No. 31: , Queen consort of Shō Kō *No. 32: Simple crown icon

Shō Iku was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom from 1835 to 1847. He was the eldest son of Shō Kō. According to '' Chūzan Seifu'', he was appointed regent in 1828, in place of his ailing father who was supposedly afflicted by a mental illness. Shō Kō di ...

(1813–1847) *No. 33: , Queen consort of Shō Iku *No. 34: Simple crown icon

(1843–1901) *No. 35: , Queen consort of Shō Tai *No. 36:

(1864-1920), Crown Prince, eldest son of Shō Tai *No. 37: , Crown Princess, wife of Shō Ten *Central Chamber (1 sarcophagus, 1 corpse) *No. 1 (unknown) *Western Chamber (32 sarcophagi, 32 corpses) *No. 1: (unknown) *No 2: , eldest daughter of Shō En, 1st ''

Kikoe-ōgimi チフィジン
首里・那覇方言データベース was the highest ranking priestess ...

'' *No. 3: , eldest son of Shō Shin; & , eldest daughter of Shō Ikō, 2nd ''

Kikoe-ōgimi チフィジン
首里・那覇方言データベース was the highest ranking priestess ...

'' *No. 4: , third son of Shō Shin *No. 5: , eldest daughter of Shō Gen *No. 6: , wife of Shō Gen *No. 7: , wife of Shō Gen *No. 8–9: (unknown) *No. 10: , second daughter of Shō Ei, 4th ''

Kikoe-ōgimi チフィジン
首里・那覇方言データベース was the highest ranking priestess ...

'' *No. 11–13: (unknown) *No. 14: , wife of Shō Hō *No. 15: , Crown Princess, wife of Shō Kyō *No. 16: , Crown Princess, wife of *No. 17–20: (unknown) *No. 21: Shō Kyū (1560–1620), third son of Shō Gen *No. 22: , second son of Shō Kō *No. 23: , fourth son of Shō Kō *No. 24: , seventh son of Shō Kō *No. 25: , eldest son of Shō Iku *No. 26–31: (unknown) *No. 32: , fifth daughter of Shō Tai; & , sixth daughter of Shō Tai

Gallery

File:Tamaudun13n4272.jpg, Ticket booth File:1st gate of Tamaudun 3.JPG, First gate File:2nd gate of Tamaudun from inside.JPG, Second gate (from interior) File:Tamaudun21bs4272.jpg, "Jade Monument" File:East grave of Tamaudun 2.JPG, East Chamber File:Middle and west graves of Tamaudun.JPG, Central (left) and West (right) Chambers File:East Ubanju of Tamaudun.JPG, East ''Ubanju''

References

External links

UNESCO World Heritage Site Listing
- Official Site *(Japanese

(Tamaudun, World Heritage Site of Okinawa) * {{Coord, 26, 13, 06, N, 127, 42, 53, E, region:JP_type:landmark, display=title Ryukyu Kingdom World Heritage Sites in Japan Mausoleums in Japan Buildings and structures completed in 1501 Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II Historic Sites of Japan 1501 establishments in Asia National Treasures of Japan