Katsuren Castle

The remains of a castle in Katsuren Haebaru, Uruma City, Okinawa Prefecture. In the local dialect, it is called "Katchingusuku." Founded around the 13th century, it prospered as the residence of successive Katsuren Anji (chief rulers), but was destroyed by the king's army in 1458 (Choroku 2) along with its lord, Amawari. Its prosperity is celebrated in the Omoro, and the results of excavation surveys also support part of its glory. It is noteworthy that the hill on which the castle stands was originally the site of a settlement from the end of the prehistoric period (Gusuku period), and in one corner of the hill there was a sacred place that was the nexus point for the community's rituals. After the settlement was moved, stone walls were built around the sacred place and it was turned into a fortress, which became Katsuren Castle. It has been designated a national historic site as a relic that will raise a new stone in the Gusuku issue, and maintenance work, including restoration of the castle walls, is currently underway. In 2000, the "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of the Ryukyus" was registered as a World Heritage Site, one of nine sites that are unique to the Ryukyu region (World Cultural Heritage).

[Takara Kurayoshi]

"The Age of the Ryukyus" by Kurayoshi Takara (1980, Chikuma Shobo)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

沖縄県うるま市勝連南風原(かつれんはえばる)にある城跡。方言で「カッチングスク」という。13世紀ごろに創建され、代々勝連按司(あんじ)の居城として繁栄したが、1458年（長禄2）に国王軍により城主阿麻和利(あまわり)とともに滅んだ。その繁栄ぶりはオモロにもうたわれ、発掘調査の成果もその栄華の一端を裏づけている。注目すべき点は、この城の立地する丘はもともと先史時代末期（グスク時代）の集落のあった場所であり、その一角に共同体の祭祀(さいし)上の結節点にあたる聖所が存在したことである。集落移動後、その跡に聖所を取り巻く形で石垣を積み城塞(じょうさい)化したものが勝連城であった。グスク問題に一石を投ずる遺構として国史跡に指定され、城壁の復原工事を含む整備が行われている。2000年（平成12）琉球(りゅうきゅう)地方の独特な文化遺産を対象に「琉球王国のグスクおよび関連遺産群」が世界遺産の文化遺産に登録されており、登録遺産群9か所のうちの一つに含まれている。（世界文化遺産）。

［高良倉吉］

『高良倉吉著『琉球の時代』（1980・筑摩書房）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例