Shuri Castle
On Thursday, October 31st the famous Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture burned to the ground. The Castle was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. It was revered as a symbol of the island, and it was the source of considerable economic benefits as a tourist destination. School groups of teenagers, especially, made regular pilgrimages to the site. The largely wooden structure had no fire-retarding sprinkler system. Apparently, I was not obligated to. It’s another reminder that fire is one of the traditional disasters of Japan.
The castle long served as the heart of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which ruled from 1429 to 1879, but was destroyed in the Battle of Okinawa in the closing days of World War II. The structures were reconstructed in 1992.
No one was injured in the disaster.