Among the Gusuku registered under the World Heritage, Shurijo Castle is especially remarkable. By the time Sho Hashi had unified Ryukyu, Shurijo Castle was already making its mark in history. For close to 450 years, Shurijo was the center of politics, diplomacy, and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The Seiden of Shurijo Castle is not just the largest wooden structure in Okinawa, but it displays the great wisdom of the people from the past in their merging of Japanese and Chinese architectural methods, as well as the distinctiveness of Okinawa’s culture.

The stone gate by the Shureimon gate and the small forest in the surroundings is referred to as an Utaki, or sacred site. During the Ryukyu Kingdom era, whenever the king departed the castle on an outing,

he always came to the Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon to pray for a safe journey.