Keizuza/Yomotsuza

As you enter Shurijo Castle from Kankaimon Gate in the Shurijo Castle Park and pass through Kofukumon Gate, where there is a ticket office, you will see “Shicha-nu-una” spread before your eyes. To the right is a tiled-roof one-story building called “Keizuza/Yomotsuza.” If we explain that this is “the place where Ryukyuan dances are performed,” many people will quickly recall it, saying, “Oh, yes!”

During the Ryukyu Kingdom era the Keizuza/Yomotsuza were two government offices. Keizuza, as the name suggests, was a government office handling “keizu (family history) or kafu (pedigree).” A “kafu” was a record of family history kept by the shizoku (aristocrats), mainly consisting of a koseki (family register) and keireki (biographical data). The aristocrats submitted two copies of the kafu to the royal government, which stamped a seal of approval, with one copy taken home and one copy kept at the Keizuza. The Yomotsuza was a government office in charge of managing goods and materials to be used inside Shurijo Castle.

The Keizuza/Yomotsuza that stands here today was restored in 2000. As for the restoration process, there was not much detailed documentation on the interior of the building, so only its exterior has been restored. The building is provided as a resting place for visitors who can watch videos on Ryukyuan history as well as learn about Shurijo Castle using information devices that are set up there. Please take the opportunity to use this service watch videos on Ryukyuan history when you visit Shurijo Castle Park.(Mayumi Kuba)

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    “Keizuza/Yomotsuza” located on the west side of Shicha-nu-una
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    Ryukyuan dance performed in “Keizuza/Yomotsuza”(“Invitation to Dance”)

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