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As a tourist site, the ruins are particularly known for the beautiful view out over the East China Sea, for the impressive grandeur of the castle walls, and for the overall amount of space taken up by the castle grounds. Hokuzan in general was characterized by wider spaces, or at least less dense
419:) stood at the highest point of the precipice. In a less inner enclosures, located at a somewhat lower elevations, were residences for certain vassals, along with administrative buildings, stables for the horses, and garrisons for the warriors of the principality. As was typical of
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The castle is separated from the main mountain mass of Motobu on the east by a steep drop into a gorge with a stream at the bottom. A steep drop to the north and northeast from the castle drops down to the shoreline. A small harbor inlet here once served the castle, while
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activity. It is today known for the Hikan cherries which bloom in northern
Okinawa between mid-January and early February, providing the first cherry blossoms each year in Japan. In 2000, Nakijin Castle was designated as a
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construction at this time, the stonework of the walls was very solid, but quite rough, with a relative lack of precision fitting or fine cutting. Roughly 1500 meters of limestone castle wall remain today.
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and Chūzan, the other kingdoms on the island at that time. Nakijin is also consistently among the first places in the country to see, and celebrate, the blooming of the cherry blossoms (
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of
Nakijin prior to the creation of the Hokuzan kingdom, and thus some form of chiefly residence can be presumed to have been on or near the site before, it is believed that the
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The royal residence was located at the highest and innermost part of the complex and was surrounded by a small garden with a spring. Three shrines (
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at Unten harbor. They attacked
Nakijin Castle with heavy casualties on both sides, but the Japanese prevailed and burned the castle.
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507:(沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia"). Ryukyu Shimpo. 1 March 2003. Accessed 29 September 2009.
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The castle saw three generations of rulers before being attacked and destroyed by the armies of
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form of
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in the north. Nakijin was the capital of
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would continue to make their residence here for several centuries afterwards.
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in 1416. Lords of
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Gusuku Sites and
Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
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Oxford and New York: Osprey
Publishing, 2009. Pages 32-37.
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groves, reflecting the castle's role as a center of
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82:26.69083°N 127.93028°E
269:Cultural: ii, iii, vi
221:Garrison information
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372:World Heritage Site
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756:Kyan Castle
716:Ikei Castle
658:Beru Castle
634:Fort style
341:located in
287:2000 (24th
284:Inscription
231:Shō Kokushi
174:In use
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73:127°55′49″E
61:Coordinates
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761:Mie Castle
746:Kin Castle
721:Iso Castle
711:Iha Castle
469:References
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70:26°41′27″N
586:218648052
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192:Ryukyuan
189:Materials
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319:Kunigami
265:Criteria
43:in
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443:invaded
440:Satsuma
382:History
359:Hokuzan
347:Okinawa
289:Session
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179: (
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37:Nakijin
636:Gusuku
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429:Chūzan
421:gusuku
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351:Nanzan
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156:Built
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308:今帰仁城
226:Past
198:wood
181:1609
98:Type
27:今帰仁城
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144:.jp
140:www
120:Yes
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