Shuri Castle was the residence of the governor of the state of Ryukyu, located on the islands of Okinawa and the Ryukyu from XV to XIX century. Medieval castles Ryukyu kings were called gusuku and Shuri Castle - one of the few gusuku that have been restored. The castle is protected by UNESCO.

The exact date of construction of the castle is unknown. According to one version - XIII-XIV century, and the castle was built for the Prince Satta. According to another version, the castle was built in the XV century, the first monarch of the Ryukyu Sho Hashi. Since the beginning of the reign Sho Hashi Shuri Castle acquires the status of a political and cultural center of the state of Ryukyu, and this position remains with him until 1879, when Emperor Meiji forcibly annexed Ryukyu and outlined the new administrative territory as Okinawa Prefecture.

Prior to joining Shuri Castle was considered the most respectable and beautiful in the kingdom. The area of ​​the castle when viewed from a height, had an oval shape. Surrounded by stone walls were the main palace and other government institutions of the State of Ryukyu. The outer and inner fortified walls had a total of 12 gates. Tours start at the castle gate Syurey destroyed and restored in 1958. Image Syurey gate was placed on the bill nominal value of 2,000 yen, which was released in 2000 in honor of the summit G8 (the "Big Eight"). For the construction of the castle walls surrounding the castle was used coral limestone, their height ranges from 6 to 11 meters, and the total length - 1,080 meters.

Shuri Castle several times received severe damage from fires, but much more serious damage it caused in the bombing of the US Air Force during World War II. In 1944 the castle was completely destroyed by US aircraft, bombed the headquarters of the 32nd Army of Japan, who was in the castle. In 1945, US forces captured Okinawa and destroyed all the medieval castles, and their there were more than 220. In 1950, the occupation authorities discovered the ruins of Shuri Castle Ryukyusky University. In 1972, after the return of Okinawa to Japan, the castle was declared an important historical monument of national importance. In 1986, they started to carry out large-scale work on the restoration of the palace, its walls, gates and other buildings and gardens. Since 1992, the castle is included in the Okinawan State Cultural Reserve.