Shuri Castle, which had been the residence of the Kings of Ryūkyū for more than 500 years, has repeatedly experienced a cycle of demolition and repair, of destruction and reconstruction.
This paper focuses on two major repair and reconstruction projects undertaken by the central government after the year of 1879, which marks the end of the Ryūkyū Kingdom and the integration of Okinawa into the country of Japan.
The first major project took place during the 1920s. Originally the Shuri city hall government planned to demolish the decaying castle buildings, but a successful campaign to preserve Shuri Castle started not only in Okinawa but was also supported from the main islands. It resulted in the designation of the main hall as a National Treasure in 1925. On the occasion of the 50th birthday of Okinawa prefecture the Ministry of Education instigated the dismantling and repair of the buildings and gates. This proved to be a futile effort, as the castle was reduced to rubble during the fierce battle of Okinawa in May 1945.
The second reconstruction project which shall be discussed here started in 1986 when the Nakasone cabinet decided to rebuild Shuri Castle in commemoration of the reversion of Okinawa to Japan as a National Historical Park featuring the theme "The Kingdom of Ryūkyū has come back to life".
This leads to the following questions: Which were the circumstances and central government’s motives behind this extremely complex and expensive undertaking? What did Tōkyō hope to gain - besides of strengthening the ailing local economy - by repairing and reconstructing a castle whose architecture emphasizes the differences in culture and history between Okinawa and Japan? This presentation analyzes the reinterpretation of the symbolic value of Shuri Castle within the period of forced assimilation at the end of the 1920s and in the time of superficial internationalisation at the end of the 1980s. In addition it discusses re-definitions of Okinawa’s position in Japan with regard to the elusive topic of national identity.
