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Exterior of fire-hit Shuri Castle in Okinawa restored

Restoration work on the exterior of the main building of Okinawa’s iconic Shuri Castle has been completed, following a massive fire that burned down the structure six years ago, and it will hopefully be unveiled in late October.

The Seiden main hall is currently covered with a temporary roof to protect the site from the elements.

With the dismantling of the temporary roof and the lacquering of its interior under way, the overall reconstruction of the main hall is slated to wrap up in the fall of 2026.

A predawn fire in late October 2019 gutted the hall and a large portion of the castle complex in the southern island prefecture.

The castle was once the political and cultural center of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429-1879) until Okinawa was annexed by Japan. It has burned down five times, with the latest blaze believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.

After it was significantly destroyed during World War II, the castle was restored and opened as a national park in 1992. The castle ruins, excluding the restored buildings, were registered as a World Heritage site in 2000.

In June 2020, parts of the castle, including the main hall, were reopened to the public for the first time since the fire, with visitors able to view the ongoing restoration work.

As of the end of June, approximately 5.2 million people had visited the castle compound, according to the Okinawa Commemorative National Government Park Office.

Kazuhide Uchima, an official at the office in charge of the reconstruction, said that the completion of the hall’s exterior is an “important milestone.”

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